The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu
Let me list what this book is, has and does, so wonderfully. Not only is it good science fiction, but it’s science-y science fiction, with real physics and principles that have been tested and proved in the real world. It is set in China, and not just China in modern day, but People’s Revolution China. It’s well written, it conveys complicated abstract ideas beautifully, and it accomplishes all this translated from Chinese (it even has footnotes to explain historical nuance and puns that exist in Chinese and not in English). This book was fantastic. Cixin Liu is truly a writer to be reckoned with and I cannot wait to read the next books in the series.
Set against the political backdrop of the People’s Revolution in China and the prosecution of scientists and intellectuals, the story follows the life of a scientist who is involved in a top secret research project looking for extraterrestrial life, a physicist working on nanotechnology and a cult that worships a lord that demands the killing of scientists.
This book was fantastic. I loved it. I think this was honestly one of the best science fiction books I’ve ever read, and I highly recommend it to everyone.
— Jaime Cary
