A few years ago I tried reading the acclaimed book series that started with The Three-Body Problem, but I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe it was the pace, the density of the science, the translation…I’m not sure. Maybe I need to give it another try.
But I heard good things about the Netflix adaptation of the first book, so we recently dove into the 10-episode series. I’m glad we did! We just finished the final episode of season 1 last night, and I’m already hankering for more.
The premise is that scientific observations around the world have stopped making sense. I’m hesistant to say much more than that, as the show unfolds in a fascinating way. I’ll say that there are significant science-fiction element to the show, but everything is tied to real/potential science, grounding the show in a sense of realism.
I’m curious to hear from those who have read all 3 books, particularly if you’ve also watched the show. Would you recommend that I jump into book 2 or wait for season 2?
Hi Jamey,
Having read the trilogy and seen the series, both are fantastic. They’ve changed a little for the Netflix series, but it makes sense why they would make some choices targeting a wider audience. I wouldn’t want to wait for the next season (but I did read them years ago). The translator for Book 2 was different than 1 & 3, so it has a slight shift in tone, but the books are different from one another. Definitely the whole series is worth the read. I found it was interesting taking in the perspectives of a Chinese author (as a Westerner), which might be diluted a bit by the show.
Ken Liu the translator of 1 & 3 also has some fantastic short fiction. I highly recommend “The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories”, and if you want to listen to the short story, look for “The Paper Menagarie” on “Levar Burton Reads” podcast.
Thank you for your assessment of the books, David! I’m a fan of Ken Liu’s work as well.
I watched the first episode. The start of it was too violent for me, and the overall concept was a bit too woo-woo to make me want to watch more of the violent part.
It was surprisingly violent–I wasn’t expecting that.