Dark Forest
by Cixin Liu, Joel Martinsen · first published 2025
38% recommend57% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Grand-scale Chinese sci-fi sequel to The Three-Body Problem, built around the dark forest answer to the Fermi Paradox. Suits readers who want big, escalating ideas and the full trilogy read in order.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Soon to be a Netflix Original Series! "Wildly imaginative." —President Barack Obama on The Three-Body Problem trilogy This near-future trilogy is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience this multiple-award-winning phenomenon from Cixin Liu, China's most beloved science fiction author. In The Dark Forest, Earth is reeling from the revelation of a coming alien invasion-in just four centuries' time. The aliens' human collaborators may have been defeated, but the presence of the sophons, the subatomic particles that allow Trisolaris instant access to all human informat
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If you're interested in more of the (fictional) uses and problems presented by this technology, you might enjoy reading Cixin Liu's The Dark Forest, which makes some use of hibernation in its plot. It is the sequel to The Three Body Problem, a hard sci-fi book that would probably be enjoyed by a lot of HNers.
on “NASA is bringing cryosleep chambers out of fiction” ↗If this is interesting to you, read The Dark Forest: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23168817-the-dark-forest...
on “Saturn moon 'able to support life'” ↗The sequels are where it really takes off. The Dark Forest is far more terrifying - one of the darkest SF books I've read. I think cultural differences play into the read a lot, too. It's an intensely Chinese novel, and I'm pretty sure a lot of Americans find…
on “Have Aliens Found Us? (2019)” ↗…this series is. My all time favorite science fiction but what it is is just page after page of ideas that get more and more fantastical. Can't recommend this enough The Three Body Problem (PartI) The Dark Forest (Part II) Death's End (Part III)
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu. Just finished it; great read.
on “Notre-Dame cathedral: Firefighters tackle blaze in Paris” ↗For 22+ years I believed Foundation series by Issac Asimov was unparalleled, since first read when I was 10. It changed after the Three Body Problem, especially the 2nd and 3rd installments, The dark forest, The forever death. I don't expect to add more to the list in my life span.
on “What are your favourite sci-fi books?” ↗…to Liu's readers. In my opinion, the second and third instalments of The Three Body Problem are as good as the Foundation series. The first one, really is just a trailer. The second one, entitled The Dark Forest is far more than Sci-fi. Personally, I interpret it as a serious international political question: could the West really tolerate any other forms of civilisation? the book gave a negative perspective.…
on “China’s Arthur C. Clarke” ↗…year for best story. It's wonderful sci-fi written on a grand scale, and made all the more interesting and refreshing to me by coming from outside the Western perspective. It's one of a trilogy: The Dark Forest english translation is out, and Death's End is coming beginning of next year. Also enjoyed Seveneves by Stephenson, and H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald. The former is likely known to the HN crowd;…
on “Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015” ↗…the 19th century. To paraphrase Mark Twain: History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes Being Mortal (Atul Gawande, 2014) - Powerful book about old age and confronting the mortality of our loved ones The Dark Forest (Cixin Liu, 2014) - Wonderful science fiction from China The Peripheral (William Gibson, 2015) - Bleak, near future science fiction. The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi, 2015) - More bleak, near future…
on “Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015” ↗…totally engaging. Finally read the Zones of Thought series by Vernor Vinge. Love his slight twist on physics that allows for for both post-singularity tech and low-tech to exist in the same universe. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu (second book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past translated from Mandarin) had a bit of a slow start, but really built up to a good finale. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic…
on “Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?” ↗Mostly read fiction. Some of my top books I read this year are: - Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (as well as his other detective novels) - Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Zafon - The Martian - Dark Forest (and the Three Body Problem) - Shantaram - Age of Myth by Michael Sullivan - Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗…visceral way the NYHC era he is largely responsible for ushering in. And if you've never heard "The Age of Quarrel" pause whatever you're listening to now and go find it on YouTube or something. "The Dark Forest" by Cixin Liu I would include the first book in this series, "The Three-Body Problem", but I read that in December of 2015. All I want to say about this series of books is that you should go into them…
on “Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2016?” ↗The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu. The scene is actually from the second book in the trilogy, The Dark Forest, but they are really meant to be read in order, and I don't think The Dark Forest would make much sense without reading The Three Body Problem first. Outstanding books, highly recommended if you like…
on “Why Do People with Depression Like Listening to Sad Music?” ↗I liked the Dark Forest theory put forward in, well, The Dark Forest [1]. Advanced Alien civilizations are all across the galaxy, but everyone is keeping quiet and trying to not get noticed as being noticed is a death sentence.…
on “The Fermi Paradox (2014)” ↗I definitely think The Dark Forest ranks up there with those. I haven't even heard of Wolfe's book. Will check it out, thanks.
on “Earth-like planet spotted orbiting Sun’s closest star” ↗