The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth's Past #1) by Liu Cixin

“There was no pain in that gaze, only solidified devotion and yearning.”

This highly praised Chinese Science Fiction tale is the first in a trilogy. Translation is always an interesting beast and the notes from both author and translator point to cultural knowledge that is missing in this western reader and I think perhaps that is the reason why I found it hard to immerse myself in the story at the beginning. To be honest it was a rather hard slog at the start, impeded somewhat by the footnotes which I always find to be a distraction in fiction and devoutly to be wished in non-fiction.

The story begins in chaotic times where violence is palpable and to be honest I had no idea where the tale was going at that point. There’s a secret scientific experiment that a young Ye Wenjie gets dragged into that seems to be for a mysterious weapon. At any rate once you enter the experiment area your life is not your own.

Then we skip 40 years and there are more mysterious scientists and a strange computer game. This is where things get interesting and I think I’ve already said too much. The story may have been a slow burn to begin with, but the speed and stakes get amped up in no uncertain terms. By the end of the book, I was fully invested. So much so that I bought the two sequels. I’m pondering whether to launch back into that world now that book two has arrived in the mail, or mix it up a little while I wait for the third. That way I won’t have to wait for the finale.

5 out of 5 – no wonder it won the Hugo.