The Three-Body Problem | Cixin Liu | 2014
I recently read a Hugo- and Nebula-award winning trilogy named “The Three-Body Problem” by Cixin Liu (刘慈欣), translated from the Chinese by Ken Liu (no relation). The three volumes are titled “The Three-Body Problem”, “The Dark Forest” and “Death’s End.”
Without revealing too much of the story, scientists on Earth decide to transmit signals meant to establish contact with any alien civilizations that might be listening. One such civilization, in dire straits and now alerted to Earth’s existence, resolve to escape from an unlivable environment and invade Earth.
The aliens are desperate because they live in a solar system having three orbiting suns of nearly equal mass, which as some of you may be aware creates an unstable, unpredictable orbital dance that would make life nearly impossible – wild temperature swings, abrupt changes in gravitational force and planetary motion, frequent collisions with asteroids, basically chaotic conditions. This means the aliens’ problem is – literally – the “three-body problem” from orbital physics.
My point with these details is to show that the books’ author understands physics and is willing to craft a story that respects science, unlike much of modern science fiction that drops a few technical terms, then ignores real science in favor of fantasy.
And unlike many science fiction plot devices, the three-body problem is a real effect in orbital mechanics that produces something called a “chaotic system,” an orbital system very sensitive to initial conditions and essentially unpredictable over time. Click here to see an example of a three-body computer animation I created to introduce one of my videos.
The writing is excellent and has a strong narrative thread, unlike much of modern Western science fiction, some of which has descended into poorly written fantasies labeled as science fiction. Also unlike other long works where author fatigue becomes an issue, the final volume is regarded by many readers to be the best of the three.
The author weaves real historical events into the story including the Cultural Revolution, a tragic chapter in recent Chinese history that uprooted society in an attempt to erase “bourgeois” elements and demolish the influence of capitalist and traditional values. This phase in Chinese history remains controversial and still divides Chinese society, usually along economic lines. I think Liu’s having included it in the narrative is enriching and … well ... brave.
So I find much to like about these books, for general reasons as well as a personal interest in the physics and science, which the author treats accurately while creating a plausible narrative thread.