An excerpt: This is hard SF, full of lovingly lengthy passages of technical exposition about everything from quantum mechanics to artificial intelligence. But Cixin Liu supports all of that braintwisting theory with empathetic characters and a strong action-thriller backbone.
An excerpt: In addition to the usual high school and college-age fans of science fiction, China’s aerospace and Internet industries have embraced the books. Many interpret the battle of civilizations depicted in the series as an allegory for the ruthless competition in the nation’s Internet industry.
An excerpt: What makes Mr. Liu’s novel different from its Western competitors in the alien-invasion line is not its hardware (though it is full of strange ideas, like how to construct a human computer using 30 million people, each with a white and a black flag: Chairman Mao would have gone for that). The difference seems to be a kind of patience, seeing things long-term. The “madness years” were bad for individuals, but just a blip for the species. We’re told authoritatively, “The entire history of humanity has been fortunate.” That’s right, “From the Stone Age till now, no real crisis has occurred.” It’s only now that things have gotten serious.
I heard about this, and I immediately wondered about the book Cat Country by Lao She. I wonder if the themes are similar, and if the use of science fiction to talk about the Party and ideology is the only way to go. I'm interested in reading these books
Ken Liu translated the Hugo Award winning The Three Body Problem. He's an award winning author in his own right. US-China Today interviewed him about "speculative fiction."
The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin (translated by Ken Liu) was the top choice for the Hugo Awards. The announcement: http://www.thehugoawards.org/
We'd love to hear what you think of the book and whether or not it will appeal to young sci fi fans.
Articles and reviews:
NPR http://www.npr.org/2014/11/13/363123510/three-body-problem-asks-a-classic-sci-fi-question-in-chinese
An excerpt:
This is hard SF, full of lovingly lengthy passages of technical exposition about everything from quantum mechanics to artificial intelligence. But Cixin Liu supports all of that braintwisting theory with empathetic characters and a strong action-thriller backbone.
NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/books/liu-cixins-the-three-body-problem-is-published-in-us.html?_r=0
An excerpt:
In addition to the usual high school and college-age fans of science fiction, China’s aerospace and Internet industries have embraced the books. Many interpret the battle of civilizations depicted in the series as an allegory for the ruthless competition in the nation’s Internet industry.
Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/articles/book-review-the-three-body-problem-by-cixin-liu-1418415619
An excerpt:
What makes Mr. Liu’s novel different from its Western competitors in the alien-invasion line is not its hardware (though it is full of strange ideas, like how to construct a human computer using 30 million people, each with a white and a black flag: Chairman Mao would have gone for that). The difference seems to be a kind of patience, seeing things long-term. The “madness years” were bad for individuals, but just a blip for the species. We’re told authoritatively, “The entire history of humanity has been fortunate.” That’s right, “From the Stone Age till now, no real crisis has occurred.” It’s only now that things have gotten serious.
Locus http://www.locusmag.com/Reviews/2014/12/gary-k-wolfe-reviews-cixin-liu/
AV Club http://www.avclub.com/review/cixin-lius-translated-three-body-problem-works-bet-211529
I heard about this, and I immediately wondered about the book Cat Country by Lao She. I wonder if the themes are similar, and if the use of science fiction to talk about the Party and ideology is the only way to go. I'm interested in reading these books
Ken Liu translated the Hugo Award winning The Three Body Problem. He's an award winning author in his own right. US-China Today interviewed him about "speculative fiction."
http://www.uschina.usc.edu/article@usct?qa_with_ken_liu_translator_of_the_three-body_problem_20003.aspx