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Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy - Cixin Liu I've been meaning to read this for a while and it turns out that an impending TV adaptation is a pretty good motivator for me. I really only needed that to get started though, because by the time the first seeds of cosmic mystery appeared in Three Body Problem I was absolutely hooked and smashed through the whole trilogy in a week. The scope of this thing is just breathtaking really, and to be able to prepare the reader for the concepts, both scientific and philosophical, such that you aren't left feeling alienated from the whole thing is a real achievement. I also really enjoyed the little bits of foreshadowing of both clues and red-herrings sprinkled through the book. Every time an analogy was reused it got my mind working to connect the two concepts it had been used to describe. I almost never guessed right but the revelations also never felt like a rug-pull. Considering that the book is a translation, that's even more impressive. The constant, deepening mysteries along with the well-judged use of non-linear storytelling give the whole thing a fractal feel. It's not perfect. Definitely not a series for people who prefer characters to plot, mystery and philosophical musings. There's not a huge amount to differentiate some of the characters, and it really stands out when someone who feels like a real person shows up (Da Shi, for example). It's a bit weird politically. The first book opens with several chapters set during the cultural revolution, so it definitely invites reading through a political lens. I think it might be an issue with the somewhat arms-length third person point of view. The books frequently offer an opinion on the political situation of the era, but it's never totally clear whose opinion we're being given, so it sometimes feels like the author's voice. This leads to all sorts of weird contradictions like decrying totalitarianism and then yearning for an age of strong military men who sweep aside humanitarian concerns to make Hard Decisions. It's also kind of weird about women and gender. As with the political philosophising, we're often presented with opinions about these topics that don't feel like they come from any of the characters, so it's hard not to read it as hang-ups on the part of the author. Despite writing almost as many critical words as positive, I really loved this series. Science fiction should be ambitious, and these books are certainly that. If there are books with similar tone and scope out there I'd love some recommendations
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Mar 9, 2024 17:05
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| # ¿ May 9, 2024 16:33 |
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Mort was the point where I went from liking Discworld novels to loving them, but I was a teenager at the time so I've no idea if that would hold true today. Also Terry Pratchett signed my copy and drew a little scythe and a speech bubble saying "Boo!" so that might have influenced my opinion too
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Mar 17, 2024 01:24
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You messed up your spoiler tag btw
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Mar 21, 2024 02:58
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Magnetic North posted:Is it worth reading the others? In my earlier indecision, I looked into it and came across the varied discourse and chatter: Everyone has a different breaking point with Dune. Keep reading them until: a) you roll your eyes and throw the book across the room (or wish you could but it's a phone or an e-reader or you collect delicate ornaments) b) you find yourself about to open a book with the word "Brian" on the cover Or, if reading worse books in the same series will tarnish your feelings about Dune, quit while you're ahead e: that'll teach me to overthink a post
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May 8, 2024 23:12
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