Share <Embed>

List Price: $17.99

Save: $4.30 (24%)

FREE Shipping on your first order. Details

Arrives: Wednesday, July 22

Fastest delivery: Thursday, July 16
Order within 8 hrs and 7 mins Details

In Stock.
As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. Want to listen? Try Audible.

Secure transaction

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Add gift options

FREE Shipping on your first order. Details

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Books and Books Etc.

Fulfilled by Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Add to Cart

$16.58
+ Free Shipping

Sold by: i-Deals Store

Add to Cart

$13.23
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: indoobestsellers

Add to Cart

$13.69
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: West Coast Bookseller

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Cixin Liu

The Three-Body Problem Paperback – January 12, 2016

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

3,534 ratings

Book 1 of 3 in the Three-Body Problem Series

See all formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$11.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$16.99

$12.99

$12.24

Paperback

"Please retry"

$13.69

$10.79

$6.30

Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

—

"Wildly imaginative, really interesting." ―President Barack Obama on The Three-Body Problem trilogy

The Three-Body Problem is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience the Hugo Award-winning phenomenon from China's most beloved science fiction author, Liu Cixin.

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

The Remembrance of Earth's Past Trilogy
The Three-Body Problem
The Dark Forest
Death's End

Other Books
Ball Lightning (forthcoming)

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items when the Enter key is pressed. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Cixin Liu

1,424

Paperback
$13.99
Cixin Liu

12

Paperback
$35.99
Cixin Liu

1,192

Paperback
$17.59
Cixin Liu

153

Paperback
$17.26
Cixin Liu

14

Paperback
$64.89
Cixin Liu

53

Paperback
$13.99

Special offers and product promotions

Amazon Business : For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Register a free business account

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wildly imaginative, really interesting." ―President Barack Obama on the Three-Body Problem trilogy

“A breakthrough book . . . a unique blend of scientific and philosophical speculation, politics and history, conspiracy theory and cosmology.” ―George R. R. Martin, on The Three Body Problem

“Extraordinary.” ―The New Yorker, on The Three Body Problem

“Remarkable, revelatory and not to be missed.” ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on The Three Body Problem

"A must-read in any language.” ―Booklist, on The Three Body Problem

"A meditation on technology, progress, morality, extinction, and knowledge that doubles as a cosmos-in-the-balance thriller.... a testament to just how far [Liu's] own towering imagination has taken him: Far beyond the borders of his country, and forever into the canon of science fiction. - NPR, on Death's End

"The best kind of science fiction, familiar but strange all at the same time." -- Kim Stanley Robinson, on The Three Body Problem

About the Author

CIXIN LIU is the most prolific and popular science fiction writer in the People’s Republic of China. Liu is 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’s fiction has appeared in F&SF, Asimov’s, Analog, Strange Horizons, Lightspeed, and Clarkesworld, among other places. He is the author of The Grace of Kings, and has won a Nebula, two Hugos, a World Fantasy Award, and a Science Fiction & Fantasy Translation Award, and been nominated for the Sturgeon and the Locus Awards. He edited and translated the Chinese science fiction anthology Invisible Planets. He lives near Boston with his family.

Product details

Series: Three-Body (Book 1)
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Tor Books (January 12, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780765382030
ISBN-13: 978-0765382030
ASIN: 0765382032
Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1 x 9.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Customer Reviews: 3,534 customer ratings
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,289 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #35 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)
- #2 in Chinese Literature
- #64 in First Contact Science Fiction (Books)

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?

If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

Start reading The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth's Past Book 1) on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Customer reviews

5 star		61%
4 star		18%
3 star		9%
2 star		7%
1 star		5%

How does Amazon calculate star ratings?

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

jg852

Did I miss something or is this really just garbage...?

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2018

Verified Purchase

How in the world did this book average 4+ stars? My apologies, but I can’t tell you because I apparently read something completely different from everyone else!

Absolutely zero character development, I mean nothing! Just flat personalities all-round. In fact, I couldn’t begin to emphasise the two-dimensionalism present in this book even if I was blessed with the eloquence of a Joyce or Shakespeare.

Oh, and it might be good to have at least a PhD - no, that is a bit much, make it a Masters in physics - because the amount of academic regurgitation is borderline criminal!

And what the hell is this video game plot all about...are you kidding me?!? Dehydration!?? Utter-Rancid-Rotting-Garbage!!!

To leave my sardonic humour aside for a second, perhaps it really did not translate well from Chinese...similar to how Crazy Rich Asians (also garbage, but entertaining garbage!) was hugely profitable in the US, but an absolute bomb at China’s Box Office.

I’m so alone...someone please help me...please explain how I was led astray by so many?!

258 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Matthew I. Grivich

Author does not know Physicists

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

I'm about 25% into the book. I doubt I'll finish it. I have a Ph.D. in Physics, and my graduate program had a strong Particle Physics department (though I specialized elsewhere). The author shows a startling lack of understanding of what motivates Physicists and how they think, to a point where the book is ruined for me.

There is also rather ... amateur hour writing, which may be due to the translator.

Spoiler version:

In the book plot, the invariance of physics under translations in time and space has been proved to be wrong at higher energies, and because of this "There is no Physics" and scientists have started killing themselves due to despair. This is nonsense.

In the real world, Particle Physics has gotten rather boring and predictable. Short of some absurd theoretical results at energies that we can't test experimentally, the Standard Model has tremendous explanatory power and has explained all experiments and predicted new results correctly. CERN discovered the Higgs, as expected, but has brought out no new Physics, thus far. This is disappointing. Much, much more exciting would be a field breaking result, (such as a new, previously unknown, variance of Physics in time and space at higher energies). Particle Physics would be fun again.

Similarly, when Wang Miao starts seeing a countdown, instead of jumping to the most likely conclusion (that he is becoming mental ill, and needs outside, non-biased verification of what he is seeing) or that he is receiving messages from some outside intelligence, he starts to go crazy in a very over the top and amateurishly written way.

184 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

BDW

Absolutely mind-blowing. Like nothing I've ever read. Highest recommendation!

Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

This is the most impactful sci-fi series I've ever read. What I mean by that, is that this series has permanently changed: the way I look at the stars, the way I perceive time, the way I think about life, the way I think about SETI, the way I think about the meaning of life, the way I think about human beings' place in the universe, the way I view technology, etc.

This series well and truly "blew my mind away". This isn't a page0-turning space opera adventure kind of story. The story is interesting and good, and there is most definitely some drama and entertainment - and the writing is excellent (translation to English is superb). But the main thing for me about this series is that it educated me about physics and really made me look at EVERYTHING through a new lens. The ideas in this book I had never encountered before - and I am a voracious reader. I found this series to be totally original and mind-blowing. There were time where I simply needed to put it down after reading only a short time, in order to simply ponder the ideas presented. I've never had quite an experience like this with a book.

Highly recommend this series. And, make sure you read all three, because each one is better than the last. The last book of the series was my favorite and just absolutely melted my brain. I mean, to the degree where I am questioning my own reality. Yes, it is that good. Really, a mind and perception altering experience.

816 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Kindle Customer

Much muchness

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2018

Verified Purchase

After slogging though far too much science narrative while finding virtually nonexistent character development, I had to laugh when I read that the author started life as an engineer. I finally started skipping the science to find some plot development, sort of like skipping the cetology when reading Moby Dick. Despite these criticisms, Liu has created realms that can expand any willing imagination. But the book would benefit from an editor with a machete, to chop through the technical kudzu.

98 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Buy This Book!

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

I was on the fence about this book for a couple of years but I finally took the plunge and am extremely happy that I did! The reviews seemed to be a bit of a mixed bag and I saw some people suggest that it lacked interesting characters. Having read this book as well as its two sequels I can firmly say that this is not the case. There are several compelling and interesting characters in this book.

Above all else the plot, world-building and pacing of the book are completely top notch. To have a hard sci-fi book that is not about space marines and laser guns but still manages to be a page-turner that you can't put down is an amazing achievement! This book represents the best in science fiction. It's about big ideas and examining possibilities. I refuse to discuss the plot but if you have an interest in science and technology and love the hard sci-fi genre, stop reading this review and order the book immediately!

I will provide one disclaimer. If you have no interest in science whatsoever or just lack an aptitude or understanding of it, this book series may not be for you. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to enjoy this book but you probably will need to have at least a baseline understanding of some basic scientific principals and/or a willingness to google some stuff.

Anyway, get it!!

130 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Top international reviews

Georgiana89

History, philosophy and physics, through a Chinese lens

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2018

Verified Purchase

This was a very interesting and unusual sci-fi novel, partly due to its Chinese setting and authorship and partly due to its interesting use of scientific and philosophical concepts, along with some insights into the unique historical setting of the Cultural Revolution.

Like most western readers and film-watchers, I'm very used to aliens always targetting America and the heroes being American - or at a pinch, British - and it felt surprisingly fresh to watch these semi-familiar events unfolding in a Chinese context. I was almost as fascinated at the insight into normal middle class lives in modern China as I was by all the science, science fiction, and history. And I loved the fact that many of the historical, cultural, and literary references were East Asian in origin.

It was the "oooh, a Chinese sci-fi novel, how intriguing," that made me pick this up, but I can't emphasise enough that this book has value far beyond that. The philosophy was thought-provoking and the science was head-spinning. I read a fair amount of sci-fic, but mostly the sort that's heavier on the fiction than on the science, so I'm not sure how clever the physics here was relative to other pieces of hard sci-fi. But with a ten year-old physics A-level, I found I had to concentrate and sometimes got a bit confused, but could follow proceedings.

The plot is really quite slow-burn, and for large swathes of the early and middle sections of the book, there's relatively little action and little really even to make this feel like sci-fi, beyond a few sinister hints and some unexplained mysteries. The first few chapters in particular - set in the Cultural Revolution - are more like historical fiction with a bit of science thrown in. Which is fine by me, as I enjoy that genre too. In the middle, lots of the action occurs via a mysterious virtual reality computer game, aimed at those with expertise in maths, science, philosophy, and history. The world it portrays is disconcerting and it's relevance to the plot in unclear - but ultimately, cleverly resolved. Towards the end, the action picks up, but it's all still focused on earth, humans, and more-or-less realistic science, rather than anything more flamboyant. As an aside, I went straight on to the sequel, where that really isn't the case.

Much as I enjoyed the plot, setting, and ideas, the characters often felt rather thin and two-dimensional, and the conversations between them often felt quite stilted and forced. I'm not sure whether this is due to translation issues, Chinese writing conventions, or the author's own deliberate choice or weakness. At times, it almost threatened to distract me from enjoying the novel, but that was ultimately never the case.

Overall, between the slow pace, the hard science and philosophy and - more negatively - some of the characterisation and dialogue, this isn't always an easy read. But it's ultimately a very worthwhile, interesting, and on balance, enjoyable one, that I'd heavily recommend.

95 people found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Timothy Hammond

Weirdly bad - WARNING: spoilers!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2018

Verified Purchase

Having read the glowing reviews and seen the prizes this book won, I was keen to start it. I read a few pages, waiting for the brilliance to kick in, read some more, waiting for the great book to start...and it never did!

To summarise the book, an eminent scientist is asked to join a global task-force fighting an unknown enemy that is making scientists commit suicide. It turns out the enemy is an alien race, invited to Earth by radical environmentalists (amongst others) despairing of humanity's behaviour.

Perhaps some of the problems are down to the translation - it was apparently done by a friend of the author rather than a professional - and perhaps some are down to the way Chinese novels are written. But in the end you can only review what you read. The major issues? First, the characters are utterly one-dimensional, interchangeable and without any kind of character development. Second, the dialogue is wooden and non-one has any kind of distinct voice. Third, the plot is simply unbelievable. It is just about credible that some humans, seeing their own species as environmentally destructive - might reach out to aliens without finding out what those aliens are actually like. But it is absurd to suggest that highly intelligent scientists around the world would be committing suicide because of strange results in their experiments. It is surely far more likely that most would be intrigued rather than despairing? Fourth, the computer game that the protagonist is drawn into makes no sense whatsoever. It is not a game in any real sense and the claims about its complexity and depth are not match in any way with the actual game as it is described. finally the action scenes are without any kind of suspense or excitement, devoid of interest and realism.

In some ways, this reads like a first draft, something that would then be worked on and revised and edited and worked on some more. Perhaps after that you might end up with something half-decent, that a good editor could knock into some kind of shape. But as it stands it is just strangely bad, in just about every important way.

55 people found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Solitudinal

Mixed feelings, read it out of curiosity only and lower your expectations

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2018

Verified Purchase

I have mixed feelings about this novel.

The science in the last 1/8th of the story is great and has you hooked in; the thinking is expansive and provoking.

The story in the first 7/8th's of the novel that get you there is just not believable weak characters and dialogue. The way people behave, their choices and to be honest when you understand what's coming at the end, it doesn't make sense that they would achieve what they do, they'd be stopped.

Read it only out of curiosity, to see what the hype is and whether you agree with me. I'm in two minds right now whether to bother with the next one, so I'm going to re-read an Iain M. Banks again to rejuvenate my love of Sci-Fi.

35 people found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Herr Holz Paul

For all the E.T. in China

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book impressed me in a number of ways. Firstly it was hard to put down once I started. Also, because the author is Chinese and the narrative set in China, I found that in addition to embarking on great odyssey in Sci-fi , I was getting images of Chinese culture and mysticism which was for me both unexpected and welcome. Much of the first half is set in or around the Cultural Revolution and the influence of these times on some of the academics in the sciences is telling.

As the story unfolds the complexity deepens culminating in the bewildering realisation that we have already been infiltrated. The descriptions of the alien technology and capability are truly mind bending and fascinating! Hard Sci-fi encapsulated.

This translation in to English has a postscript by the author where he reveals a little of his personal history and what draws him to the genre. This is a great addition and helps explain some of the socio-political and psychological aspects of the book.
There is also a translator`s postscript. Likewise this is a really good idea for a translated work such as this. I am always a little wary when reading translations and this postscript outlines precisely what I feel and helps to address this issue.

25 people found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Martin Davidson

Utterly outstanding - for those who enjoy cerebral sci-fi mind-games

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

Utterly outstanding - for those who enjoy cerebral sci-fi mind-games. A really simple premise - what EXACTLY wd the consequences be, if another civilisation close to us, made contact - and from that he spins 2k pages of utterly logically consistent corollaries - with a major twist, revelation, or reversal pretty much every 30 pages. I was breathless. I loved how he set himself the challenge of remaining always within the framework of the laws of physics (no hyperdrive, not faster than light speed 'jumps'). And all from the POV of Chinese characters - a real, and refreshing break from EVERYTHING having to be American. Cannot recommend it enough - all three volumes.

16 people found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Amazon Customer

Recommended reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2018

Verified Purchase

I learned a lot about the history and culture of China reading this book. That, and the interesting perspectives that the author presents are compelling reading. Huge appreciation for the translator - thank you so much for letting me read this story without having to learn a different language! I hope you and Cixin Liu continue to work together to bring these fantastic stories to those of limited linguistic prowess.

The story itself? I have to say that at times I was reminded of the work of the late, great Iain M. Banks. The aliens are superbly alien, the humans are superbly human. Both sides have moral grey areas, and this book shines its light on them. I have already purchased the second book in this series, to enjoy as my holiday reading.

12 people found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Rob G

Not the easiest read, but worth it in the end!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 17, 2018

Verified Purchase

Bought this novel on the basis of a lot of positive critical hype around it (Barack Obama has read it......hello? BARACK OBAMA!!!!). It had to be good, it simply had to be!!

Well.....it is.....mostly.

It is most definitely hard sci-fi, make no bones about it. It delves into various levels of physics theories ranging from orbital dynamics, down to quantum theory, and in doing so doesn't give any preamble or basic intro, for the most part you either get it, or you don't.

The story is structured very well in that until relatively late in the novel you're guessing as to its true message. There are multiple themes explored here, none of them are light and fluffy, and most are interwoven to some extent. The result is quite a dense and sometimes intricate story which you need to push through in the faith that it will all come together, and in that it does.

By the end of the story the various plus and themes resolve themselves very well and you are left with sometimes an uneasy feeling about human hubris, what first contact might actually be like, and the dangers of contact with a more advanced civilisation (which have been week publicised by interviews with Steven Hawking and the likes).

All in all I found it a very satisfying, though at times frustrating read.

Something to note, the footnotes are really good and definitely worth clicking on as you go through. Because this is a Chinese book, many bits are difficult to decipher due to lack of cultural or linguistic context, the footnotes make this much easier.

Definitely would recommend this novel for anyone who is scientifically literate and likes some good hard sci fi. Definitely not for the casual reader though!

7 people found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Christopher Carrion

Incredible Hard Sci-Fi Story from China

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 9, 2017

Verified Purchase

Three Body Problem is an incredible story set in China that starts with the Cultural Revolution. The story deals with alien contact, which is a staple in science fiction, but the way it is done is is extremely creative. The motivations of both the human and alien protagonists are handled beautifully and the way the story progresses is very unexpected.
This story is hard science fiction in the truest sense, yet retains enough of the unexpected to truly delight the reader. Cannot wait to read part 2.

11 people found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Amazon Customer

Not very good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

Have been a sci-fi reader since I was a kid, and I am familiar with some, if not most of the 'hard science' in this book as well.
Its just not very well written.From the characters, trough the story and all the way to how the plot is being advanced....its just not very good. The setting is quite interesting, and the idea is decent/good as well, but anything after the game sequences in the book is just....awful, lacking, and poorly written.
Maybe its the translation, but I doubt it. Way too many instances where characters simply explain their entire personality and motivation directly to you, as if the author is breaking the third wall in the most basic way imaginable.

"I always was a lazy boy but was also super intelligent without giving it a second thought but I never could be bothered to apply myself but then I decided to go to the monks where the head monk was super smart too and gave me an epiphany that motivated me to start working on this thing that is super important for the plot and then this woman found my half-burned notes and figured out instantly that I was working on this giga-complex problem and as it turns out this is very important to her as well so she got me out of the buddhist temple and we got marred even though I am practically dead inside and dont care about these things and now she threatened to kill me'

Literally wat.
It would've been fine if this was just single occurrence, but at least two other characters are done in the same manner and it is just painfully bad and cringe-worthy.

Don't bother. Hugo award my arse

3 people found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Paul T.

A Chinese Flavour

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2019

Verified Purchase

It was interesting to read a postscript from the translator of this novel in which he discusses the problem of how to give the English version a Chinese flavour! Especially interesting as I had been thinking that the novel felt distinctly Chinese - so congratulations to the translator for achieving his goal.

But if you were to ask me how it felt Chinese, I would struggle to be specific. There are a few sections where I felt the sentence structure felt rather clumsy - for example, in Chapter 18, (discussing the psychological impact of the virtual reality game that plays a major role in the story) 'All the players, including Wang himself, couldn't bring it up easily'. The meaning is clear, but a more natural way of putting it would be 'None of the players, Wang himself included, could bring it up easily' - or so it seemed to me, at least. I stand ready to be corrected, but in any case these issues were few and far between, and so can't be considered a cause of the 'Chinese flavour'. It's more subtle than that, perhaps something not in the words but in the world view behind them.

The important question though, is did it add or detract from the story? And unfortunately, for me, it detracted. I had no issue with the plot, which was complex but well developed. I found the science fascinating and the glimpses of Chinese life and history intriguing. The characters were variable, some more distinctly portrayed than others, but none in a way that distracted from the story. Yet, overall, the writing had a ponderous feel to it. It was interesting, but never got exciting, and the pace didn't seem to vary.

Is that because this is the Chinese style? Is it the author's personal style? Or is it something I've read into it myself? I have no way of being sure. But the truest test will be, do I want to go on and read the rest of the trilogy? Well, I would like to know what happens and how the world responds to the Trisolarian threat. But I'm certainly not ready to plunge back into it immediately. I'll need to take a break from the writing style for a while. Then, I'll think about it.

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

John Mulhall

Heavy but stimulating read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 24, 2019

Verified Purchase

Book is defiantly stimulating to the intellect and has a scientific accuracy to its story line I find intriguing. However, it also has a political element with hyperbole that makes it a trying and heavy read. Allot of blabbering about politics and irrational fear that does not meld well with the scientific and science fiction plots... maybe it’s my western origins but it comes across as tedious and not entertaining. Author would better to minimize hyperbole and the early political angle expanding on the main sci-fi plot and scientific sub plots... the tie in with theoretical dimensions and folding space time was most intriguing indeed.... a brave move by the author, which was one of the elements that worked for me...

One person found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Captain Pig

Imaginative stuff that falls short of greatness.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

Mixed bag, this. The set up unwound through the first 3/4 of the book, offering tantalising glimpses of an amazing imaginative feat. In the end, though, I felt a bit deflated by the reveal. In this respect it reminded me a bit of Neal Stephenson. Take this as a recommendation or a criticism, your preference. Will I read the sequels? At some point, but without any urgency.

I read The Wandering Earth before reading this. That's a short story compilation, and the sketchiness of the characters actually adds to the poetic beauty of the book. In a full length novel this is more of a weakness.

In any case there's imaginative force here. Definitely worth your time, even if you decide its not for you.

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Joseph Elliott-Coleman

Mind bending epic in both scope and depth.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2018

Verified Purchase

Liu Cixin's Three Body Problem trilogy has a reputation that proceed it. Laundered with praise from such diverse figure as George R R Martin and President Obama, one expects to be disappointed, with expectation rarely marrying with reality.
THANKFULLY, this is one of the rare cases when one's expectations are not only met, but surpassed. This book is EPIC. It demands both your attention and concentration and rewards both with novel that is at once deeply philosophical and profoundly moving. As lifelong science fiction reader, now novelist (Check out the great anthology "Not So Stories" available now!) this book is a rewarding revelation and is one of the best science fiction novels I've read in over 20 years.
Do yourself a favour and read possibly one of the best science fiction novels in print today.

2 people found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Mr. S. P. Morgan

Stunning Sci-Fi!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 15, 2019

Verified Purchase

The Three-Body Problem series is a brilliantly complex, touching, beautiful story. I am overwhelmed by the quality of the writing and the intricate way he manages to weave threads of philosophy, history, physics, and cosmology into something that is one of the best things I've read in a long while. For me the hallmark of good science fiction is the ability of the author to examine human existence without dumbing down and then play with the frame of reference to produce something that stays with you long after you read the final page. Cixin Liu does all of that and more - a veritable masterpiece!! Thank you!

One person found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

Amazon Customer

Interesting if somewhat frustrating

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2015

Verified Purchase

Well written and well translated too. Interesting enough that I'll want to get the sequels, though if I'd noticed that it was the first of a trilogy with years to wait until the final resolution I might well not have started.

The characterisation is pretty good, especially of the deeply traumatised central character.

Apart from the cliffhanger ending, my main problem with this is that although there are many ingenious hard-ish SF ideas in here, they make less and less sense the more you think about them; for the central conceit the real-world physics is basically wrong, and some of the characters' motivations don't make much sense if you think about them too much: "but if they could do all that, wouldn't it be a whole lot simpler for them to ..."

If you don't tend to fret about such things but are happy to suspend belief and just go with the flow of a well written narrative, you'll have a good time.

Update on having finished the trilogy: yes, it is worth it. The physics gets pretty implausible as the series goes on, but it's worth it for the payoff in sheer SFnal sense-of-wonder (particularly the final volume, which plays with some pretty ... audacious ... ideas about how the universe came to be the way it is.)

As with the first volume, the remaining two also show a good deal more depth of characterisation than you usually get in concept-heavy SF.

Upgraded my stingy original four stars to a well-merited five.

2 people found this helpful

Sending feedback...

Thank you for your feedback.

Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again

You've read the top international reviews

See all reviews from the United States

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Emily St. John Mandel

6,057

Paperback
$9.99
Isaac Asimov

1,771

Mass Market Paperback
$7.59
Blake Crouch

1,932

Paperback
$12.99
N. K. Jemisin

299

Paperback
$25.70
N. K. Jemisin

2,356

Paperback
$12.89
Cixin Liu

1,424

Paperback
$13.99

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: linda nagata, speculative fiction, tor books, best short stories, best fantasy books of 2016, nebula gifts

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

Similar authors to follow

The Three-Body Problem Paperback – January 12, 2016

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Customer reviews

Customer images

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top international reviews

Customers who bought this item also bought

Buy new: $13.69

Buy used: $12.06

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

Similar authors to follow

The Three-Body Problem Paperback – January 12, 2016

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Customer reviews

Customer images

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top international reviews

You've read the top international reviews

Customers who bought this item also bought

Buy new:

$13.69

Buy used:

$12.06