Cixin Liu's "The Three Body Problem,", part of his Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy, exploded onto the global science fiction scene, winning the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015, the first by an Asian writer. The trilogy, that includes The Dark Forest and Death’s End, tells a mind-bending tale that plunges readers into an extra-terrestrial crisis on a cosmic scale.
(Books 1 and 3 were translated into English by Ken Liu, while The Dark Forest was translated by Joel Martinson )
Book 1: The Three-Body Problem
In The Three Body Problem, Earth makes first contact with the Trisolaris civilization. The Trisolarians are a technologically advanced race but come from a world with an erratic and unstable climate that forces them to develop extraordinary survival tactics, ultimately leading to desperation, cruelty, and a singular focus – finding a new home. And Earth becomes their target. We follow Ye Wenjie, a disillusioned astrophysicist whose experiences during the Cultural Revolution shape her critical role in the events that unfold. We also meet Wang Miao, a nanotechnology researcher who enters the mysterious virtual world of "Three Body” a simulation that allows players to experience the Trisolaris system and their constant struggle to survive within its unpredictable physics. As the countdown to the arrival of the Trisolarians commences, Humanity becomes divided. The novel delves into themes of morality, desperation, and the question of whether humans deserve a future when faced with the prospect of an alien invasion.
Book 2: The Dark Forest“
"In this vast cosmos, the darkest forest is the human heart."
Faced with an impending invasion from the Trisolarians, humanity develops a desperate defence plan involving a chosen group of strategists called "Wallfacers."The Trisolarians, despite being centuries away in travel time, wield sophisticated technology that disrupts scientific advancement on Earth, hindering humanity's preparations.
Book 3: Death's End
In the third novel, the story leaps forward centuries, revealing the shifting balance of power between humans and the Trisolarians. The consequences of choices made in the prior books play out across a vast timescale. The novel explores what humanity becomes after facing the Trisolarian threat and raises questions about the ultimate fate of civilizations in the universe.
The trilogy is a masterpiece of hard science fiction, exploring themes of technological advancement, survival, ethics, and the vastness of the cosmos.