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Theee-Body Problem books-if you liked the tv show read them!Mindi - Substitute Tips

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Three-Body Problem Boxed Set: The Dark Forest, Death's End (The Three-Body Problem Series) Paperback – October 22, 2019

by Cixin Liu (Author), Ken Liu (Translator), Joel Martinsen (Translator)

4.7 5,836 ratings

Collects books from: The Three-Body Problem

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The inspiration for the Netflix series 3 Body Problem!

WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL

Over 1 million copies sold in North America

“A mind-bending epic.”―The New York Times • “War of the Worlds for the 21st century.”―The Wall Street Journal • “Fascinating.”―TIME • “Extraordinary.”―The New Yorker • “Wildly imaginative.”―Barack Obama • “Provocative.”―Slate • “A breakthrough book.”―George R. R. Martin • “Impossible to put down.”―GQ • “Absolutely mind-unfolding.”―NPR • “You should be reading Liu Cixin.”―The Washington Post

The Three-Body Problem Boxed Set contains all three volumes of the groundbreaking, Hugo Award-winning series―The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death's End―by China's most beloved science fiction author, Cixin Liu.

A secret military group sends signals into space in hopes of establishing contact with aliens―and succeeds.

Picking up their signal is an alien civilization on the brink of destruction who now readies to invade Earth.

News of the coming invasion divides humanity like never before. Some want to help the superior beings take over a world they see as corrupt. Others prepare to fight the invasion at all cost.

The Three Body Problem trilogy is a ground-breaking saga of enormous scope and vision.

The Three-Body Problem Series
The Three-Body Problem
The Dark Forest
Death's End

Other Books by Cixin Liu
Ball Lightning
Supernova Era
To Hold Up the Sky
The Wandering Earth
A View from the Stars

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

CIXIN LIU is the most prolific and popular science fiction writer in the People’s Republic of China. Liu is a winner of the Hugo Award, an eight-time winner of the Galaxy Award (the Chinese Hugo) and a winner of the Chinese Nebula Award. Prior to becoming a writer, he worked as an engineer in a power plant. His novels include The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death's End.

Ken Liu is an award-winning author of speculative fiction. His books include the Dandelion Dynasty series (The Grace of Kings), The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, and the Star Wars tie-in novel, The Legends of Luke Skywalker. He frequently speaks at conferences and universities on topics like futurism, machine-augmented creativity, the mathematics of origami, and more. He lives near Boston with his family.

Joel Martinsen is research director for a media intelligence company. His translations have appeared in Words Without Borders, Chutzpah!, and Pathlight. He lives in Beijing.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books (October 22, 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 1515 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250254493
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250254498
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.3 x 4.2 x 9.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #31 in Alien Invasion Science Fiction
- #46 in First Contact Science Fiction (Books)
- #62 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 5,836 ratings

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Cixin Liu

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Liu Cixin, born in June 1963, is a representative of the new generation of Chinese science fiction authors and recognized as a leading voice in Chinese science fiction. He was awarded the China Galaxy Science Fiction Award for eight consecutive years, from 1999 to 2006 and again in 2010. His representative work The Three-body Problem is the BEST STORY of 2015 Hugo Awards, the 3rd of 2015 Campbell Award finalists, and nominee of 2015 Nebulas Award.

His works have received wide acclaim on account of their powerful atmosphere and brilliant imagination. Liu Cixin's stories successfully combine the exceedingly ephemeral with hard reality, all the while focussing on revealing the essence and aesthetics of science. He has endeavoured to create a distinctly Chinese style of science fiction. Liu Cixin is a member of the China Writers' Association and the Shanxi Writers' Association.

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5,836 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the story intricate and thought-provoking. They describe the book as a great read with deep science concepts and theories. Many readers consider it worthwhile and rewarding. The book is rooted in history and provides an interesting cultural perspective. Readers praise the author's writing style as amazing and well-written. However, some feel the pacing is uncompelling and the first book is boring.

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Imagination Readability Depth Value for money History Author quality Character development Pacing

162 customers mention "Imagination"139 positive23 negative

Customers find the story intricate and engaging with an innovative sci-fi plot. They find the themes thought-provoking and the book intellectually stimulating. The book is described as a great sci-fi trilogy with good logical closure.

"...out ideas about the future, inventive problem solving, and the struggles of humanity mixed with the harsh realities of space and physics kept me..." Read more

"...Liu takes us on a remarkable journey in his three volume novel. Yes, his trilogy is science fiction, but it is also philosophy...." Read more

"...It is Chinese. China has a rich, complex, diverse, thousands-of-years-old culture, language and history, present era excluded...." Read more

"An odyssey of the universe, that starts with humanity but transcends space, time, and all known possibilities, Remembrance of Earth’s Past is an..." Read more

150 customers mention "Readability"130 positive20 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it imaginative and well-written, with interesting content and fascinating ideas. The books are well-made and a nice addition to their bookcase.

"...from Dostoevsky or Leo Tolstoy, but if you are curious about interesting content and fascinating ideas about both everyday things you even don't..." Read more

"...And it navigates a balance between human altruism and the dark nature of the universe...." Read more

"...At the end of the book I was left with a deep feeling of gratitude...." Read more

"...Overall, I liked it and found it Interesting So I cheated and started watching Netflix to help." Read more

18 customers mention "Depth"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's science interesting and complex. They appreciate the author's research and analysis of physics concepts. The theories presented are intriguing, and the analysis is amazing. Readers mention that the author knows enough about physics to pass a BS test. The book progresses smoothly with real-life logic, giving a sense of reading a textbook.

"...Liu Cixin blew my mind with how deep and unpredictable the story flows...." Read more

"...Hard quantum mechanics science. And cosmology. Some actual, some not, but based on their foundations and critical to understanding the plot(s)...." Read more

"...Deep and intense, with a storyline spanning thousands of years over the course of the three books. Awesome!" Read more

"...Science is deep! But the science is always deep!" Read more

17 customers mention "Value for money"15 positive2 negative

Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They find it worthwhile and engaging, saying the journey is wonderful.

"...you can't even start imagining such things, then this book is well worth the money and the time. Hope this helps!" Read more

"Thank you for a wonderful journey. An awesome journey through time and space both mentally and physically. Bravo and hope more is to come." Read more

"...and turns, and yes, even philosophy, this trilogy is completely worth the investment that it takes to get through the first half of the first book...." Read more

"Books are well made, nice box set! Worth the price." Read more

10 customers mention "History"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's history and cultural perspective. They find it rooted in history and future history, with an interesting cultural perspective. The book reveals something about humanity and explores human-extraterrestrial relations. It starts in the present and continues into the far future, with the first book providing necessary background and world-building.

"...rich, complex, diverse, thousands-of-years-old culture, language and history, present era excluded...." Read more

"...Very interesting world building. Loved how it was rooted in history, but the author keeps introducing new characters and even before he develops them..." Read more

"...And indeed it was fantastic. Like all great literature it reveals something about humanity, or at least provokes thought...." Read more

"This was an amazing series that took a very interesting look at human and extraterrestrial relations and I was completely blown away." Read more

7 customers mention "Author quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the author's writing style. They say the author sets expectations and then surprises them. The book is written with the flair of a good mystery writer and is written by a native English speaker.

"...There is admiration for this author and he can adapt easily to his mind...." Read more

"...in a really long time and I feel like the author does a really good job of setting expectations and then surprising you...." Read more

"...if it was about a 10th as long and was written with the flare of a good mystery writer. I feel like it cheated me out of a lot of time...." Read more

"...These books read as if written by the most elegant, native English speaking author anywhere...." Read more

33 customers mention "Character development"13 positive20 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development. Some find the characters well-developed and believable, with depth and personality. Others feel the characters are not deeply described, making it hard to keep track of them. The author keeps introducing new characters without developing them first, making it difficult to keep track of them and keeping track of their names.

"...mostly because of the story not being good and the characters very dry and artificial, some accused him of misogyny and sexism...." Read more

"...The charters had depth where necessary and personality. The story line, plot and setting were easy to follow...." Read more

"...it became almost fairy tail without good finale and with super boring main character...." Read more

"...However, the trajectory of female characters, the protagonist's male gaze, and the prose were insurmountable for me...." Read more

27 customers mention "Pacing"5 positive22 negative

Customers find the book's pacing slow and unengaging. They say the first book is boring and not worth the effort. The second book is also described as a drag with unnecessary stories. The book is dense, confusing, frustrating, and full of random details that can become tedious. Overall, readers struggle to keep engaged through the series.

"...But you know or should know that from the book titles. It is supremely depressing, or sublimely uplifting. Or both. Or neither...." Read more

"...it is a solid story , but near the end it became almost fairy tail without good finale and with super boring main character...." Read more

"...(remembering different characters) Or if it was because the book was getting redundant and just wouldn’t get to the point...." Read more

"...Beware: it starts off a little slow, with a history lesson of the Cultural Revolution...." Read more

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RJB
Great series, keeps you guessing
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2025
Verified Purchase

I didn’t realize this was a book trilogy until I watched Netflix’s adaptation. I immediately purchased and the more I read, the more I appreciated the efforts to condense this story into a miniseries.

Liu Cixin blew my mind with how deep and unpredictable the story flows. The far-out ideas about the future, inventive problem solving, and the struggles of humanity mixed with the harsh realities of space and physics kept me fully immersed. By the time you get to the third book, the story goes far beyond what you think would happen. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

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AYM
Very well thought of story line with a lot of ideas to think about
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2022
Verified Purchase
I didn't know anything about this book or the author, just saw the book in a local bookstore, then checked the rating on Amazon and bought it. I did not read any of the customer reviews to not spoil the reading for me. My own impression was very good. Still in the middle of the 3rd book (Death's End) but I am sure it won't disappoint. I am impressed by the content of the books, so far "The Dark Forest" is the best. All the books have so many ideas that one can just think about for days, and some of these ideas come with Liu Cixin's interpretation and contemplation, which are well within the reasoning and logic boundaries, but still make one think deeper about essential questions. The storyline is also well preserved throughout the books, although they go back and forth in time, but still nothing confusing, just filling in more details, which I would think were not necessary, but after reading I got surprised at how deep he thought about all the details that he's able to provide so much without making it sound like nonsense or boring.

After completing the 2nd book, I read some reviews on goodreads, and a lot of people claimed to have been disappointed, mostly because of the story not being good and the characters very dry and artificial, some accused him of misogyny and sexism. My take on this is if you really want to read this book as a masterpiece of literature and you're looking for all the sophisticated details in characters and scene descriptions, you better skip this set and just read something from Dostoevsky or Leo Tolstoy, but if you are curious about interesting content and fascinating ideas about both everyday things you even don't stop to think about and things that you don't think about because you can't even start imagining such things, then this book is well worth the money and the time.

Hope this helps!

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108 people found this helpful

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David Hillstrom
Dark Forest
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024
Verified Purchase
Please read my poem in the attached photo as an example of the perspectives on Liu’s trilogy that I will develop here.

Liu takes us on a remarkable journey in his three volume novel. Yes, his trilogy is science fiction, but it is also philosophy. And it navigates a balance between human altruism and the dark nature of the universe. He calls this dark side of interstellar life the ‘dark forest.’ It is typical for novelists to explore human emotions, to exalt human culture and love while depicting tragic tales. Liu has done so as well, but has also raised a frightening insight.

If there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, a tragic possibility arises. Many of those interstellar cultures could well be destructive, ready to destroy competitive intelligence as casually as singing a tune. Such ‘civilizations’ might even utilize their knowledge of astrophysics to destroy the universe itself. This possibility is what Liu terms the dark forest. This perspective shouldn’t surprise us. We can see reflections of this possibility within our own history here on earth.

Why the poem? I wrote the poem about a year ago in continuation of my book of poetic science, De Rerum Natura: On Nature and Poetry. As I read Liu’s trilogy I frequently reflected back upon my book and this recent poem.

Read more

David Hillstrom

Dark Forest

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024
Please read my poem in the attached photo as an example of the perspectives on Liu’s trilogy that I will develop here.

Liu takes us on a remarkable journey in his three volume novel. Yes, his trilogy is science fiction, but it is also philosophy. And it navigates a balance between human altruism and the dark nature of the universe. He calls this dark side of interstellar life the ‘dark forest.’ It is typical for novelists to explore human emotions, to exalt human culture and love while depicting tragic tales. Liu has done so as well, but has also raised a frightening insight.

If there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, a tragic possibility arises. Many of those interstellar cultures could well be destructive, ready to destroy competitive intelligence as casually as singing a tune. Such ‘civilizations’ might even utilize their knowledge of astrophysics to destroy the universe itself. This possibility is what Liu terms the dark forest. This perspective shouldn’t surprise us. We can see reflections of this possibility within our own history here on earth.

Why the poem? I wrote the poem about a year ago in continuation of my book of poetic science, De Rerum Natura: On Nature and Poetry. As I read Liu’s trilogy I frequently reflected back upon my book and this recent poem.

Images in this review

6 people found this helpful

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Paladin
Not An Easy Read
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2024
Verified Purchase
What this series is not:

it is not Asimov, or Clarke, or Heinlein, or Herbert. It is closer to science fiction than anything else, but it is not actually hard or soft sci-fi, or fantasy, or S&S, or D&D, or fictional history, or anything else that fits in an easily recognizable category. Sometimes it's economics. Sometimes it's history. Sometimes it's sociology. Sometimes it's pure fantasy. Sci-fi it is, until sometimes it's not. If you were not expecting that, look elsewhere. Be warned.

What it is:

It is long. Game of Thrones long. Wheel of Time Long. LOTR long. Long, long, long. Loooong. With time shifts, flash forwards, flash backs, flash sideways, flash ups, flash downs. Covering centuries, millennia, eons, with a cast of characters to match - scores of them, some you will get to know, some you will not, some you won't care. Not to give away spoilers, but many characters are put into hibernation, to re-emerge centuries later interacting with new characters (and some old ones). Evil characters become good characters, good characters become evil. From a certain point of view. You need to keep up. Plots within plots within plots. Within plots. Be warned.

It is Chinese. China has a rich, complex, diverse, thousands-of-years-old culture, language and history, present era excluded. Which has never been easily transferable or comprehensible to Western eyes or ears. The series is written in that context and cultural milieu, sometimes as foreign to the reader as the aliens it portrays, even with the excellent translation. And sometimes overlayed with incomprehensible internal logic, events, or descriptions that are key to understanding the next character, sentence, paragraph or chapter. But that's on the reader, not the writer. Be warned.

It is science. Not garden-variety math, or physics, or chemistry often alluded to or referenced in other fiction, but quantum mechanics science. Hard quantum mechanics science. And cosmology. Some actual, some not, but based on their foundations and critical to understanding the plot(s). Swimming in the ocean of all of the above. I once took an organic chemistry course (pre-Internet and home computers), rightly reputed to be the hardest course in the curriculum. With tests to match. Someone in the class asked jokingly if they could bring the textbook to the first exam. The Nobel-winning professor to our surprise said "Sure. Bring anything you want. Chemistry set. Mass spectrophotometer. Periodic table. Calculator, slide rule, texts - I can recommend some. Anything." And he was right - it didn't help. It won't help you either. Be warned.

***POSSIBLE, MAYBE, PERHAPS SPOILERS. STOP HERE IF CONCERNED.***

It is an end of the world series. It is an end of the Universe series. It is an end of time series. And yet - not. But you know or should know that from the book titles. It is supremely depressing, or sublimely uplifting. Or both. Or neither. If you tend to become invested mentally or emotionally in the written word, you could experience either. Or both. Or nothing. Be warned.

In short, it is not an easy read. Worth it, if you want to get to the end of the ultimate Netflix series with some comprehension of what just happened. But thank your alien stars that Netflix has condensed, and edited, and rendered watchable and somewhat understandable this series by most humans on this planet in this era. Otherwise, it would be strictly for viewing by the Trisolarans.

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Stevinski
Very dreamy unique science fiction story and more
Reviewed in Canada on December 16, 2024
Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book series, its a very unique story that will quickly captivate you into reading more, before you know it you be fully immersed into the depths of this dreamy story.

This book series has aspects of science fiction, dystopian, fantasy, crime investigation, psychological thriller and some romance for an added flair. The author does a very unique blend of all these genres in a writing style that is easy to understand and woven together in a very dreamy way. He also blends in a lot of true facts into this book so it really is captivating.

I have to say this book series in the best book ive ever read. It is truly indescribable and I highly recommend reading this book as it covers all three books of the three body problem.

Since this series is converted from chinese to english, and chinese does not have all the tenses as we do in english. I doubt any TV show that is ever made can fully capture the true essence of the three body problem series.

I highly recommend this book series to anyone.

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Ernesto
Buena calidad
Reviewed in Mexico on December 4, 2024
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Los libros están bien encuadernados y se sienten de buena calidad. Es bueno que vengan en la cajita porque los protege de los golpes que seguramente recibirán en el envío

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Leonardo Muglia
Uma trilogia única.
Reviewed in Brazil on September 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
Uma obra prima que vai te fazer pensar sobre o universo de uma maneira nova e terrivelmente assustadora. Cixin Liu é realmente extraordinário.

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Felix O.
Flexibound version is Heavy!
Reviewed in Belgium on February 12, 2025
Verified Purchase
Be aware if buying the Flexibound version: it is a single book NOT a box set of three as the paperback version is. I didn't realise this and thought I was buying a 3 book boxed set, but with Flexibound covers. The book is subsequently very bulky and heavy, so this is not going to be a book I take around with me too read on the train or bus!

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M. Ives
Well written and thought provoking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2025
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Very well written and moves along at a good pace. The characters are well defined, even if some of them just drop off the map.
The concept isn't new and has been brought up many times before. However, this is a good take on the theme of our 'place' in the universe.
Thankfully it isn't spoiled by the 'hollywood' effect of a fairy tale ending...

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Three-Body Problem Boxed Set: The Dark Forest, Death's End (The Three-Body Problem Series) Paperback – October 22, 2019

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Dark Forest

Top reviews from the United States

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great series, keeps you guessing

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well thought of story line with a lot of ideas to think about

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark Forest

Dark Forest

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4.0 out of 5 stars Not An Easy Read

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Very dreamy unique science fiction story and more

5.0 out of 5 stars Buena calidad

5.0 out of 5 stars Uma trilogia única.

4.0 out of 5 stars Flexibound version is Heavy!

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and thought provoking

Great series, keeps you guessing

Very well thought of story line with a lot of ideas to think about

Dark Forest

Not An Easy Read

Very dreamy unique science fiction story and more

Buena calidad

Uma trilogia única.

Flexibound version is Heavy!

Well written and thought provoking