The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu

The Dark Forest: The Sequel to The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu; translated by Joel Martinsen --- 512 pages

This is classic "hard science" science fiction, driven not by plot or character but by scientific speculation. It's dense and difficult to read, but once you are hooked by the ideas you can overlook the stereotype characters and the contrived plot elements. Cixin Liu's view of the universe and extraterrestrial life is bleak, disquieting and compelling.

Cixin starts with the "Fermi Paradox," as formulated by the distinguished scientist Enrico Fermi, which basically asks why we've yet to make contact with other intelligent life out there in the universe.

In Cixin's universe Earth does make contact with an alien civilization, Trisolaris. The dark forest is the universe, and the law of the hunt prevails. When I started the book it was hard to get through 50 pages in one sitting, but I read the last 200 pages almost without stopping to breathe.  The final book in the trilogy is Death's End.

Click HERE to read the review from Tor.com.

Click HERE to read the review from the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Click HERE to read the review from Discover Magazine.

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu. Translated from Chinese by Ken Liu --- 399 pages

Cixin Liu is the most popular science fiction author in China, where science fiction is a popular and thriving genre.  The Three-Body Problem is the first book in a classic space opera trilogy (the other two volumes are The Dark Forest and Death's End) published in China in the early 2000s and now translated into English by Ken Liu.  The other two volumes are also being translated and should be available soon.  The author recently signed a contract with a Chinese studio to produce a film trilogy based on the books. The Three-Body Problem won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

This is a dense and complex book about First Contact with an alien civilization, with a predominantly Chinese setting, so there is a lot of (necessary) exposition, since many Western readers are unfaniliar with contemporary Chinese literary conventions, Chinese science and recent Chinese history, which all bear heavily on the story.  But there is also a lot of nuts-and-bolts physics --- the "three-body problem" is a classic conundrum among physicists --- virtual reality games and an alien invasion welcomed by some disillusioned scientists and fiercely resisted by others, with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance. The special effects for the films should be awesome.

For serious fans of classic science fiction.

Click HERE to read the New York Times review.

Click HERE to read the review from National Public Radio.

Click HERE to read the Hugo Award announcement from the UK Telegraph.