Remembrance of earth’s past, by cixin liu
The “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy, written by Liu Cixin and translated by Ken Liu and Joel Martinsen, is a science fiction series beloved by hundreds of thousands of readers. Due to its popularity, Netflix created a tv show adaptation of the first book, “The Three-Body Problem.”
The Three-Body Problem is the first novel of the series, and begins in China during the Cultural Revolution. A main character of the novel, remarkable physicist Ye Wenjie, experiences a traumatic event which ultimately leads her to a research base dedicated to the discovery of potential extraterrestrial life. Thus begins a centuries long journey of magnificent scientific breakthroughs and political unrest that is sure to grip you with every turn of the page. This book, and the two subsequent novels, are high science fiction and contain a plethora of mind-blowing information that will leave you thinking about it for a long time. I am hesitant to explain much more of the plot than that as I believe it would ruin the experience of discovering the further premises yourself. The translation is done by Ken Liu - I have not read the original text written in Mandarin (as I do not speak/read Mandarin), but from my understanding is done beautifully. The novel is highly plot-driven, which I do not believe to be a downfall solely because of the big picture ideas and philosophical components that are at the heart of the series.
The Dark Forest is the second novel of the series, and expands on the preparation for physical contact with a confirmed extraterrestrial species called the Trisolarians. This novel, while significantly different than the first, is even more highly regarded. The Dark Forest had a different translator, Joel Martinsen. The readers are shown a deeper complexity of the characters introduced in the first book and newly appearing characters as well. Again, I am hesitant to go into detail about the plot because I firmly believe that one of the greatest experiences while reading this series is to have no preconceived expectations about what is going to happen due to a plot synopsis specifically. What I can say is that this novel invokes unbelievably strong emotions as the gravity of what the author is presenting sinks in. The way the entire series evolves is unexpected at every turn.
Death’s End is the last novel, and arguably the best one. I found that each novel grew stronger as a whole, more balanced in the characters-to-plot-focused ratio. The entire book gave me a sense of existential dread as the author offers various philosophical and scientific premises that burrow their way into your mind until all you can think about are the possibilities of the universe.
I rarely read science fiction books as I find they usually don’t grip me the way that other genres do, but this series is easily one of the most phenomenal works of literature I have ever read. The profound complexity of the world building and the connection(s) through each novel from beginning to end was nothing short of extraordinary. The amount of time and dedication that was devoted to each book becomes increasingly apparent as you continue reading. It has introduced science fiction to me in a whole new light, and I plan to continue to explore this genre in an attempt to find a novel anywhere near the distinctive genius of this series.