The Three-Body Problem
Jun. 15th, 2015 02:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stoutfellowI just finished Cixin Liu's The Three-Body Problem, one of this year's Best Novel Hugo nominees. It's the third nominee I've read, after The Goblin Emperor and Skin Game.
I'm of two minds about the book. The first two-thirds of the book, laying out the central mystery, were deliciously weird and creepy. (The characters were not particularly well-drawn, but if you can give me enough sensawunda I'll overlook that.) The last part, where the conundrum was explained, was a bit of a letdown, I thought. In the hands of someone like Greg Bear (around the time of Anvil of Stars, frex), it could have been excellent, even - or perhaps especially - with the opening towards sequels. (Bear ended Forge of God with these words: "Those who killed Earth: beware her children. Thus is the balance kept." Liu's "'My sunset,' Ye whispered. 'And sunset for humanity.'" doesn't measure up.)
Right now, I'm ranking it second, behind TGE. I haven't read Ancillary Sword or The Dark Between the Stars yet.
I'm of two minds about the book. The first two-thirds of the book, laying out the central mystery, were deliciously weird and creepy. (The characters were not particularly well-drawn, but if you can give me enough sensawunda I'll overlook that.) The last part, where the conundrum was explained, was a bit of a letdown, I thought. In the hands of someone like Greg Bear (around the time of Anvil of Stars, frex), it could have been excellent, even - or perhaps especially - with the opening towards sequels. (Bear ended Forge of God with these words: "Those who killed Earth: beware her children. Thus is the balance kept." Liu's "'My sunset,' Ye whispered. 'And sunset for humanity.'" doesn't measure up.)
Right now, I'm ranking it second, behind TGE. I haven't read Ancillary Sword or The Dark Between the Stars yet.
