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.
While I struggled through the first half of The Three-Body Problem (supposedly a common problem), it’s clear once you get to the back half that this information is necessary. This book is packed with an immense amount of creativity that draws from real world politics, culture, and theoretical physics. Because of Liu’s focus on these areas, the entire story has such a uniquely intellectually grounded feel that makes it a blast to read. Excited to check out the rest of the series.
4/5
