Chinese Sci-Fi, "The Three Body Problem"

[dredger]

Hello,
I'm currently reading a trilogy from an author i like ... or liked ... of sci-fi, Peter F. Hamilton. The pitch is a bit similar, an alien race coming visibly first to fill their tank and befriend the humanity the time they are there, but in reality they have other plans (the trilogy named Salvation), but if i wrote that i'm not sure anymore if i like this author it's because it's completely unaware of the actual big lies and thinks of a future with the CO2 being solved by such way, or worst, a new culture was created where the humans who want can become kind of hermaphrodite, but by cycles, like every 1000 days they can be male and the other 1000 they are female ... so he fully plundge in this lgbtqxxx things and i completely dislike this, but aim is not to speak about this author here.

I just wanted to inform that for the french people who like sci-fi, the 3 books were translated to french, here's the french wiki page of the author - the 3 books are named :
- Le Problème à trois corps
- La Forêt sombre
- La Mort immortelle

Even if i can easily speak in english, read technical things in english, i do not like at all reading a book in english as i too often stumble on words or expression i do not know, missing or wrongly understanding a good % of the plot, or sometimes the descriptions the author make (which are sometimes much detailed in sci-fi books and which are not easy to represent/visualize even when written in french, so in english, forget it )

So, probably a future read on my side. Thanks for the link/topic (even if i'm late to say it as @Woodsman posted this in 2015)

 

[SOTTREADER]

I read the trilogy over three years ago. Fascinating work. I then discovered that it had had been produced, in China, as a 30 episode series. I don't remember which streaming service carries it, Netflix, Amazon, etc., but it's out there as a very high quality and accurate presentation of the books. I watched it on a free streaming service, approximately one hour episode per night. It is English subtitled. I highly recommend it.

YouTube has the Chinese version with English subtitles

 

[Uperios]

I recently finished the first volume (audio book) of the trilogy; and it is interesting.
Interesting parallels with our society IMO:
+ group of people hating humanity and wiling to let an alien force to "improve" life on earth
+ venerating an alien race as saviors (how "easy" is this done)
+ how to keep the next to be conquered planet not to advance technologically as to not be able to defeat the invading force (like our planet: what great leaps in the last 100 years we experienced? - not taking into account the secret advancements).

 

[Uperios]

For those who finished the trilogy I recommend the follow-up:

• The Redemption of Time (观想之宙), originally posted to an internet forum as fan fiction in 2010 by Li Jun writing as Baoshu, that was later published by Chongqing Press, the original trilogy publisher, with the permission of Liu Cixin in 2011, as Three-Body X: Aeon of Contemplation (Chinese: 三体X·观想之宙; pinyin: Sān Tǐ X · Guān Xiǎng Zhī Zhòu). It was translated by Ken Liu into English for Tor Books and published on July 16, 2019 as The Redemption of Time.[6]

I found it really interesting with ideas like:
+ The lizards are manipulated by the somebody higher in the food chain
+ the weak point of a hive mind civilization
+ the fall from the Edenic state (Baoshu presents it as universe, different mechanics)
+ at some point makes reference to Cassiopaea (also Big Dipper and Orion)
and others ideeas; IMO was more interesting than the trilogy.

 

[aragorn]

Just finished reading the third book in the series. All I can say is "Wow!" Liu Cixin is one hell of a SciFi writer with amazing visionary imagination. Every time I thought that he couldn't surprise me anymore, he proved me wrong – a new twist with even more incredible things just kept coming after each corner. Coupled with his apparent great knowledge on all technological and scientific details, which he develops with imagined new discoveries and innovations makes the whole thing just mind blowing. Also, the 'bigger than life' questions pondered gives a lot of food for thought for the reader.

And it's not just the above. At least based on the English translations, his style of writing, his authorship, is IMO on a high level. He doesn't just tell stories, he describes them in a way that makes the reader feel immersed in those imagined worlds.

In all haste I bought the 'fourth' book and only later realizing that it was, as was mentioned above, a fan-based novel by another writer. Maybe it's good, but based on the first few pages I read the authorship and the style of storytelling isn't on the same level.

 

[Honzap]

When I read the author being compared to Asimov, I thought umm OK, let`s see. I was positively surprised with the plots and twist describing various feats of human existence. Although main focus is very materialistic, some characters displayed spirituality as well.

Thoroughly enjoyed the trilogy!

 

[Windmill knight]

Just finished reading the third book in the series. All I can say is "Wow!" Liu Cixin is one hell of a SciFi writer with amazing visionary imagination. Every time I thought that he couldn't surprise me anymore, he proved me wrong – a new twist with even more incredible things just kept coming after each corner. Coupled with his apparent great knowledge on all technological and scientific details, which he develops with imagined new discoveries and innovations makes the whole thing just mind blowing. Also, the 'bigger than life' questions pondered gives a lot of food for thought for the reader.

And it's not just the above. At least based on the English translations, his style of writing, his authorship, is IMO on a high level. He doesn't just tell stories, he describes them in a way that makes the reader feel immersed in those imagined worlds.

I totally agree. I finished the third book yesterday. It left me with a mix of philosophical and poetic feeling, like good scifi should do. There were several points along the 3 books that my mind was blown. Many twists and revelations and original ideas that kept going until the end, as well as a solid, well told story. You can tell that the author is both very clever and well read on many subjects.

Also, when speculating about the future in other scifi stories, there are points beyond which an author will not venture because 'we cannot even imagine what that would look like'. But I think Cixin Liu is not afraid to cross that line and describes some wild situations - sociological, scientific or cosmic - in detail and makes them believable. In other words, he is not afraid of letting his imagination fly.

Great scifi overall. I'm glad there are minds capable of this and I'm glad I read it too.

 

[aragorn]

Some months ago I bought Cixin Liu's book 'Ball Lightning' that he wrote after the Three Body series, and started reading. Being so amazed and impressed by his Three Body series, I was looking forward to reading this one. However, to my surprise this book didn't "do much of anything" for me. As I kept reading, I thought "well, I'm sure things will get more interesting soon". I finally had to stop – or take a pause for now – after reading ca 60% of the book, since I...hate to say it...I found it boring.

I'm not sure what it was that made this book boring to me but I suspect that it had something to do with the topic. I mean, ball lightnings are interesting, but not that interesting! What made the Three Body problem so intersting was the 'larger than life' topic, the ultimate topic of existence and space. And the writing in that series (or maybe the translation?) was IMO on another level than in 'Ball Lightning'. It feels a little like a haste job.

Has anyone else read 'Ball Lightning', any comments?

 

[gottathink]

We’ve started watching the Netflix production ( just released 21 March) of The Three Body Problem.
I have not read the books so am unable to make any comments but keen to watch this thread if anyone who has read the books does watch the Netflix version.

 

[mkrnhr]

Maybe ball lightning wasn't a lightning in a bottle as was three bodies. Inspiration comes and goes.
I saw on some highway billboards that there is a US adaptation of three bodies. It's going to be netflixized to death. Better wait for the Chinese adaptation of the second part still.

 

[gottathink]

Maybe ball lightning wasn't a lightning in a bottle as was three bodies. Inspiration comes and goes.
I saw on some highway billboards that there is a US adaptation of three bodies. It's going to be netflixized to death. Better wait for the Chinese adaptation of the second part still.

It was released on Netflix on 21 March.

 

[whitecoast]

We’ve started watching the Netflix production ( just released 21 March) of The Three Body Problem.
I have not read the books so am unable to make any comments but keen to watch this thread if anyone who has read the books does watch the Netflix version.

I started watching the Netflix version and honestly couldn't make it to the 20 minute mark of the first episode. Several of the producers were involved in Game of Thrones, and it shows in the gratuitous brutality in a few of the scenes, to say nothing about including a (admittedly highly abstracted) sex scene in the intro credits I assume they intend to start every episode with for literally no reason I was not impressed, and will continue to recommend the Chinese adaptation or the book itself to people over the western one.

Leave it to the spook operation that is Netflix to take an acclaimed and highly intellectual story celebrated in China and "adapt it" to western audiences by moving a few of the scenes to the UK and adding a good dose of pollution to people's psychic hygiene. The Three Body Problem series does have a pessimistic view of aliens, but at least it's informed in some respects by a healthier civilizational ethic. A part of me is honestly not sure if westerners even can produce works of this quality anymore, although people are welcome to prove me wrong on this.

 

[lilies]

I started watching the Netflix version and honestly couldn't make it to the 20 minute mark of the first episode.

The Chinese were there first:

Three-Body (Chinese: 三体) is a Chinese science fiction television series adapted from the novel The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, first published in serialized form in 2006. The series premiered on January 15, 2023.[1]

Unfortunately the Chinese TV Show was so bad, boring and badly done, that I was not able to watch. I guess same quality carried over to Netflix's pathethic remake: even its trailer is boring!

China rather excels in dynastic war-drama movies, where the generals are blessed with superhero-like strength. Also at least half of Jet Li's and Donnie Yen's movies are brilliantly done.

Their romantic, sci-fi / mystery, fantasy TV Shows are horrible in general. Excessively Sugary (for the Western audience), as Gurdjieff would say.

Sometimes however they are able to create excellent sci-fi movies, like The Wandering Earth (2019) and its well done sequel.

Hello Mr. Billionaire (2018), a Chinese comedy was also excellent!

Born to Fly (2023), the Chinese version of "Top Gun"was also very good!

There was also a sci-fi on the Moon, titled The Silent Sea (TV Series 2021), but that was done by the highly advanced filmmaker-industry of South-Korea.

 

[lilies]

This got me thinking:

Q: (Joe) So the program change then is something other than the work or the machinations of the overt political elite in the West?
A: Yes
Q: (L) Is it 4D STS?
A: Yes
Q: (Joe) What is it, Laura? What is it then?
(Niall) A space threat?
A: Watch the skies and land and oceans.

The Three Body Problem definitely is a sneaky pre-invasion story, so it belongs to this cathegory. Then there was the well made apocalyptic sci-fi German TV Show titled:
The Swarm (TV Series 2023)
An ancient, super intelligent, mosaic-brained / Hive-Mind civilization in form of innumerable, tiny sea creatures decides, its time to say "Hi!". To humans polluting the oceans.. That is a sneaky "invasion" story too, but they were here millions of years ago as well..

Another fast read is the superb The Fall of Malvolion

Imperial forces rush to evacuate the world of Malvolion as it faces the threat of Tyranid invasion.

Tyranid is a Hive-Mind self-gene-editing species invading planets to dissolve plants, animals and humans into biomass beginning by introducing alien cells on the molecular level to the targeted planet, to build a genetically forever-improving Tyranid xenomorph monster species. That is a sneaky invasion beginning on the microbial level. Then as it builds itself into more complex monsters, they achieve increasing sentience automatically.
First infecting seas via alien plankton and lands via alien spores.

A four-book series from 1983 takes the gold medal written by the (now Trump-hating) David Gerrold. Titled the The War Against the Chtorr. First book is best, then quality degrades slightly, until the fourth book. Similar Hive-Mind-type species travel the interstellar reaches probably on meteorites to arrive as alien-super microbes, called "The Chtorr", it very sneakily invades the:

A: Watch the skies and land and oceans.

Begins to terraform the planet into its own bright Multi-Color alien image.
Then as it evolves into bigger and bigger forms, it gradually attains increased sentience. Earth loses critical livable areas on continents fast. Green Zones are getting reduced. Human scientists accept the inevitable and plan for "Co-Existence". Yeah, with a life-form that eats the planet..
Its largest forms - The Worms - achieve sentience and begin turning toward their own planet in the sky and singing in a sad, mourning, home-sick tone. No Happy Ending in sight.

The fifth book in that series is now coming out forever delayed. Probably it will be the worst. But Gerrold is old now - burned out - and probably has gotten through multiple writer's blocks. So, its questionable, if we'll ever see any conclusion of that story.. Since then he deleted his Twitter account. Maybe with the evolution to X it got too much Freedom and thus was too Trump-aligned for him?

 

[Bluegazer]

First infecting seas via alien plankton and lands via alien spores.

4D STS Virus.

(Gaby) In a prior session, they were saying it was not mostly the US experiments that were a threat to humanity, but instead a space virus. So, if that's the case, in theory if there's a 4th density STS virus coming up, will it be a DNA or an RNA virus?

A: RNA.

Q: (Gaby) And what kind of disease will it produce?

A: Most likely to be similar to primitive smallpox.

Q: (Pierre) Primitive smallpox is nasty. It's a descendant of the Black Death.

(L) I think we decided that primitive smallpox was the Black Death.

(Gaby) Smallpox is a DNA virus. So if this is an RNA virus, it could be nastier I suppose.

(Pierre) With 79% death rate, it's nasty.

(Joe) What kind of treatments would be effective against such a critter?

A: Vit C and oxygen.

Also the Flood: Flood

The Flood (Latin Inferi redivivus,[1] meaning "the dead reincarnated")[2] the Parasite,[3] as they are known to the Covenant, as the Shaping Sickness, by the Ancient Humans[4], are a species of highly virulent parasitic organisms that can reproduce and grow by consuming sentient life forms of sufficient biomass and cognitive capability. The Flood was responsible for consuming most of the sentient life in the galaxy, notably the Forerunners, during the 300-year-long Forerunner-Flood war.[5] The Flood presents the most variable faction in the trilogy, as it can infect and mutate Humans and Covenant species, such as Sangheili and Jiralhanae, into Combat Forms. They are widely considered to be the greatest threat to the whole existence of life, or more accurately, biodiversity, in the Milky Way galaxy.