The Stunning Achievement of Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
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- čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
- Wherein I get sweaty talking about Three Body Problem. (It was so hot . . . the weather, not the book.)
I was so enthralled by this book that I ranted and raved for 20 minutes. I make no apologies. You should read it.
Also, you should check out this video for someone who can actually pronounce these names properly: • The Three Body Problem...
0:00 Intro
0:39 SPOILER FREE SECTION
0:58 Sci Fi Taste Comparison
3:06 Technical & Literary Elements
4:54 Character & Culture
7:15 Reading Difficulty
9:30 Pacing
10:40 What impresses me the most
12:19 SPOILERS SECTION
12:21 Plot
16:45 Themes
When that character said two protons was when I thought, here comes the "a civilization with a sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic". I was really scared that it would be a lame writing that explains how these two protons will solve all the "supernatural" things. Then the way the book explained it had actually gotten my imagination going wild. I wasn't, err couldn't, be dismissive of how that magic was made. It was incredibly engaging and really felt like what a scientist would say explaining a complex theory in layman's terms. Had me thinking about it for days and even went to explore some physics literature about the theory that i think inspired this fictional technology.
Just finished the 3rd book and I really loved this series. The concepts are dark, scary and disturbing -- I don't' think I will look at potential alien contact the same way ever again.
Yes. Reading those books is an eye opening experience isn't it?
You deserve more subscribers than you have. I was surprised at the overall quality of this video, and I hope you keep at it.
Thank you!! Channel is still young and I don't post as much as I should. No plans to stop. :)
I think he’ll definitely keep getting more subs as he keeps posting these great reviews!
Agreed. Keep up the quality content and I think the subs will come!
totally!!
I still can't until the ending of the third book.
I love this book. I've just started the second book today. I did feel it dragged at some points. For me specifically, it's when the plot gets moving and then a character stops and says "let me tell you my story" (only happens twice, to be fair); Everything you read, however, contributes to the "end". I love that Liu shows us how Ye makes her decision to send that message back, and how she even comes close to regretting it with the birth of her child, and then passes through. I also really enjoyed the high-concept sci-fi and the alieness of the Trisolarians once you get to know them.
All I really have to say is: Da Shi. My god, give this character a whole book in Beijing. This chain-smoking spy/police officer/ out -of-the box thinker-- I demand more of him! Hell, he came up with that (honestly) horrific way to get Judgement Day. He also snapped Wang out of his funk more than once. What a priceless character.
Yes!! Full of great curtain-pulling moments and horrifically relatable emotions. From the camera, to Ye’s message, to the pyramids, history lessons and protons. Honestly, Da Shi being the blunt, reliable gem of a character, was always a laugh and never ceased to amaze. I also just started the second book this week, so fingers crossed 🤞 let’s do it
Everyone needs a Da Shi in their life.
Thoughtful and respectful without being tacky or annoying? You're a revolutionary
The first time I've ever heard of the proton super computer concept was in this book. Which spurred a Goggle search, and subsequently hours of reading of theoretical articles. I haven't come across a sci-fi book that balanced story with concepts this well in a while.
I think one of the interesting societal/moral problems posed in this book was the "cure" they had for defeatists. Trying to wrap my head around the justification for it, and the possiblility of rogue use and what could come from it was a great topic of discussion too.
Wasn't really going to watch this video, but your effort in trying to pronounce Chinese names one me over. I am watching it now and I'm liking it.
You are the best discussion I came accross on CZcams so far, cannot wait for your discussion on the second and third installments. Don’t listen to comparisons between the three books, There are no best one because they are very different from one another. As such, they ought to be treated separately and are all uniquely remarkable in their own way. And no, the longer you talk the better the video, I don’t mind the rambling at all, it is very enjoyable in fact!
bro my favourite content on youtube is finding small channels all about scifi books I love
Oh man are you gonna love the next book! I think Dark Forest is my favorite of the three. Great review, thanks so much.
I'd like to add a shoutout for the "fourth" book, Redemption of Time. It's not written by Cixin Liu, but he loves it and basically considers it "canon." It mostly focuses on Yun Tianming and tells of his time among the Trisolarans. Like books 1 and 3, it was translated by Ken Liu.
I just started this! Interesting back story. I also finally finished Death's End and am hoping to make some time to review it soon.
Also, I haven't read Ken Liu's novels but his short story collection Paper Menagerie and Other Stories is fantastic.
@@erictheread9409 Ken Liu was who I first discovered!
great review! i look forward to discovering other books with you
Great analysis! I hope you come back soon with new videos🎉. You seem intellectually curious, enthusiastic, and well-educated. Love your clear, detailed description of these stories. I just ordered The Three Body Problem. After watching your review, I'm really excited to immerse myself in it!
Mandarin speaker here, so ye wenjie is properly pronounced as "yay-when-je". wang miao is "won-meaw", yes the cat sound, but with a pitch accent emphasize 'aw'. I had a lot of fun watching you guys pronounce these names (not in a mocking way), as I'm prepping for my exam to become a mandarin teacher.
Anyways, back to TBP. As a huge Star Trek fan, I find TBP closer to DS9 than TNG. I normally enjoy a lighter read, so this one isn't particular interesting to me, it felt more like an anthropology fiction than science fiction. I'm glad you enjoyed it tho!
uhhh if you’re going to become a mandarin teacher i do hope you improve on the pinyin to english pronounciations. “ye” pronounces more like “yeah” in english, not yay.
Great video. Appreciate the perspective as someone who likes to read many different genre myself.
Great review. I like the way you frame it, "can humans be trusted with earth." I also like how the book poses thay question without an obvious slant or answer
Very astute breakdown. Agree on most points! The Dark Forest is CRAZY!
very good review!! probably the best three body problem review among the ones ive seen on youtube. followed!
Thank you!! Work has kept me from posting but I'm hoping to get back to more soon. 50% through The Dark Forest and loving it.
This video is a gem, I'd love to chat with you about this book (and the next two as well). I was also very impressed as how the author managed to mix science, politics, history, and sociology together. I never had thought about how people would react when facing an alien invasion; that some people would agree to it and think we deserve it, while other would have so much hope for us to be saved. Simply amazing. Oh, and I also love Martian Chronicles! Bradbury is one of my favourite sci-fi authors along with Asimov.
I can recommend the short stories by Ted Chiang.
He is the writer of the short story behind the sci-fi movie 'arrival' (the one with the octopods and the language-scientist,...) .
But there are so many beautiful and engaging Sci-Fi stories (exhalation, tower of babylon, understand, ...) I love them!
Great rec! I am in awe of Ted Chiang. I've never encountered a writer who can package high concepts in such a captivating way. I loved Story of your Life and Others. I bought Exhalation but haven't started it yet. Might have to dig into it after The Dark Forest now that you mention it!
I love The Three-Body problem! I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I read it last year
I read the three body problem a little while ago. Your review helped bring it back into focus and launch me on Dark Forest.
Sci fi is not a genre I am into but The Three Body Problem came highly recommend by friends. I finished the book in 5 nights and the entire trilogy in 3 weeks. What I love most about the book is at times it's more philosophical than Science.
Being Asian with ancestral roots in China, the characters did not feel cold to me, perhaps because I can empathise with them. I love how he breathed life into each character and not one character is there for the sake of being there.
My favorite part of the trilogy lies in Death's End, the fairytales by Yun Tianming. That was just a stunning touch!
The book is amazing but yes I struggled with the characters names. This does not take away from the profound story which I have loved. Also can’t stop thinking about the book like the people obsessed with the VR Three Body game
Enjoyed your review of this fantastic book. Pondering the psychology of the characters and also the cultural aspect of the writing is my preference. I like the lingering, stoic, thought processing between characters as well as the linguistic history which interweaves duoist,buddhist and confuscioux thought process into the intellectual conversation.
I read all 3 books last month. Outstanding, highly recommend. I cant talk about the books individually since i read them back to back. but thats how you should read them lol
So glad I found your channel, it's amazing and I love this review! Can't wait to read this.
Can I ask; does this have more of an emotional narrative or is it mostly plot driven? I've been searching for a book similar to Hyperion by Dan Simmons if you have read that.
Big emotional punch up front for me followed by almost entirely plot driven. I, shamefully, have only read the first section of Hyperion. I need to dive back in.
@@erictheread9409 Thanks for the reply. I've just begun reading it last night and can definitely feel the emotional punch already!! This is an amazing read so far! And Hyperion really begins to hit hard around chapter 4 if you ever return to that world. I appreciate your insight, keep it up on this chanel!
I enjoy book 2 the most. But book3 the entire time I just wanted to strangle the main character and yell everything you do is wrong and kills people
Waiting for delivery of Dark Forest today! It took me a while to understand the '3-body' and 'Dark Forest' are actually pre-existing terms, the first a math problem of unpredictability, and the second referring to Fermi's theory of why we haven't encountered aliens yet.
Regarding the first book, I haven't found it particularly involving. It has an interesting
w3ay to deal with intellectual history, but the characters seem 2-dimensional.
hoping the second book will be better.
Well done! Read the book but didn’t completely understand it until your explanation. Thank you.
Foucaults Pendulum is also an incredible book. Look forward to your thoughts on Dark Forest and Death's End. I am an ideas-make-the-story kind of reader and these books are the top of the pile.
Just ordered Dark Forest and can't wait to dig in! I just finished Foucault's Pendulum yesterday and I really struggled with it. Impressive piece of work but was tough to keep invested with all the details of the Plan.
She was always Yeee Wen-jee to me
off topic but i loved your intro!
This is SO intriguing, and I’m only 50 pages in right now. It’s a little slow and lacking in character, but the promise of wider ideas has me hooked.
Btw I feel like you’d like ‘Horn-Horn’ by ADT McLellan. It’s nothing like this, but is a hilarious sci-fi series and very unique.
Thanks for the recommendation! The wider ideas definitely feel like the crux of the book. I wonder how much of that is cultural difference versus Liu's style of writing.
Did u finish the book yet?
I read TBP twice about 4 years ago, and I am STILL THINKING ABOUT IT. 😊
Good review. I lived and worked globally and people generally behave in the same way but there are subtle differences which people will focus or be critical on. The viewpoint of the author Liu Cixin can be validated I believe due to the way the society has been compelled to behave (but it's not the same everywhere in China).
I have read the entire series twice now & I believe that it takes Science Fiction to a new level. While I thought highly of the 1st book, the 3rd book, "Deaths End" is the most interesting to me because of a single page near the beginning where two people are talking about the effects of life on the planet Earth.
5:38 my thoughts exactly, there's a lot of room and reading hoping to like something is a really weird perspective to me; hoping that what you read connects to you in your way is really unrealistic, so the wide net thing is something that I can agree on.
Definitely try the other 2 books. The second one is a little slow pace but really worth it.
It’s a good trilogy for reading if you like sci-fi! Never boring & not easy sometimes- but always good ideas and exciting. I’m now in the middle of Part 2 and love it. It’s his Style - so accept it🤷🏽♀️ It’s a Story , nothing more and also nothing less.
Hi Eric, really nice analysis! Have you got into the 2nd book by now? I think judging from why you liked the 1st book so much, you will enjoy the Dark Forest even more. It introduced a concept of space sociology which I found very fascinating (and surprisingly realistic). The 3rd book is very heavy on hard science which was a bit difficult for me to follow. But there were parts that are nice and soft, which I really enjoyed, but I won't spoil it for you.
I'm about 100 pages into book 2 and am really excited to talk about it. Very different from the first. I'll be honest there is a little less of what I liked from the first but also some very interesting angles I'm loving just as much. I'm in Canada and since my province opened up I've been crazy busy, hence no posts. I have 5-6 books I need to make reviews for and then hopefully I can power through The Dark Forest because I'm interested to see how it unfolds.
@@erictheread9409 Take your time! I'm not sure how much into the story is 100 pages but I think it gets better as you go deeper. I think you might have seen some of this, but there's one particular aspect of the main character the book highlighted that caused upset of some feminist readers. I am interested to hear your thoughts around that as well, as you mentioned you were really into the human psychology in such stories! But no rush. I will check back after a while. :)
It's jarring, I feel like Tom Ellis just gave me a review on a book I've loverd
I'm a little late to this party, but the only lull I personally experienced was...
(I guess major spoilers ahead)
...the chapter focused on the Trisolaran perspective. I felt the story slowed to a crawl here. It's definitely important to the overall narrative, but I found it both rushed and painfully drawn out in the midst of what is essentially the book's climax. This chapter is really the only part I found difficult to enjoy. If it had been placed elsewhere in the story or Liu waited to divulge this perspective later in the trilogy's narrative, it may have flowed better.
it's the attempt to pronounce it correctly that counts :)
Are you going to make reviews for Liu's other short Si-Fi books?
Since I returned to work I've been so busy and it's been hard to keep up with my reading pace. I'm part way through The Dark Forest and intend to finish the series. When I do, I will definitely make a review!
@@erictheread9409 3 Body is really just a prologue. Book 2 and 3 are mind blowing. Once Dark Forest gets going, it's hard to put down.
Great video here and great book. Appreciate the discussion and hope you will continue for the third book too. Martian Chronicles fan too, Ray Bradbury's anthology book worth a read as well because many of his short stories alternate between haunting and sweet, and you never know what you are going to get.
3 body or Nth body problems can be closely approximated by numerical methods.
Hi! I read the book before watching this video. I also watched videos and read comments about it before and after reading it.
I am not really a reader and the book seemed to start slow - the aliens are explicitly mentioned late in the book, something like 40% in, it almost felt that it was a spoiler to know that the book is about aliens.
What pulls Wang Miao into the story is something that gave me a supranatural or even absurd vibe, not a science-fiction vibe, so that part did not work for me.
It had some very nice moments, for example I enjoyed the game chapters among others. I am not naming more because I don't want to get into potential spoilers.
The ending was not to my taste - basically it seamed under par comparing it to the rest of the book; it was very interesting, but not really exciting, and maybe I should not expect excitement from an ending, but I did because other parts of the book were and the pattern, cycles of slow and exciting parts, suggested that something exciting might come.
Honestly, not the book, rather finding out that the rest of the trilogy is better, is what made me start book 2, which I just started. Also, having already purchased the 3 books was a factor lol.
While I do point out more negatives here, I should mention that the book makes you want to see it adapted.
As a software engineer, I've read all three books in the series.
Are there your reviews of the next books in the series?
I should be done the second book soon and will be reviewing it as soon as I'm done now that my schedule is easing up in December.
@@erictheread9409 haha i've just started reading second one too. 100 pages in so far. Looking forward to your reviews, greetings from Poland
Finished the series last night. Fantastic books! Didn’t help my existential dread though 😂
Both of the sequels are better. The Dark Forest is my favorite of the three, but they're all amazing if you like SciFi for the ideas.
I read the entire trilogy. It was an EPIC achievement. I recommend Andy Weir's latest. If The Martian scored 10 out of 10, then Operation Hail Mary rates 1000.
Mandarin is a tonal language with 4 tones. A change in tone could sound like a different word to a native speaker. Cantonese may be even more difficult with 6 tones. As someone who can hold a basic conversation in both Mandarin and Cantonese, I would pronounce CiXin Liu as Shi Shin Leeyu. No K or C sounds.
Said me 10 times in the first 30 seconds
haha your pronunciation of ye wen jie is not bad. 👍
I read all 4 and I loved it to about 3.5 then it sorta lost me. Book 4 is by somebody else and you don't need to read it. *You will never again be sanguine about SETI.
Despite the lack of introspection or maybe because of it, I felt no empathy for the main antagonist. In fact I can't remember when a character in fiction pissed me off as much as this one sociopath did.
I think the characters are a real problem. They just don't act like or talk like humans to me. I enjoy Liu's work despite it's flaws. I think this is a case of a writer being good at some things but lousy at others. And I don't think it fair to blame this on China.
It's like you don't have people saying that George Lucas' atrocious writing in the prequel trilogy was due to his "Western" heritage or his "Whiteness."
If there are advanced aliens, they already know we are here via simulations. Our best bet, imo, is to get as much attention as possible. Aliens millions of years old have to fear those billions of years old. Any attack on us could give them away. Being a loud rabbit in a place patrolled by T Rexes may be the best defense against wolves.
Simulation hypothesis is nonsense. Nobody in their right mind would waste their resources on such complex simulations of the whole universe/galaxy. It would be a wasteful enterprise
Very handsome 😍
Do you have Instagram?
Not one related to this channel, unfortunately. Didn't think I could juggle it with my schedule. Think I should??
@@erictheread9409 yes. You can use Instagram to update what you've been reading, if you have any new uploads, recommendations, etc.
@@erictheread9409 yes. You can use Instagram to update what you've been reading, if you have any new uploads, recommendations, etc.
All Life can feel Joy. All Life can feel Fear. All Life can feel Pain. All Life can feel True Love. This is because all Life is just the expression of the Spark. Meaning all Life has the same value. Humans, specifically bearded humans belief, meaning their guesses they call scientific theory, religious faith, philosophical law do not dictate the nature of this reality. Human, specifically bearded human words and definitions do not assign value, meaning and purpose to all Life, including yours.
This is the fatal flaw that corrupts everything the human animal is now. The acceptance of this bad assumption violates the only Law that is real.
Treat all Life as you would be treated. Its that easy. All Life has the same value and it is a value that is unique and more precious than anything any human could ever have in Life.
If you don’t want admit your mistakes, how will you ever stop making them? If you don’t know what you are, how can you ever learn to be more? How can you heal a sick person who won’t admit they are sick? How can you forgive someone who isn’t sorry?
The truth is never kind, but it is always simple. It only gets complicated when someone doesn’t like the truth. And humans don’t get to decide that or anything else, especially the value of any Life, including yours.
All Life has the same value because all Life has a Spark. Humans once looked for Truth and knew the Law, and the Law doesn’t care why you violated it. Without Malice or Mercy it doesn’t need a will or sentience especially of a mean upgrade of Santa because it is perfect. It governs all will and sentience. Governs all Life. And no life is perfect. And of all the Life on this living planet who’s true name is Eden humans are the most imperfect. The most complicated and complex of all three parts all Life uses.
Meaning the most prone to errors. The most prone to mistakes in thinking, feeling and doing. Yet they have told themselves a thousand lies, the lies of the only bearded devils that have ever existed in reality they are all copied their answers from. A thousand lies that are all the same lie, the same fundamental flaw known as the human male they all copied and play a game of war they call natural competition over who’s copied answer is the best. Who is the best at acting like their copied answer is truth. And its not a good answer. Its not even a bad answer. It is an evil answer. A lazy, cowardly, selfish answer that they all won’t see is the cause of all the suffering of life, especially human life. An answer that destroys all Life including yours.
Humans don’t decide the value or purpose of Life. They don’t get to dictate the nature of reality to suit their petty comfort and haughty and vain idea of what they imagine they are worth.
Mistakes are still mistakes even if the entire world says they are not. Even if every human believes they are not. Human belief doesn’t change reality. And everything humans claim to know is just really a belief. So what exactly is everyone so proud of?
Pride’s love destroys. Because that is the nature of the darkness. Not evil but it is just like someone sick with evil to call it so. And evil always destroys itself because that is its nature.
Good doesn’t fight evil. It doesn’t destroy evil. That is the lie evil always tells itself and its minions to justify its evil choices. Evil never calls itself evil but you can
Always tell those sick with evil if you are honest and use your prudence. Evil is always fighting, has enemies it opposes, wars against that it just calls evil. Only evil wars and has enemies. Opposition is not competition. And evil always is in opposition. Wish humans remembered that.
This dude is not physically attractive, but mentally intelligent, also speaks with logic.
Hopefully you're joking. What does attractiveness have to do with this?
@@tirzahgayla so staring at him talking about a book can be enjoyable besides the content itself?
@@tirzahgayla why would I joke about it?
He is to me though. I found him sexy haha. Maybe just taste
@@yesyes9698 me too! :)
The first book was so boring I couldn’t even finish it. Had to dnf it 😓
omg ur sooooooo cute
no u
I think pronunciation is not really a thing, a teacher, my mom's teacher said that if you don't know how to pronounce something in a foreign language you should just pronounce it like you would on your language. Takes a lot of the pressure off. And if that can be taken into account your videos would be really more compelling c:
Why don’t they write it in English like “yeah one zeah”?
Why all the Cs and Xs?
the language in the book is not plain....what the hell are you talking about
It's very straight forward without much literary device or poetics thrown in is all I meant. Some people prefer poetic prose, others don't. It might not be plain as far as technical jargon is concerned but that's a different thing. This definitely leans on the plainer side of the spectrum, as does a lot of sci fi (arguably most). It's not a bad thing.
damn. cute and intelligent. please tell me you're gay, too?
That's not how somebody would behave --- deal with it
The goal of cultural revolution is not what you said in your video, but it's very hard to explain in a youtube comment though. 😅
The characters were just trash 🗑. The plot was amazing