Cixin Liu's The Dark Forest: Book Two of The Three-Body Problem Series

Mr. David Kidd: Hard sci fi by its very definition forgoes character and focuses on building a delivery vehicle for ideas instead. This is really felt with this series. Thing is though I love the ideas and the world so much it doesn’t matter.

United Kingdom on Oct 18, 2023

Sergio: Ottimo libro anche se letto come stand alone e non come secondo della serie di tre. In alcune pagine un pò pesante dovuto alla "cinesità militante" dello scrittore, ma le pagine sono poche. Consigliato per gli amanti del genere hard sci-fi.

Italy on Oct 13, 2023

Sarah: Absolutely amazing! Will be classic. Must read.

United States on Oct 12, 2023

April B. Johnson: This is a wonderful follow-up to the 3 Body Problem. Engaging characters propels the narrative, which makes for an engrossing read.

United States on Sep 23, 2023

Capstan: Twists and turns keep you reading and never wanting to put it down. Haven't read the first book in the series and somehow was still able to read this one with no problems.

United States on Sep 21, 2023

David Lloyd: One of the best science fiction stories of modern times. It has one of the best showdowns, too.

The audio version is unabridged, and is quite easy to listen to, which I've done a number of times, as its that good.

United Kingdom on Sep 17, 2023

Gloria Chan: I am reading the trilogy a second time and began to see beyond the story. Zhang BEIHAI to me is the real Wallfacer, and I just have to dedicate a poem to him.

SONG FOR THE UNSUNG HERO ZHANG BEIHAI IN THE DARK FOREST

The curse of being right
When right is the wrong side of the coin
Tossed by the cruel hand of fate
Hope dashed, future interrupted
No satisfaction in the vindication
How he wished he was wrong

Has night fallen
Will the sun never rise
The Oracle of Delphi heaved the heaviest sigh
Shoot the messenger
They prefer not to know
Let potentials remain potentials
And dreams remain dreams
In the darkness reality shifts and pulses
Shrouded in mystery
Surrendering to our imagination

A sea of chorus of optimism
Drunk on its own magnification
All echoing the same uplifting song
Let the wine flow
Hedonism is where the wind blows
Drowning out doubts and fear
Human spirit will triumph
It cannot be otherwise

Cold logic
Induction, deduction, reduction
A lone voice
Miming in silence
The thankless task of escaping
Total defeat
Annihilation
Going for the bare minimum of...

United Kingdom on Aug 20, 2023

Fernando Gamiñio: Plantea un concepto demasiado perturbador para los amantes de la ciencia ficción y que te hara contemplar el deseo de contactar con vida alienigena

Mexico on Jul 16, 2023

Josh Mauthe: It's hard to know where to begin talking about The Three-Body Problem trilogy (officially known as the Remembrance of Earth's Past series), a truly staggering piece of science-fiction written by Chinese author Cixin Liu and translated to English by Ken Liu and Joel Martinsen (Liu did books 1 and 3, while Martinsen did 2). A trilogy that spans literally thousands of years, deals with quantum physics, game theory, sociology, religion, space exploration, space colonization, and more, all driven by the nature of first contact with alien intelligence - there's a lot going on in this series, and that's before you start realizing just how much Cixin (reminder: Chinese names are traditionally written with the family name first and the given name second) truly takes on the advanced science of his ideas. And yet, when you finish it, you realize that you've read something truly incredible - a piece of hard science-fiction whose ambition, scope, richness, and ideas are impossible not to find yourself thinking about for days afterward.

Once you read The Dark Forest, the series' second volume, Cixin's ambition for this saga starts to come into focus. The question of...

United States on Dec 18, 2018

Ja Helios: Containing a little bit Spoil. Be careful.

This English version changed its original plot and become totally different from Chinese version for the part about one of the Wallfacer.

As far as I concerned, the changes influenced a lot in the characterization of that Wallfacer, and his character, therefore, had been influenced in some ways. 'Please notice the terms: characterization and character. Their definitions are totally different in plot-writing.) Whether this influence in character is good or bad depends on each reader. However, I am a person always prefer and respect the ORIGINAL ideas from the writer. (Not even for this book, but for many other situation, such as the changes made by GOT series. :( )
These changes in the major plot, I heard from someone, had been requested by the US editor due to the reason that the original plan made by this Wallfacer was related to another book, "Ball lightning“ (also written by Mr. Liu), which were not published in English yet. In this case, Mr. Liu had to change the plot by himself. Frankly speaking, I do not think this request was a good idea. I had not yet read that book when I first read The Dark Forest (in...

United States on Sep 02, 2015