Three-Body Problem Series
by Liu Ci Xin, Ken Liu, Joel Martinsen · first published 2017
57% recommend37% neutral6% critical
Why HN recommends it
Idea-driven hard sci-fi trilogy, praised for its Dark Forest answer to the Fermi Paradox, plausible science, and a perspective unlike typical Western sci-fi; suits readers who value concepts and plot over characters.
Common criticism: Some find the writing dry and the first book slow
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
- Part 1: The Three-Body Problem - Part 2: The Dark Forest - Part 3: Death's End This trilogy follows a broad cast of characters through the centuries as earth enters a crisis following the Chinese cultural Revolution and the scientific experiments at the high security Red Coast Base. The short memory of huma
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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The Three-Body Problem series by Chixin Liu * The Three-Body Problem * The Dark Forest * Death's End Expanded my perception of life, death, love, time and our potential purpose, via some very well written fiction (space opera style).…
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds Three Body Problem Series - Cixin Liu Salvation Sequence - Peter F Hamilton (and by listing these I just realized I like stories about humanities doom)
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?” ↗The Three Body Problem series Just great, modern, adult scifi books that describe scale of time and space really well in a constantly surprising plot
on “Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?” ↗The Power Broker The excellent series on Lyndon Johnson by the same author as The Power Broker The Three Body Problem series
on “Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?” ↗1) Three-Body Problem series 2) Hyperion series (first two books especially) 3) Cryptonomicon 4) Cloud Atlas 5) Wandering Earth (collection of short stories)
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?” ↗The Three Body Problem series
on “Ask HN: Recommend a book that would cure my boredom” ↗…recommendations based on my tastes, I only get more sci-fi results. Do you have any recommendations for interesting reads from other genres that would suit a sci-fi fan? (My recent favorites have been the Three Body Problem series, Permutation City by Greg Egan, Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and The Man who fell to Earth by Walter Tevis.) Thanks!
on “Ask HN: Non-sci-fi fiction recommendations?” ↗> Maybe something is out there, but out of reach, or deliberately silent? Have you read The Three Body Problem series by Cixin Liu? It's a terrific (and recently quite famous + awarded) sci fi trilogy that explores this idea. That all sufficiently advanced civilizations have learned to be extremely radio silent in order…
on “My dad launched the quest to find alien intelligence” ↗…Traditions, Sally Fallon 2015 - Awaken the Giant Within, Tony Robbins 2016 - Black Swan, Nicolas Taleb 2017 - Surely You’re Joking Mr Feynman, Richard Feynman 2018 - The Prophet, Khalil Gibran 2019 - Three Body Problem (series), Liu Cixin These aren’t publishing years, just the year these books transformed me.
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗People who had this thought have also liked "The Dark Forest" and "Death's End" by Liu Cixin :) (These are part 2 and 3 in the "Three Body Problem" series.)
on “Was there a civilization on Earth before humans?” ↗Although it's science fiction, the second book from the "Three Body Problem" series by Cixin Liu offers an intriguing idea he labels as the "Dark Forest". The gist is that the primary motivation for all civilizations is survival and other civilizations are a threat. This Quora answer…
on “Our Solar System Is Even Stranger Than We Thought” ↗The Three Body Problem series is probably my favorite fiction I've listened to in the past couple years.
on “Analyzing Hacker News book suggestions in Python” ↗The comparison between The Three Body Problem series and some of Le Guin's books is interesting because the two authors have such wildly different strengths and weaknesses. I love them both but, purely in terms of writing, there is absolutely no comparison.…
…love a good mindbending plot, and barely care how it's told. I can tolerate / enjoy hard scifi or fantasy with detailed magic systems, even if the writing is considered not great. To me, the Ciuxin Liu Three Body Problem series is one of the greatest of all time because it has some absolutely wild ideas, even though it was translated from Chinese by different translators, and some people say not well. On the other hand, a lot…
on “Truths about video game stories” ↗Give the Three Body Problem series a try, I think you’ll enjoy it immensely.
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗