The Dark Forest (Remembrance of Earth's Past)

As a sequel this was amazing because, while it continued the story from the first book, it was also almost entirely independent of the first. Different characters, different setting, different everything. The first book was largely historical, with lots of movements back and forth in time. This one was mostly far future, told in a linear fashion. Yet it continued themes from the first regarding its fascinating exploration of both psychology and science. The one thing that bothers me is that in both books story lines that seem to be important just disappear without a trace. I guess this is offset by the impressive way that things that seem trivial emerge as critical. All in all very good story. I'm relieved and perhaps a bit inspired that he found a way to end this rather despairing book on an upbeat note.

The critics are correct with this SiFi and it's phenomenal story teller. If you worry about humankind and the future, this book may cause you some stress. However, I still bought "The Three Body Problem " which is 1st in this tale that sometimes keeps me awake. Find out why it's so dark!

Mr. Liu has a good imagination. Don't believe you can predict the ending. From this book and its predecessor you will learn that the human species may be the most benign species in the universe. Now that is a scary thought.

There was a lot of hype involving this trilogy; this hype was not totally undeserved. Cixin Liu stands shoulder to shoulder with Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, and Stephen Baxter. The ideas are captivating and the characters are engrossing.
If you are into hard science fiction, you will not be disappointed; if you are reading it for a book club, you probably won't enjoy it.

Really cool and creative sequel to "Three Body Problem". The selfish, confused, but likable main character was a refreshing change from your run-of-the-mill hero. I never saw the ending coming, but it truly brought the story to a conclusion, something that so many novels lack.

A few amazing images but poorly connected. A good editor would have helped. I had high hopes but the flat character development/ vast amounts of filler// or lack luster translation/ or ? frankly i hoped for a more coherent tale. The basic premise could have been scary as heck and brilliant. Reminds me of later KSR.

This book is in need of a better editor or translator.
I really liked the first book. The author and translator were able to convey a sense of unique thought that this book lacked.
This book felt flat. I think it was the translation that changed too much of the author's intent.

Cixin Liu is like a Chinese Greg Bear who can write interesting characters. I found reading books in my favorite genre, written from a very different cultural perspective, refreshing.

I'll tell you my least favorite thing about this book: I have to wait until next August to read the last one.

The book was a little rough getting into as I had reacquainted myself with the characters. But once I got into this book man it was great. This book explores a humanity seemingly without hope and a future that has not been explored before. A great read

It is rare that a second novel in a series doesn't wander around a bit before the plot moves forward in the latter half of the book. It appears Chinese authors (a sample of one) are no different than many American authors (sample of many). The story bobs and weaves through and around romantic attachments, dream states, traitorous affiliations, bureaucratic administrivia and sci-fi consumerism 2 centuries hence. But, if you are able to wade through the Chinese character's names (so many that the translator was compelled to provide a name reference in the forepart) and the "gee-whiz" Epcot-ish technology, there is a solid, active and cautionary science fiction tale that is a worthy continuation of the initial book.

The Wallfacer project was interesting though lacking in subtlety. Except for the approach of the protagonist, the alternatives were perhaps a bit more obvious or contrived than I would have expected. In the case of Luo Ji, his obvious inscrutable nature was viewed by most observers as laziness or hedonism, and the author kept much of his thought process from the reader until the very last segment of the book. I would have been a bit more interested to see his internal dialogue weighing theories and proposing alternatives to his selected course of action.

The weakest part of the book, aside from the wandering subtended story arch, was threefold: SciFi McGuffinism, Space Battle Tactics, Spaceship Earth Drama. Early on, I began to wonder if the sophons were introduced to ensure that the author did not exceed his reach into speculative physics. The more I read, the more this seemed to be the case. We then encounter the probe. The "Teardrop" was never fully explained or brought into the realm of science. Invulnerable, able to change vectors at definitive angles, accelerate to a considerable % of the SOL, compact, and with no identifiable power source, the Drop just didn't have enough science behind it to suspend my belief to the degree necessary. It didn't fit with the generally good physics of prior speculative science in the novels. The battle formation and commitment of our entire space armada to the close encounter with the drop was irrational for any military leader who read naval history. Lastly, when the remaining ships departed for deep space, it would seem that no one factored in the freedom from sophon influence that would allow the survivors to restart progress in particle physics and other closed-off technology areas. All parties jumped to the default "final solution".

++++++Nevertheless, the Dark Forest axioms on survival, limited mass and chains of suspicion result in a definitive philosophical treatise and are worthy of consideration in light of our present debates in the real world about broadcasting our presence to the galaxy. I believe the author's work in this area is worthy of an important place in these debates, (perhaps ahead of Hawking group think). His logic and arguments are not easily discounted.++++++++++

All in, Dark Forest is a good novel that perhaps could have been a great novel if it had been winnowed down to the main story line with fewer diversions and more attention paid to the space battle/survivor section. I've pre-ordered the final novel of the trilogy which is to be released in January 2016.

Good, interesting ideas presented in books, but details are poor. Psychology, sociology is on very low level, but high concepts are worth reading. Maybe I am giving it only 3 stars as it was far from best book I ever read, but the fact is that I bought all three from this series and I've read them all, and of course I don't regret it. So don't expect something super great, but if you will get it it won't be time wasted.

I use audible, this story was hard to follow. So much description would lose me, somewhat to technical. Some of it may be lost in translation as it was written by someone from China, i understand Chinese is a hard language to translate.

This novel did not live up to my expectations, but it is worth reading. I was a little peeved the plot in this book depends on information revealed in this book, rather than information/characters/plot from the first book. This is a minor complaint but as a result I felt like I was reading something conceived entirely outside the scope of the original novel - kind of like seeing a movie sequel that was made many years later by a different writer, director and producer.

Ironically, I wanted more character/story development in the first novel, but in this book I could have used a little less! There were entire passages I skimmed through. (The old guys in China? What was the purpose of those sections?) And it turns out major plot events and details early on were even less relevant to the ending than I had anticipated. (Luo Ji's plan is clever but doesn't ultimately achieve any outcome different to the other strategies proposed!) Having said that... there were a few moments in the book that took my breath away as I was reading - they were totally unexpected and worth the effort to reach them. And let's be honest - I can't wait to start the third book tonight!

This was a real letdown after reading The Three Body Problem. Perhaps because this book used a different translator, and maybe something was lost in translation, but some of the characters and their motivations made no sense. Such as when some people obviously suffering from depression wanted their beliefs modified to get over it, one character who seemed nice before yelled at them how disgusted he was at their weakness. This was done with no explanation. Other times instead of showing us how a character feels, the author merely tells us. This book was more concerned with moving a few plot points forward, and not at all with the characters doing the moving (even though they do a lot of exposition).

This novel did not live up to my expectations, but it is worth reading. I was a little peeved the plot in this book depends on information revealed in this book, rather than information/characters/plot from the first book. This is a minor complaint but as a result I felt like I was reading something conceived entirely outside the scope of the original novel - kind of like seeing a movie sequel that was made many years later by a different writer, director and producer.

Ironically, I wanted more character/story development in the first novel, but in this book I could have used a little less! There were entire passages I skimmed through. (The old guys in China? What was the purpose of those sections?) And it turns out major plot events and details early on were even less relevant to the ending than I had anticipated. (Luo Ji's plan is clever but doesn't ultimately achieve any outcome different to the other strategies proposed!) Having said that... there were a few moments in the book that took my breath away as I was reading - they were totally unexpected and worth the effort to reach them. And let's be honest - I can't wait to start the third book tonight!

This was a real letdown after reading The Three Body Problem. Perhaps because this book used a different translator, and maybe something was lost in translation, but some of the characters and their motivations made no sense. Such as when some people obviously suffering from depression wanted their beliefs modified to get over it, one character who seemed nice before yelled at them how disgusted he was at their weakness. This was done with no explanation. Other times instead of showing us how a character feels, the author merely tells us. This book was more concerned with moving a few plot points forward, and not at all with the characters doing the moving (even though they do a lot of exposition).

Interesting concepts presented in a sometimes obtuse way. Lots of explication and light on action; nonetheless, epic in scope and endearing in its world building. Characterization is functionary while the conceptualization of the Trisolaran civilization is both abstract and grounded in science as we currently understand it. A good read for those who like philosophical or spiritual elements with their scientific theory. Avoids overt anthropocentrism in its description and explanation of the alien civilization.

This is a fantastic book, but I am not going to comment on the plot or character development. I start reading this English version, but soon I found this typographic problems. I checked the Chinese version and am sure those zeroes should not be there. This is just page 14, and I am not sure how many errors like this in the rest of the book.

I read the first in the series and loved it - something fresh and new in the Sci Fi world.This one however was tedious moving along at the speed of a Chinese Junk. If you have not read the first one you would not have a clue what it was all about. No action to speak of but plenty of dialogue interspersed with an "afterthought" Trilosorian scene. Again it would make no sense to someone who had not read the first one (Three Body Problem). It seems as though the author's imagination was exhausted in his first book so I do not think I would be interested in the final book.

The first half of Cixin Liu's novel The Dark Forest (a follow-up to his Hugo Award-winning book The Three Body Problem) is a very good science fiction story. It's well-written, it begins with an intriguing, ant-centric (you'll see) prologue, and it gives the over-worked "alien invasion" plot an original twist.

Then, just about halfway through, Cixin Liu pulls off what really good science fiction can do: he suddenly makes you wonder W T F is going on. I won't reveal exactly what happens, but from this point on, The Dark Forest turns into a fantastic, mind-spinning science-fiction-roller-coaster-ride. This second half of the story is weird, wonderful, dark, harrowing, and ultimately very satisfying. The way humanity's confrontation with the Trisolarans plays out - as both Earth's fate and Luo Ji's plan are revealed bit by spine-chilling, mind-bending bit - had me turning the pages frantically to find out what would happen next.

I won this first-read copy of The Dark Forest in a Goodreads giveaway earlier this year, and haven't even read The Three Body Problem yet, but I will definitely be reading it now. You can read The Dark Forest on its own - enough of the previous plot is explained in the book - but Cixin Liu's writing certainly has me intrigued enough to sample his other work.

I really liked this book, though not as much as "The Three Body Problem," the first in the series. The story and writing are excellent (and, in many places, beautifully lyrical). The plot and its myriad of twists hold your attention and are entertaining and original. Why 3-stars and not 5-stars. For me, this book reflects too well what I expect would really happen if the seminal event of the book actually occurred. It's frustrating and disappointing for me to read about humans being "human." In the end, I really liked this book. I just did not feel good about having read it.

I know it sounds silly when I say reading this novel makes me feel smarter. It's not the quantum physics, the string theories, all that high concept science jazz. I won't say that I understand all those theories in a million years, but the author builds and presents those hard sci-fi theories in a formula that makes an average person (like me) feel believable. What I mean by the "feeling smarter" part is that the author's boundless imagination really stretches my mind's horizon. I still can't believe all these fascinating ideas and plot twists are presented in one novel series (and we are only 2/3 through). Liu's complete dark, cruel and heartless cosmic sociology theory is really the best explanation of Fermi's paradox I've ever heard, consider we as humans, were this close to self-annihilation merely 50 years ago at the height of the Cold War, and we are really not that different from each other as a specie! The best scene (SPOILER) from the book for me was when the entire human space fleet facing total annihilation at the hand of one single Trisolarian probe, two ships tried to escape the onslaught by sacrificing their entire crews just for the hope of saving two useful spaceships for humanity, but to no veil. the brutally horrendous graphical description of their deaths, the devastating sense of complete hopelessness, really make those ultimate sacrifices speak in tremendous volume, what a glorious (but deep deep deeply heart wrenching) scene. I particularly appreciate the author's take on the many faces of humanity, the pessimism and optimism, arrogance and naive, suspicion and faith. Looking back at our history of thousands of years, humanity really hasn't changed, 400 years and more advanced technology sure aren't going to change much neither. Honestly I felt the ending was a bit let down, right after the climatic revelation of the dark forest theory. However, knowing that the 3rd installment is named Death's End, I can kind of guess where the story is going to turn, so I will take this seemingly happily-ever-after ending as a satisfactory plot device for the major plot twist that's coming later (matter of fact, seeing how Liu and his plot twists work, I'm almost certain of it. $hit is going to hit the fan, in a major way, in the grand finale. I am certain of it. but that's just my speculation). I agree with many other reviewers that character-building really isn't Liu's forte, the "dream girl" part is just, I can't put my finger on, does it do much to make the main protagonist a more believable/likable/more-rounded character? I don't know. But for Liu's weakness in character-building, he totally makes up for it in granderious world-building. in comparison to this beautifully dark cold world Liu built, I can totally overlook the thin characters.

This one builds more slowly than the first one and parts of it did not resonate for me. However it ends very VERY strongly. The last section rescues the book from being in the 3-4 star range up to the 4-5 star range. Luo Gi is a much more interesting main character than the main character(s) from the first book (except for the despicable Ye Wenjie of course).

Plus there are other characters we get to know and identify with whose fates are known by the end of the book and whom the reader becomes invested in and sympathetic towards.

Liu does an excellent job of portraying the far future and depicting what world reaction would be as human extinction became more and less certain depending on events in the book.

I think this will be a contender for the Best Novel Hugo, but like Leckie, probably not win it.

The first book was only just bearable. I only finished it because of the number of awards it had won. I thought, "this must pick up eventually?" No. Its trying too many things at once. I can't handle reading or watching a story that seems to just be the author telling you how smart they are. And the entire premise of the "cosmic sociologist" is absurd. At first I thought it was just a joke, but apparently not. I'd suggest reading "Children of Time" by Adrian Tchaikovsky if you're interested in human contact with another species with a different way of thinking and being. And it won't require such technical knowledge or the complete suspension of belief.

I like some Chinese movies (example Not One Less) but the pattern or style of Chinese communication takes getting used to. Perhaps it is the translation that imparts the weird flavor. I notice this in dubbed French and Spanish films. I don't notice this in translations of German works. Just my thoughts.

THE DARK FOREST is “hard” science fiction, a sub-genre of sci-fi that either sticks closely to facts and/or gives the greatest semblance of it when creating the technology featured within it. And, just like the first book in the REMEMBRANCE OF EARTH’S PAST trilogy (The Three-Body Problem), he does this in spades. And, on top of that, his work is fascinating, his characters are realistic and his knack for quick, satisfying explanations of technological innovations is simply amazing.

As the middle member of the trilogy, THE DARK FOREST is mostly “about” the coming of the alien Trisolarian army and Earth’s preparations for their arrival – and their plans to take over our world. But to try to explain this extraordinary work that simply is to do it an immense disservice. I often felt overwhelmed by Liu’s achievement, and the good news for readers is that this volume is only bested in those areas by the next book, Death's End. That novel is really a towering accomplishment.

But, for now, onto THE DARK FOREST. I could not count how often I felt WOW!-ed by the author’s refusal to obey the tropes of alien invasion works, by his startling innovations at every turn, and by all that he was able to create. He seems to thrive when he produces an almost impossible-to-solve situation, AND THEN somehow solves it. For instance, it’s going to take 400-plus years for the invading Trisolarians to reach here, but Liu creates sub-atomic “sophons” the size of a photon of light that are not only able to reach here as quickly as light, but are also able to observe our actions and in so doing, find sympathetic humans who are happy to see humanity destroyed and correspond with them.

So how does one defeat these prying sophon-ic “eyes”? Well, Liu creates the concept of human “Wallfacers”: unique humans who will work in total secrecy with unlimited funds in order to come up with sophisticated strategies to defeat the Trisolarians…. things NO ONE else could have come up with. So how do the Trisolarians aim to defeat the Wallfacers? And so on, and so on…

THE DARK FOREST is fascinating, deep, unorthodox and compelling, but author Cixin Liu makes you do a little work, too. This is not a book the reader can coast through, and often requires the reader’s attention. While Liu’s brilliance at stretching the boundaries of the mind are inspired, these feats of intellect can be a little taxing. Simply put, the reader has to keep up. I think this might be a really good text to read via Kindle, as one can use it to search and recall characters and events mentioned earlier and then let go of for dozens or even hundreds of pages. One must also be patient: when waking up from hibernation a character encounters many, many references to a huge event called “the Great Ravine” for quite a while before an explanation is offered for the term. Another example is a so-called “spell” that central character (and Wallfacer) Luo Ji “casts” that takes an extraordinary amount of time to bear fruit, and the patient reader will be rewarded for waiting. But I can certainly see why some readers could be frustrated.

Like author Kim Stanley Robinson, Cixin Liu doesn’t concentrate his fiction upon strong characterization or precise physical descriptions; but this is not to say there aren’t a few memorable characters. I loved Luo Ji, who comes off like a latter day Lt. Columbo, the rumpled and clever TV detective played by Peter Falk. But his sprawling work has no problem using a character one comes to admire – like his police protector Da Shi, a man who is so sharp and on the ball that I would entrust my life to him in a heartbeat – but then Liu can just DROP him when it seems like the right time. But never fear, important characters abound in this work.

For those who enjoy smart, unparalleled sci-fi – and don’t mind a trilogy taking slightly more than 1,700 pages in doing so – you’re in for a hell of a ride.

The second volume picks up from the previous story line and is mostly to do with the power play between Three-Body and the human race. It started with drama and suspense, and it ended with action and thrill. My most favorite scene in the book is when Zhang wakes up in his sleep, walks across the empty sections in the ship and comes to face the consequence of his action. Reminds me of the character from Ayn Rand’s novel. It is this moment that justifies my time spent on reading the book. Totally worth it. This volume will be one of my top five favorite SF fiction (and it will be a classic).

This volume is a fast and absorbing read. It is divided into three parts:
1. Meditators. Human has discovered a weakness in the Three-Body race and has created a Wall-facing program (the true objective of the plan has to be hidden) to prepare for the doom day war. The program grants four meditators (or wall-facers) unlimited power and resources to carry out their plan. Three-Body, through its supporters on Earth, has made a counter-move. Four wall-breakers, one for each meditator, are assigned to decrypt the secret plan.
2. A Cosmic Curse. Many years has passed since the inception of the Wall-facing program. Two of the secret plans have been decrypted and failed. The third meditator has gone into hibernation. The hope of the world rests on the last meditator, Luo Ji. Luo has no ambition or interest in saving the world and has been using the program for his own personal gain. The only reason Luo was selected into the program was that he is the only human Three-Body tries to eliminate. As ridiculous as it sounds, Luo has put a destructive curse on a remote star. In order to see the effect of his plan, Luo goes into hibernation.
Note: I am not going to spoil the wall-facing plans here but they are all grand schemes and far-reach per se.
3. Dark Forest. Luo Ji awoke two centuries later to find the world a different place (digital age). Earth has developed a space fleet that is far superior to the Three-Body’s. The fleet has turned into a self-governing nation equals in right and authority as its Earth counterpart. The wall-facing program is deemed obsolete and was cancelled. The rest of the book tells the story of how the fleet encounters the Three-Body space probe and is where the actions are.
Zhang Beihai, a colonel from two centuries ago, is awaken from hibernation to act as the chief executive commander of the fleet. His role is to monitor the repressed escapists in the fleet and to approve and execute the orders of the flagship captain. The moment Zhang receives command of the flagship, he carries out his life-long mission …
What happens in the next thirty minutes in the book is the most mind-blogging space fight I ever read.
The world is devastated when they receive the news from the fleet. Out of desperation, the world reinstates the Wall-facing program and Luo Ji’s status. Using the new found evidence, Luo spends the next five years fulfilling his role as the meditator. The fate of the two worlds lies behind his resolution.

Punch lines:

Meditator: “this is part of the plan (so don’t interfere)”.
Wall-breaker: “so and so, I am your wall-breaker”
Earth Renaissance movement: “We have to be more civilized as time goes by, and not to bury our civilization in time’
Zhang Beihai: “Natural Selection: Forward Advance power level four!”

Food for thought:

#1 rule of the dark forest: survival is the prime directive of any civilization
#2 rule of the dark forest: civilizations grow but the total energy in the universe remains constant

From realizing the dark forest rule to actual following it is a giant step humanity has to take. Zhang Beihai is only seconds late in bridging that gap.

** If you like this review, read my review on the third volume: How human value plays out in the cosmos

This is easily the best Science Fiction story of all time. Cixin Liu's unflinching look at the reality of evolution is far better than the coverage of evolution in much of Science Fiction today. His Cosmic Sociology is one of the most brilliant ideas that I have heard of in a long time and far surpasses the evolutionary speculation that I have read from lesser authors, as if they don't realize that all their speculation is just design dressed up like a cheap ape at the prom. This combined with his idea from "Death's End" that differing races will tear the universe apart to survive and then just die after all that they have accomplished is survival makes this the hardest of Hard SciFi.
This is real Science Fiction at its best.
In the interest of full disclosure I wish to say that though I did not buy this from the store, I did check it out from my local library and read if from cover to cover. I have also read the other two books in this series and enjoyed them immensely. However, "The Dark Forest" is easily the best of the lot.

This is the second book in a trilogy that starts with "The Three-Body Problem."

As "The Dark Forest" opens a large fleet of hostile Trisolaran aliens is headed for Earth, destined to arrive in 400 years. Presumably this is when the 'Doomsday Battle' will occur between the human race and Trisolarans.

Humans are aware of the danger but are hampered in making preparations because the aliens have sent 'sophons' to spy on Earth. Sophons are souped up protons that (due to quantum physics) can INSTANTANEOUSLY transmit every single thing humans say and do to the Trisolarans. Thus, the aliens can 'hear' all discussions about how to combat them and 'see' all weapons being developed. To make matters even worse, the sophons have blocked technological advancements, curtailing Earth's ability to develop the most effective/advanced weapons systems.

The Trisolarans one weakness is their inability to read human minds. Thus, the United Nations institutes the 'Wallfacer Project' in which four individuals - called Wallfacers - are instructed to develop a strategy to fight the Trisolarans. Each Wallfacer is to work alone, write nothing down, and use evasive measures to flummox the Trisolarans. The Wallfacers have almost unlimited resources with very little accountability, so they can do pretty much whatever they want. And one Wallfacer seems more concerned with having a comfortable life than with fighting the Trisolarans.

The Trisolarans, in turn, designate four humans sympathetic to their cause to be "Wallbreakers" - whose mission is to sabotage the Wallfacers' plans. The Wallfacers are very clever and inventive, but the Wallbreakers are pretty smart too. (The author has clearly done a lot of research for these books.)

Around the time this is going on some humans - including people with serious illnesses, a couple of Wallfacers, and various professionals - are put into hibernation. The plan is to awaken them at a later time when they can be cured and/or be useful to humanity.

Skip ahead two hundred years. Some hibernators have been revived and Earth looks very different. There are well-designed underground cities as well as large fleets in space, which are now considered to be separate 'countries.' The Trisolaran fleet is due in two centuries, but the aliens have launched a fast 'probe' which will arrive any day. Oddly enough, people seem to be relatively optimistic. Some think humanity will win the Doomsday Battle while others believe the Trisolarans might turn out to be friendly. Surprises abound after the probe enters the Solar System, and things take a rather dramatic turn...all very exciting.

There's a good deal of philosophical underpinning to some of the plot developments. For example, 'escapism' - the plan to launch some people into space to preserve the human race (just in case) - is outlawed, presumably because there's no fair way to decide who will go. Is this right?
And when there are limited resources and too many individuals, what should be done? And IF the Trisolarans are defeated, should alien survivors be treated in a 'humane' fashion? (This debate reminded me of American Indian history as well as the movie 'District 9.') All things to think about.

I found the story a bit dense and slow-moving but overall I enjoyed the book, which is full of inventive ideas and interesting characters. I don't think it's giving away too much to say that - at the end of book 2 - there are still humans and Trisolarans. I'm interested to see what happens in the final volume of the trilogy.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this series to science fiction fans.

Having recently flown through the excellent Three Body Problem, I found The Dark Forest a far clunkier and disjointed read.

In the Three Body Problem, Ken Liu's translation managed to maintain, I think, the lyrical nature of the originals Chinese style, at the same time presenting a ground breaking first-contact novel that was palatable to a Western audience. The Dark Forest, although a very readable second chapter, seems to be mired in the strict nature of the Chinese. There are a great many sections here, in dialogue, science, and description that would flow much more evenly to a Western reader with better pacing. It's with pleasure I note that Ken Liu is translating the third book Death's End.

But this does not distract from the fabulous overarching story of Mankind's attempt to process the knowledge of, and meet, an invading force expected some 400 years into the future.

As the international strategy to deceive the alien invaders progresses, always hindered by the technological cap imposed by the sophons, mankind moves out into space and struggles internally against depression and apparently overwhelming odds. The middle section of unbridled prosperity and hope is a dream like montage and is cruelly and vividly brought crashing down. The final third is climactic but also feels rushed. It is a sprint through disaster to the end of the book, with a great many threads being pulled and coincidences happening, just-so. Important characters know exactly where to be and when and nothing hinders our hero in any significant way. The denouement is also ever so slightly underwhelming and tied up too quickly and neatly.

The Dark Forest is such a disparate novel that all three sections could very easily be fleshed out into three separate novels of their own. I’d have very much enjoyed seeing Luo Ji’s struggle through the final third handled with greater emotion and depth; a rite of passage or savior in the wilderness plot a la, McCammon’s Swan Song. To have seen his waking up and rehabilitation into the almost magical post Great-Ravine world of the second section and obviously the machinations of Wallfacers and Wallbreakers of the first third could almost be an engrossing spy thriller in itself. Niggles abound about how Banks or even Steven King would have handled this story.

But these are all minor quibbles. I am genuinely involved in Cixin Liu's trilogy which is marvelously readable, truly epic in scope and adventure and promises very great things for its third installment: Deaths End.

This book’s story structure is a lot different than its predecessor. You’ll notice it almost instantly. Not that it’s a bad thing at all, because I think it is actually done pretty well but it’s definitely a departure from the first book in a small way. The plot itself is also a lot different. While the first book focused on things to come and kind of a preparation of sorts, The Dark Forest takes place at a variety of times and sees events foretold in the first book come to fruition. I won’t go into the plot too much for fear of spoiling anything but I really enjoyed the story. I will say that it is a bit abstract for sure. You’ll find the author meandering on pretty long tangents about topics that are either difficult to grasp or just very odd. However, many of the ideas presented are really interesting and unique so I found myself not bothered by the musings very much at all. One of the coolest things about this series so far is the clear demarcation among cultures. This is written by a Chinese author and it is pretty obvious. It’s really fun to see the small differences in customs and culture versus what I’m used to. There are also a lot of allegorical and historical references that I never heard before but translator footnotes really help to explain these and I had a lot of fun learning about them.
Overall, the book is pretty cool. There are ideas in here that are pretty innovative and really make you think. The characters are also interesting and go through considerable personal journeys as they come to grips with the potential end of humanity or its salvation against the Trisolarans. There are some parts that lull a bit and sometimes the characters do things that don’t quite make much sense but given the immense scope of the series, these are easily overlooked. Lastly, the book actually goes somewhere. Many times it seems like middle books in a series kind of spin their wheels in the mud and more or less tease things to come. Not the case here. Some monstrous evens happen here and progress the story immensely which was very nice to see as a reader. I actually enjoyed this book much more than the first in the series and will definitely pick up the 3rd when it gets released in English.

As other reviews have stated, this book has a mixture of complicated alien concepts like the Fermi Paradox, which asks "where are they?" (the aliens) to how many are there? (the Drake equation) but in any case, if you like hard science fiction like the Martian, or ensemble-style science fiction like World War Z, this book is you. As good as the previously mentioned masterpieces, in a genre that's desperate for good titles.

There is some weirdly simplistic dialogue, and some laughably socialist concepts, like the guy who made Venezuela into a socialist paradise (obviously this was written before the current disaster) but if you can put that aside, the concepts and story are worth it.

Contact was made through a faster than light device, with a species called the Trisolarians. The Trisolarians are an advanced race, but primitive in their honesty, and horrified when they learn that the human mind is capable of deception. In their horror they launch an invasion fleet, and since they can't lie about it, tell us so. When asked what we can do to try and make it right, the answer is "Die, please. No offense." Not in those words, but that's the gist of it.

Humanity drafts some dudes with huge, bulging brains to come up with plans and strategies to meet the alien fleet and save the world. These bulging brains are called Wallfacers. Hey, Liu's a little weak on names, but maybe it sounds cooler in Chinese, instead of in English where it's a guy who's to afraid to ask a girl to dance. But I digress. One of the Wallfacers is the Venezuelan hero, which is appropriate, if you can get Socialism to work without a bunch of people standing in line for toilet paper, defeating advanced aliens should be a walk in the park.

There are large space battles, with some predictable outcomes, but I'll give Liu a pass, his characters are interesting, and his descriptions are full. While the space battles are predictable (not all of them) there are some great plot twists, and the book as a whole will keep you up at night.

This is not an easy book to read. The 2nd book in a 3 part trilogy the author has a sensational plot line, but he does meander quite a bit telling the story. A background in science-fiction, mathematics and computer science would be helpful for anyone attempting to read this book. It is absolutely essential that you read the "Three Body Problem" first.

The plot is utterly mind expanding and his characters have to make some incredible hard choices, which may be difficult for some readers to understand. I was overwhelmed with the direction the author choose to take with his characters - Cixin Liu is definitely bold when it comes to
the plot line, but once he has the proper setting fixed he will surprise you with many twists and turns. Parts of the plot you will have to suspend your preconceived notions with disbelief and if you can do that, the story line will flow pragmatically foreword. Particularly I was stunned with
the choices made concerning the 7 surviving space ships after the annihilation of the space fleet. It was a necessary and correct choice for the survival of the human species.

This book tells a tale rich in details, a lot of it has to be plowed through, but when you come to the end of the book - you will say WOW!
For hard core science fiction readers this story is an absolute must to read. I highly recommend these books to the hard core science fiction community.

I loved this book. The first part of the trilogy was great, but this one manages to elevate itself above that. All the aspects that made the first book so good can be found here. There's some good, and interesting science here, which provide food for thought as well as a framework for the story. Being told from a Chinese perspective gives it a fresh feeling - I get the same sense from some Russian sci-fi as well. The cultural differences provide an additional layer to the tale which I appreciate.

The opening scene grabbed my attention immediately, and it's cleverly told from an ant's perspective, which helps bed the thought of the dark forest concept. In a book full of fascinating ideas, this really stood out for me, and on occasion I found myself musing on it.

The book is split into two, the first half concerns humanity's preparations for the alien invasion. The presence of the alien technology limits options, although many of the developments are as you'd expect, there's some different ideas here. The author does a splendid job of conveying and inferring a lot of information, without being bogged down in too many details.

The second half takes us into the future, and again the author's imagination is evident with how society has changed. The culture shock of those who awaken into this new world is well described, and brings a human element to the story. We see the ingenuity of humankind, but also learn more about the full capabilities of the Trisolarians before they reach Earth.

The only real issue I had with the book was one of the aspects of its conclusion. The ending itself works well, and fits the build-up, while still leaving the story open for the third book. But there's a part that's related to the human condition that is often used as a fundamental truth, or key difference for humanity, and for me it feels a little overused. Although many great sci-fi authors have used the same construct, so maybe it is a fundamental truth :-)

With the two books so far, I think this trilogy stands out as some of the finest modern science fiction. It demonstrates great imagination, but also understanding. These are books that any fan of the genre should check out.

Wow. I've been sitting here trying to write a brief but complete review of this book, but there's just so much going on, and on such a scale, that it completely defies brief description. In short, Earth prepares for alien invasion, given plenty of advance notice that it's coming, Each defense strategy fails, and fails spectacularly, always in different ways - perhaps reflecting the number of different weaknesses that the human mind displays. Since every effort seems to turn into its own counter, it's small surprise that a grand act of cowardice turns out to be a strategic master-stroke. It ends up irrelevant to the book's conclusion, but I imagine it setting the stage for spinoff stories in the future.

Given the seemingly invincible technology of the invaders, you might as well wish upon a star for salvation. Imagine my surprise when, in the last few pages, I find that such a wish is actually the winning strategy.

I'm eager to pick up the third book in this trilogy. For one thing, the ending of this book seems so satisfying in wrapping things up that I'm very curious about what more this fascinating writer has to say.

-- wiredweird

Sequel to The Three Body Problem, this story picks up in the aftermath of the earth's efforts to halt a pending invasion by the Trisolarians, an extraterrestrial race that had discovered earth's human civilization by accident when a bitter Chinese academic, having experienced the upheavals and indignities of Mao's Cultural Revolution, decides to notify any possible civilizations in outer space of the incorrigible inhumanity of mankind. Because she had been drafted into working on China's radio telescope project, she suddenly finds herself with access to the technology to send a message to the stars and, in her bitterness, she does.

Because of that action, the civilization of Trisolaris (a planet with three suns that interact in an erratic fashion) reaches out to earth and begins probing and recruiting allies across the planet from different nations through the use of a computer game to learn about earth's civilization and decide to come here, presumably to claim Earth for their own since ours is a more stable solar system than theirs (although this, it turns out, is something of a red herring). By the end of the Three Body Problem, it becomes apparent that nothing earth's scientists or governments can do will stop the coming invasion which, because of interstellar distances, is expected to take in excess of three centuries. As the Trisolarian fleet wends its way earthward, they use their superior technology, unfathomable by earthly standards, to impose a block on human scientific development, ensuring humanity will be unable to achieve their level of technology by the time their fleet arrives to replace mankind with Trisolarians.

The sequel, The Dark Forest follows humanity's efforts to get ahead of the impending Trisolarian invasion, despite the quantum level blocks the approaching invaders have placed on human activity. Because the Trisolarians communicate by mind reading, they cannot grasp human minds which are different from theirs and so are reduced to communicating with their human allies (people so disgusted with their own species that they welcome its impending eradication by the Trisolarians) by writing in human languages.

To meet the threat, humans, realizing that Trisolarians can't read human minds, hit on a strategy to defeat the aliens by identifying a group of humans who are charged with developing a plan to defeat the incoming Trisolarians without revealing it to other humans which would expose it to Trisolarian discovery. Four "wall facers" are selected and given the task, each to develop a different approach for dealing with the impending invasion some three centuries in the future. The availability of advanced technology, based on earth's existing science, which allows suspended animation, enables these individuals and others to operate in different eras of human history over the following centuries. In the meantime, confronted with the resource demands of preparing to meet an incoming alien fleet of immense but unknown capabilities, earth's various economies are taxed to the extreme and economic hardship and cultural disruption ensue.

Of the four selected wall facers, one, the Chinese scientist Dr. Luo Ji, seems different from the others, his self-absorption and disinterest in solving the problem of the impending invasion, coupled with his unrealistic romanticism, making him an apparently weak link in the wall facer project. But as each wall facer's efforts seem to collapse, only Luo Ji, some two centuries later, may hold out hope for mankind in the wake of a preliminary encounter with the incoming fleet's advance probe. But Luo Ji, ever the inscrutable, is impossible to read, not only by the aliens he was supposed to deceive but also by his fellow humans and this is the crux of the novel.

Written with a sensibility unfamiliar to westerners, this book is like a window into a certain Chinese way of seeing the world. Not only are the wall facers hard to read, all the human characters are. The author tells us what they do and say but his words generally misdirect. There's always stuff going on under the surface, left unsaid. We are asked to read the novel like a puzzle, not only to discern what humanity will or can do when the inevitable confrontation comes but even what the different characters mean when speaking with one another. Everyone is always fooling others, concealing his or her real thoughts. Perhaps this is a characteristic of Chinese culture where one often masks one's intentions with smiles and bows and indirect remarks.

Whatever the case, the book is a fascinating, if sometimes fairly slow, read. Many times I wanted to skip ahead out of frustration with the endlessly roundabout descriptions of seemingly peripheral actions and events. But I was reluctant to do so because, with puzzles like this novel, one doesn't want to miss any of the clues. As it happens the real clue lies in the book's title itself, which appears unrelated to the story being told until very near the end when we learn that the real secret to meeting and surviving the incoming Trisolarians is reflected in its meaning.

The characterizations are pretty flat but the philosophical considerations and the extent of scientific and technological speculation are impressive, making the novel worth reading despite the cardboard figures that seem to people it. This one, like its predecessor, is long and drawn out, and the society and worldview it gives us is pretty strange to my western way of seeing things. In the end I rushed through the last part to see if there was any way finally to out think and defeat the Trisolarians, given the tremendously advanced capabilities they had compared to those of puny earth.

Cixin Liu's book presents us with a very dark vision not only of human behavior (see the aftermath of the battle with the Trisolarian probe) but with the nature of the universe and existence itself. One is reminded of the dark German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer and his vision of nature as "red in tooth and claw."

Probably the most cerebral (yet still accessable) book I've ever read. A fantastic sequel to an incredible first book. If I say anything I think I'd give it away. But if you want to know what our future could look like if we were driven by fear, this is a great read. If you want to see how society could change, how it would react differently, how the old becomes mythical, larger than life, whilst still being just as human as any of us, then this is the book for you.

Read it. It may be some of the most rewarding reading you ever do.

After reading Three Body Problem and absolutely LOVING it, I was worried that the second book would not do it justice. I was immediately proven wrong as I was thoroughly engaged, immersed in the world of the The Dark Forest. Cixin Liu, already a master in my mind after reading Three Body Problem, cemented his place among the top authors in my mind with the second book of the trilogy. This is hard sci-fi at its best. Inspiring and imaginative, this is the type of novel to make you think; the kind of book that makes you better and smarter for having read it. That is not to say you will be smarter because it has conveyed some secret knowledge, but it opens your mind to considering things you never considered, and it opens up your imagination to things you may never have considered. This is really fantastic literature and anyone on the fence should jump head first into it.

I liked the The Dark Forest, but, on the whole, thought it was not as strong as The Three-Body Problem. While the The Three-Body Problem rang mostly true for me from beginning to end, there were several scenes in the first half of the The Dark Forest that seemed contrived to me. The biggest problem for me was the concept of the Wallfacers as a means to save the world. Did not compute for me. Simply do not believe that world leaders facing an alien invasion would develop the concept. And the romance of one of the Wallfacers was way way over the top for my taste. Not believable at all. Nonetheless there were some good scenes in the first half of the novel and the story kept my interest.

Part of the problem could be the translation. The Three-Body Problem was extremely well written in English. The Dark Forest, especially the first half, was not as well written as The Three-Body Problem and it could be that the problem was the translation. The translator for The Three-Body Problem did not translate The Dark Forest. I notice that the translator for the upcoming third novel in the trilogy is the same one who translated The Three-Body Problem, indicating that the publishers and/or author might prefer him as a translator.

For me The Dark Forest began to gain strength and pace shortly before the half-way point of the novel and stayed strong until the final pages. Powerful, riveting, and thought-provoking stuff and I loved it and I believed it. Sadly, for me, the conclusion of the story again did not ring true for me and left my unsatisfied. But, as noted, taken on the whole, this is a very good novel and highly recommended. Cannot wait to read Book Three.

The Dark Forest is a sequel to the 2015 Hugo Award best novel winner, The Three-Body Problem. This series was a best seller in China and has been translated into English by Ken Liu (first and third volumes) and Joel Martinsen (this volume). Historically, American science fiction fans have not paid much attention to works published in other languages (with a few exceptions like Stanisław Lem). This has changed recently as the field has grown more accepting of diverse cultures.

The Dark Forest may be a better book than the first one. It has all of the sense of wonder large scale idea-driven science fiction that drove The Three-Body Problem. But it also has an interesting character in Luo Ji, a lazy hedonist who just might be right person to save Earth from the aliens.

The setting is the near future. Mankind knows that an invasion fleet from the Trisolarans is on the way and will be reaching Earth in 400 years. The aliens use a subatomic particle to spy on humanity while simultaneously blocking any future scientific advance. Since the aliens can learn anything said or written down, the leaders of Earth choose four people to be Wallfacers, given (at least in theory) nearly unlimited political power to develop their own plans to confront the enemy without having to defend or even share their plans with anyone.

Meanwhile Mike Evans, a leader in the traitorous Earth-Trisolaris Organization discovers that the aliens have little understanding of lies and deceit since their brains display their thoughts so that "to say" and "to think" are synonyms (something that probably should have been brought up in the first book).

When Luo Ji, Earth's first cosmic sociologist, is chosen as a Wallfacer, his immediate reaction is to refuse. Naturally, everyone assumes this is part of his secret plan. Taking advantage of his status, he demands a secluded estate, expensive bottles of wine, and a romantic partner resembling his dream girl. But gradually the reader learns that the Trisolarans are afraid of Luo Ji and have ordered their supporters to kill him. Shi Qiang, the police detective from the first book, also has a major role here as Luo Ji's bodyguard and confidant.

The other Wallfacers seem to pursue plans involving increasing human intelligence, using nuclear bombs, and a new space fleet. In response the Trisolarans' human partners name their own Wallbreakers who will uncover and make public the true plans of the Wallfacers. Much of the book's plot comes from this conflict and the making and exposing these plans.

In addition to Luo Ji, the other major character is Zhang Beihai, a political commissar in the Space Force. Early in the book he warns of defeatism and forces the resignation of the Space Force's head (no American novel would give a loyalty/morale officer this much power). He plays a major role in the expansion of the Space Fleet and then in future (after hibernating himself) becomes an acting captain (relying orders from the actual captain) when military fears its troops have been secretly imprinted with Defeatism.

Both main characters hibernate, waking up 200 years later in a more advanced society with an inexhaustible supply of energy. Most people live underground, with an artificial sun. Instead of countries, there are three independent space fleets. But computer technology has not advanced much Cixin Liu's descriptions do not seem like those of a civilization as far from ours, as we are from 1815 (despite the flying cars). This is in part explained by the Great Ravine, when civilization almost collapsed due to fears about the invasion.

Usually, the middle book in the trilogy takes one of two paths. Either it tries to delay the final confrontation, introducing new subplots or focusing on building up the hero to be prepared for the climatic battle, or it shows the hero near defeat and the failure of all the plans made in the first book. The Dark Forest seems to take the second route, with perhaps the most unevenly matched space battle in science fiction, only to present a surprising twist near the end. In fact, the reader may well wonder what is left for the third book. Fortunately, the third book, Death's End, translated by Ken Liu (the translator of the first book) will come out in April 2016.

Considering how much attention this series has received in China and the fact that The Three-Body Problem won the best novel Hugo last year, I expect The Dark Forest will appear on the Hugo ballots again this year.

What is gratifying is that the level of creativity is maintained from The Three Body Problem, perhaps even raised a half bar. I am totally glad to be flying onward into the trilogy. And for me at least, there is a satisfying ending, meeting the best I recall in reading sci fi since the early 60's. Yes, it's not perfect, but this novel could stand strong on its own even without two bookends. You will find a bump or two in fairly small details, but the story is amazingly coherent, sometimes eerily so, considering the risks Cixin Lui has taken with near term history. Characters are a bit closer to 3D than in Three Body, but this is not Dostoevsky, it's sic fi. I can't know the original wordplay, but the translation has a natural, easy feeling and succeeded in transfixing me a couple times. A crafty, dark uneasiness pervades throughout that reminds me of the horror genre, maybe like the mood of Dan Simmons' Song of Kali or Hitchcock. But it also breaks out with occasional jolts that kept me up late thinking, like great literature of any genre I suppose. I found the overall logic sound - the story works for me. So finally, after a thousand pages, I am wondering if Cixin's finale will leave me with the totally spent satisfaction of Asimov's Foundation trilogy back in the day, like a last glass from a great bottle. I will be finding out, as I imagine most every reader who gets this far will.

This is a second book in a trilogy. I wrote the following about the first book "The story is intelligent and thoughtful. You don't buy a science fiction novel for beautiful language and character development. This book uses simple language, but the result is a page-turner. Really top quality material."

The second book is slower and more enigmatic. The author sometimes sidetracks, but from his first novel I learnt to still pay attention. In the end it is a great and surprising novel. I wrote about the first book "If you belong to the top-third smartest people and you like science fiction, you will love this book." This applies to the second book as well.

***** This book was purchased at the store. They have a crappy system that does not register my purchases. I have tried to communicate with their customer service. They are great at correcting a simple order mistake, but they are totally incapable of dealing with less common problems. Four follow-up emails and customer service keeps saying that I need to buy the book to get the "verified purchase" stamp.

The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu is the second book in his Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. The Three Body Problem was a huge success and it was such a blast to read through! With The Dark Forest, we get a different vibe and flow to the story then in the first but it manages to capture and hold your attention nonetheless. We obviously have to give credit to the translator of the book as without him we probably wouldn't be able to enjoy this great art of work by Cixin Liu. Although I obviously haven't read the original work in Chinese, I would say that the translator did a good job in translating the book. The tone and atmosphere matches closely to The Three Body Problem, which was translated by yet another translator. That makes it that much more impressive with what they've accomplished altogether.

The previous book introduced the readers as to how Earth as a civilization got to discover Trisolaris. The inevitable invasion of the Trisolarans is now the focus of The Dark Forest and how Earth is planning on tackling the problem that won't come for another two century. How does one actually prepare for that eventuality? What, if anything, can even be done with the sophons blocking and hampering scientific discovery on Earth so that they won't be able to advance at a rapid pace to combat the invading Trisolaran fleet two centuries from the present? The Dark Forest focuses more from the humans living on Earth perspective than on the Trisolaran's themselves. I was actually quite disappointed at this because part of the allure of reading about a whole different civilization in the universe besides our's is what made The Three Body problem so mysterious and fun. We hardly get any glimpse at all to the Trisolarans here. That in some degree also can be argued that it lends to the mystique of the Trisolarans themselves but I personally would have loved for some, even if little, of the attention to have been focused on the mysterious civilization.

Similar to the first, the difficulties that plague our protagonists and what drives them to make the choices they make is what makes reading this series so enjoyable. The full weight of their choices and decisions made here will have an impact on how Earth's civilization will be like decades and decades from now and so it goes without saying that there is immense pressure to get things right. While The Dark Forest initially seemed to have lost the mysticism and uniqueness when compared to the first book, I believe it made up for it towards the end with how things proceeded and whatnot. Just like the first, we do get from time to time scientific explanation of things that many of us would not have understood but these are sparse and well spaced out so that it doesn't weigh the readers down with too much technical jargon and details all at once.

What it boils down to is this: if you've read The Three Body Problem, then you're most likely going to read The Dark Forest and similarly, if you've enjoyed the first then you'll find similar feelings here. What surprised me after having finished The Dark Forest is that the author didn't leave much motivation for the readers to devour book three, the final in the series, immediately afterwards. In fact, I'm actually debating if I should as I was left quite satisfied with the ending in The Dark Forest. Most of the issues were resolved and so technically the story could have ended right here. However, the main reason why I'm on the fence for the third and final book is that I'm positive the author will go into a lot more details regarding the Trisolarans. Well, at least that's what I'm hoping for personally! Either way you look at it, The Dark Forest is awesome and can be considered a must-read if you've enjoyed The Three Body Problem previously.

Liu Cixin's first book in this series -- though not without its flaws -- was extraordinary. Of this, the second entry in the trilogy, I'd say: though not without its extraordinary moments, the book was overwhelmingly flawed. I'll cite just one glaring case in point: the first 300 pages or so are pretty awful: cliched, boring, bizarrely/poorly imagined, wooden characters. In the last 200+ pages, things get considerably more interesting, but it was only on account of other hang-in-there-it-gets-better reviews I read that I decided to stick it out. The Dark Forest was one of those very rare books I find so completely tiresome early on that I'd seriously consider calling it quits. When Liu Cixin is good, he can be amazing. But The Dark Forest richly attests everything that can, and not infrequently is, so mediocre in his writing. True, some fault might lie with his translator. But the most glaring faults in this book have to do with elements outside any translator's control: plot and character development chief among them. It will be a long while before I commit to the third entry in this series -- a shame, since it started out so brilliantly in book one....

This was a weak follow-up to The Three Body Problem. Extremely formulaic, unrealistic dialogue, and a protagonist that was impossible to warm up to. I forged through and was glad to see the last quarter of the book finish on a higher note than the rest. I both listened on Audible / read. I found the narration, insofar as pronunciation/vigor to be vastly different from the first -- the pronunciation of the names was so different that I had to buy the book just to be sure which character was being referenced! What a pain!

An incredibly epic science fiction novel! Highly recommended. The scope is amazing.

A different style from the more 'grounded' Three Body Problem, The Dark Forest goes way more out there. First it deals with the immediate aftermath of how society would react to preparing for a space invasion, and then it goes hundreds of years later with even more intense ideas.

I am, however disheartened (no spoilers!), looking forward to reading the third in the trilogy...

Incidentally, an interesting coincidence that I recently read Seveneves by Neal Stephenson which dealt with similar society-dealing-with-the-end-of-the-world themes. Albeit in different ways. Stephenson imagined a deadline of two years and modern technology dealing with it, while Liu gives humanity four hundred years and can be a bit more imaginative. Both give the reader much to think about in these trying times.

The Dark Forest is the sequel to the "Three Body Problem". I enjoyed it, though less than I enjoyed the three body problem, perhaps because Liu Cixin's novelty had worn off a little. The book deals with Earth's attempts to deal with the impending invasion from Trisolaris and the "impending doom" setup found strange echoes in the early days of the Trump administration (at least for me), which probably made it more interesting that it was. The middle sagged, a lot, and at times it was only the certainty that Liu has big revelations in store for the last section that kept me going. The last section did not disappoint though, with brilliant plot twists and a pretty solid ending.
The characterization and human psychology are generally weak with Liu and this book seemed weaker than the first, but the little details of future technology are wonderfully dense and imaginative and the overall plot is truly cosmic in scale and well worth a read. Some of the clunkier elements in the characterization may just be a problem of "Han to Indo-European" translation, but one does get the feeling that while Liu is an extraordinarily widely read and imaginative nerd, he is definitely not a great psychologist (or mass pyschologist; the reactions of crowds and of humanity as a whole to the various events frequently seem contrived and/or unconvincing). The whole business of power and politics is also weakly imagined and unconvincing. It is not the main point, so it doesn't take much away from the book, but it is definitely not a strong point.
The fact that most of the action is around Chinese characters gives the book a suitably exotic touch, though it is also interesting to see how deeply the high culture elements of the Western tradition are now part of the life and mental universe of an intelligent and well read Chinese writer (and presumably, his audience). In fact, the West itself may have fewer people familiar with all those elements than there are Chinese fans now, just because there are so many Chinese people!
In short, there are a lot of interesting little details that will get you thinking on tangents about cultural anthropology and what does and does not become part of world civilization.
One quote that recurs in the book "Make time for civilization, for civilization won't make time" is noted by other reviewers as a possible mild mis-translation. I am still not sure what it is supposed to mean. And yes, the laws of cosmic sociology are open to debate, but that is Liu's take on the Fermi paradox and it makes for a darn good book.
Overall, well worth a read. And I hear part three is better.

Brilliant read!! I went through the 3 books over a week, with the Death's End being the magnificent culmination to the series.

The book is literally teeming with ideas; and each of them in the hands of another author would deserve a book in its own right (multi dimensional weapons, the fairy tale...I don't want give out too many hints!). Where Liu really does well is when he is exploring an idea and thinking through and laying out a fairly logical response that the humans might take and then just running with it. For instance, I loved Wade's character and how his response seemed as natural as that of any of the other characters. The other area that this book in particular shines is that it is just so amoral and in fact when morals come into the picture (Cheng Xin's decisions are all what we would think is 'moral thing to do') they are ruthlessly taken advantage of and killed.

That being said there two areas where I thought the book is at its weakest (1) the descriptions of the future (tree houses, bunkers) felt very derivative. The bunkers' description seemed like Clarke's Rama series. Liu is on much surer ground when he describes hard physics and humans' responses to it, and less so when trying to evoke just mundane future living environment (2) ending just felt too safe and a bit of letdown from the mind twisting pace and ideas of the rest of the book. He could have pushed the book's dark forest idea to its logical end.

However, all said and done, this series is an awesome ride and every 50 pages. I was astonished at Liu's imagination! There is so much that the book forces you to think about, and our childlike naivety feels positively dangerous to our survival! And like all great books of fiction Death's End forces you to reconsider your beliefs.

After just a few pages, I was wondering if it was me whose first language was not English, or translation that hindered smooth progression. Based on the quality of the first book, I discarded the notion of a poorly written sequel, and kept reading because I believed it shouldn't be that bad. On the way going forward, I found a few typos, unnaturally long sentences, and even inconsistent styles, which confirmed my initial suspicion. It was surely bad translation probably through a few stop-and-resumption cycles, which I experienced a lot in many foreign-written books translated into my mother tongue. At minimum, it could have been a lot better. I'm glad that the final book is translated by the one who did the first book. Of course there are some weaknesses already presented by the author, especially unnecessarily tedious development in a few scenes, but most tech-centric literature, SF or military, somehow have the weak spot. Considering all, I still enjoyed the book, and now look forward to reading the third one soon.

It is generally a much less interesting book than THE THREE BODY PROBLEM and is very male- centered, with no meaningful depictions of women, and some really turgid prose is some sections.

Worse, its worship of the military, strong leaders and authoritarian hierarchies and depiction of the general population as idiots. And really alarming is its repeated justification of murder as a sometimes rational and necessary action.

SPOILERS AHEAD

My main gripe with the story centers around the conclusion. If all it takes to prevent the Dark Forest situation (and allow two civilizations to coexist) is mutually assured destruction (MAD) by a third, and more advanced, party, then it stands to reason this would have happened many times already across the history of the Milky Way and beyond. There's no logical reason the MAD scenario only works for a pair. It could extend to MAD alliances between a large number of races, leading right up to the point that eventually the "chains of suspicion" are broken simply through spending a long enough time together that you know you aren't out to kill one another. Because of this, IMHO, the Dark Forest idea doesn't explain the Fermi Paradox.

I’m excited now for the third on the trilogy and I’m glad that I have little idea where it’s going. While I don’t agree with the dark forest concept I can see it’s logic and in fact the entire story is well structured and interesting. The narrative does drag at times but it’s worth it in the end. Not as good as the first but the middle book almost can’t be by definition. Worth your time regardless.

If you know about "Axiom System", you would understand how great this Sci-fi novel is. It is more like an extension of an academic paper, based on several simple but solid (assumed to be) Axioms. However, academic paper is boring to the non-scientist and this novel is wonderful to read. The imagination in the book would usually strike your mind and make you wonder what just happens? The extreme strategy of desperate human, the human's group reaction to the disaster in a historical view, the playing hand of politicians and the beauty of humanity, all of these lead you to think about the universe and ourselves.

I bet after reading this book, you would stare the stars again, thinking over the old question: what is there? Hopefully, the answer would be different.

In the best tradition of Arthur C. Clarke, David Brin, and Steven Baxter, both of the first two books in this trilogy (so far) embody a far-reaching imagination that is nevertheless well-grounded in plausible (though prodigious) projections from current scientific understanding. They also portray characters that are believable and well-rounded. Translation is clear and graceful (though it was sometimes difficult to keep track of all the different Chinese characters' names-- my personal problem as an American), and (evidently) true enough to the original to keep me conscious at all times that the setting is essentially Chinese and not Western.

The Dark Forest is the continuation of Cixin Liu's multiple award-winning masterpiece, The Three-Body Problem. The title is a direct reference to Liu's vision of the universe as an arena of hostile civilisations competing for limited resources (i.e. a dark forest that is full of lone hunters stalking each other). It can also be interpreted as an allegory of humanity's own descent into darkness in the two centuries following the discovery of the Trisolaran threat.

If you have read The Three-Body Problem, then you would know what to expect. Liu's writing style is as inelegant as ever, with cardboard characters, strained dialogue, sluggish development and clichéd plot devices. Having to narrate newscasts on TV to move the story along, for example, (multiple times, on top of it), is one of his favourite tactics - and scarcely a mark of good writing.

However, just like The Three-Body Problem, the Dark Forest also offers remarkable ideas, great science and amazing insights into human nature. The idea of the Wallfacers was particularly enthralling – just like the "Dark Forest" as an explanation of Fermi's paradox. Something of a particular interest for a Westerner is Liu's brutal honesty when he dissects problems like defeatism, escapism or despair, where he both takes a unique Chinese angle and offers a refreshing alternative to the usual upbeat American heroism.

I had one genuine laugh when I read about Hugo Chavez's successor who had turned Venezuela into a blooming garden using neo-communist policies. I think the Venezuelans who queue for hours to buy toilet paper will strongly beg to disagree.

As my reviewer name suggests, Dune has been my all-time favorite science fiction series for decades now.

After reading this book, I believe Cixin Liu has unseated Frank Herbert's work from that position. Put aside whatever else you're reading and get into this series now.

This book is so good I can't even tell you how good it is. You just need to read it. It is mind expanding. I think about it consistently 7 months after reading it. Obviously you should read the other two books first, but do yourself a favor and check this out.

Second book in the series. I don't think one could enjoy this book without having read the first, The Three-Body Problem. The trilogy is extremely creative and expansive. Sympathetic characters and innovative science.

If I could attempt an amateur summary sentence, "Dark Forest" refers to a way of conceptualizing the social character of the universe: mysterious, ominous, hidden enemies, not knowing if a predator is lurking, that sort of thing. It grew on me as the characters worked through the story.

I think the translator is admirable, as well.

I liked the concept better than the execution. The story follows that of the first book, but is very different - almost entirely new cast of characters, set much later in time, etc. While the first novel was built around a mystery, this one sets up the stakes of the plot right away and the only mystery is how the characters will prevail. The characters were a bit more flat and a bit less interesting than in Three Body Problem, but it's still a strong enough entry that I'll stick it out for the third book.

Liu presents a non-stop narrative that switches gears between thoughtful exposition and non-stop action. Just when you thought you had the plot in hand, Liu switches gears with surprising results! If you liked The Three Body Problem, you'll like this one too. A great sequel, fun to read, funny and profound.

This review is for the entire trilogy (The Three Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death's End). Despite starting the series with great anticipation, on the recommendation of a trusted science, and science fiction, fan/friend, only determination, not desire, allowed me to complete it. Admittedly, it's been some months since I finished the third installment, as my reluctance to give a poor review has delayed this writing, and so some details are fuzzy. In general, I found the characters difficult to connect with, and I don't recall a single strong character who is present throughout the telling, around whom the reader can organize the story arc. The writing overall is often more science than fiction; as an avid reader of science non-fiction, I could follow the story as the physics moved into extra dimensions, but the fiction part, the story being told, was not engaging enough to hold my interest. While I can understand how these books could be very appealing to a reader, I guess this time, I am not that reader.

Ugh. This took me THREE WEEKS to read.

THREE WEEKS.

I don’t take three weeks to read anything. And now I feel drained of the energy to start anything else.

This book is VERY dense. Fans of hard science fiction will love it. I understood almost nothing. There are pages upon pages of scientific descriptions. Fusion engine space ships, neutrons, sophons, radio transmissions, hydrogen bombs, oil film mining, the list goes on.

I could have dealt with all that, but I felt like the story was lost along the way. The characters were utterly forgettable. I couldn’t keep half of them straight. Zhang Behai and Luo Ji and Shi Qang were the only ones. There were entire story lines revolving around characters I couldn’t recall so I had no idea what was going on for those moments.

There are some parts of the story that swept me away. It was slow to get going and then when it got started it seemed like it was stopped immediately. That really severely hindered the pace and had an adverse affect on my enjoyment. For most of this book I truly thought it would be a two star read.

The formatting was God awful. The book is divided into three parts and there are NO chapter breaks. This gave an already dense book an even denser feeling. I needed a convenient place to stop. I wanted to be cut a break. Instead, every time I put down the book I dreaded picking it back up because I knew I’d be left with this feeling of needing to continue on but not wanting to.

I gave it an extra star because part 3 was really good overall and the ending was excellent. I will probably continue with the series even though this was a disappointing entry. I’m hoping that a return to Ken Liu as the translator will make the third book more enjoyable.

Not sure what happened to the second book, but it was absolutely agonising to read the pitiful descriptions of the women (when they actually surfaced in the book) in this book. I was literally tapping through my kindle to get to the end of the plot, so my brain could stop hurting whenever they described women as either just slim flowery props or completely unnamed powerless side shows. In describing his "dream woman" (who may as well be a blow-up doll", the main character asserts that "She’s knowledgeable, but not to the point where it calcifies her. It only makes her more sensitive to life and to the world." Then, there's the Secretary General of the UN who is described as a “refined Asian lady who didn’t project the sense of power needed”. Woe is the feminine form who either can't be too smart, too robust or too powerful.

The second book of the trilogy is also midway in its style. Somewhere between the fantastical world-building of Death's End and down-to-earth conspiracy/politicizing of The Three Body Problem.
The book is just as enthralling, and yet suffers from the same problems as the other books - heavy use of analogies gets a bit tiring, and I personally could not really connect to any one of the character's motives although the attempt to build more rounded characters is noticable.

Luo Ji's romance with his imaginary/actual lover was hard to get through. I am willing to contemplate multiple theories about the author's motivations for writing it, from satire, to a demonstration of just how self absorbed Luo Ji is, or even cultural differences that are hard to bridge. Whatever the reason it was uncomfortable and I'm sure it will turn many off. Beyond that section of the book this is (just like The Three Body Problem) world class science fiction that raises the bar. Brilliant concepts, well executed that keeps you on your toes start to finish. I loved it.

the long descriptions and love story part was way too much. he described in long and painful details of this stereotypical fictional chinese woman. this book would be much better if it's half the length. got super bored in parts of the book

Unfortunately the author's other novel "ball lightning" was not translated yet, it's like the preceding story of this trilogy that presented some characters like Yi Din in his earlier life in discovering " magnum electron" who will appear in the 3rd trilogy again.

I've been reading many novels, "ball lightning" is the only hard core Sci-fi fiction that's mind blowing while being so romantic, The trilogy of three body problem is great - but it gradually slipped out of control in its last episode. The cosco picture that Liu tried to draw is just impossible to cover in just a trilogy. To me "ball lightning" is the best of Liu's work so far, I've read it too many times and felt touched every time I reach the end of story.

The story has potentials to become a sci-fi masterpiece of all time but the development of main characters is a little weak. However, the scope of the plot and those creative concepts presented in this book really out-shadowed other elements. It’s very interesting the story line can be both ridiculous and convincing at the same time. It’s not only thought-provoking but also make you challenge your beliefs.

As someone who appreciated but didn't love Three-Body Problem, this book was a knockout. While, similar to the first book, all characters are paper-thin entities pushed around by the sudden gusts of plot, those wooshes are much more regular, surprising and hilarious, and the two main characters are enjoyable and lovable if not complicated. Can't wait for the final book to be translated into English.

LOVED IT! I'm not going to spoil it, but I will say that Cixin Liu obviously put a lot of thought into making the reader think, this book although fiction is well researched & well worth your time! At times it is a difficult read, but Cixin teaches some interesting concepts along the way.

I liked this book. It was a little longer than it needed to be but I like the way it ended. Don't know how the third book is going to start and I hope it's just not t r going to squeeze more out of a story that could end with this book.

This was a big disappointment to me after the first book, the Three Body Problem, which I loved. I don't know if it's because of a change in translators or a general drop in quality, but this book left me disappointed. There are no fully realized female characters (although there were in the first book, they're gone now), in fact one of the only female characters is so blatantly a "wish-fulfillment" device that I couldn't help but swung wildly between disgust and a slim expectation that she was being set up to be something bigger and greater in the end. No such luck, just an offensively badly written character with zero agency existing only to satisfy some pathetic fantasy for a male author.
As for the rest of the book...the plot relies on large leaps of logic and faith to set up the action, and doesn't really set up much motivation for the characters with agency (all male). This was a big disappointment to me after loving the Three Body Problem so much.

Mostly what it is, is *different*.

You watch a Hollywood action movie, you can expect main characters to behave a certain way, events to go a certain way, governments or corporations to act a certain way. It's not the way things go in *real life*, but it's the way things go in a Hollywood movie, we're used to it.

In "The Dark Forest", people and organizations also do not act the way they do in real life. But it's using a different set of conventions and expectations. Lots of things in this book have the sound of cold-war Communist dialectics, or of Chinese folk tales. Government officials place a top priority on instilling the proper ideological zeal in their people. Characters say things in conversation like "Emancipation of human nature inevitably brings with it scientific and technological progress." People go on lengthy trips with companions who do not actually exist.

The scientific imaginings are a mixed bag - one bit involving some very different kinds of spacecraft (trying to avoid spoilers here) is brilliant, lots of other things are kind of silly, it really depends on how you like your "hard SF".

Certainly worth reading, at the very least to see what all the excitement is about and to see some of those very different ways of telling a story.

Excellent second hard science sci fi. I want to give it 3 star because this translator doesn't compare to the first book, the story line is still excellent. If you compare how the nuances of cultural mannerisms and postures are conveyed and visualizing environment and atmosphere building, Joel Martinsen is a disappointing translator compared to Ken Liu in the first book. Really disappointing.

It deserves 5 stars. If we say the first book of the trilogy is a hardcore sci fiction, the second is not only a hardcore sci but also a hardcore sociology and psychology Game Theory fiction. Skip the boring romance, all other parts especially the last part are fascinating. Welcome to the world of plots. Yes, everyone could have a plot. What you see is not what it could be. Taste the despair, more and more despair, and then......

Hello readers who have finished The Dark Forest:
if you love this book, you should definitely check out this video "WaterDrop": [http://www.project-57.org/]
This is made by a TDF fan, and you are gonna love it. This is the favorite video approved by Cixin Liu, a must-watch.

This book surpasses the first book, The Three-Body Problem. I really liked the character Da Shi. The characters were less complex, but they were still equally as well developed. I liked how the mood changed from darkness in the first book to hopefulness in this book. I can't wait to read the third book in the trilogy!

This is the best book of the trilogy.

I just finished the Chinese version of all three books. I am only getting the English version of book 2.

Book 1 is an excellent start which describes the other civilization. It is certainly a fun read. Book 3 describes a pretty dark universal rule for the universe. Although all three books are full of twists and suspense, Book 1 and 3 have obvious holes in the plot and concept. They are more into conceptual development than character and story development.

Book 2 is weak on character development too, as many others have described. However, the scenario is much more realistic: what humanity will do when facing elimination. The scientific context is no longer important. The same story will happen whether facing alien invasion or some other disasters. That's what made this book apart from the other two.

Four wallfacers are appointed with responsibilities to develop their own strategies against the impending invasion, and depending on their background and past experience, they use all their might, imagination, and knowledge to create what they thought as the best way for the human race. There is a lot of twist and turns and surprises.

The plot of one wallfacer is different in the English version. That's another reason why I am buying this book in English instead of the other two. However, I would buy it even there is no difference.

Stilted translation. One-dimensional characters. Characters make decisions no reasonably competent military person would make. Convoluted, cliched, plot. Unbelievable ending, even with suspension of disbelief. Not nearly as good as the Three Body Problem.

It deserves 5 stars. If we say the first book of the trilogy is a hardcore sci fiction, the second is not only a hardcore sci but also a hardcore sociology and psychology Game Theory fiction. Skip the boring romance, all other parts especially the last part are fascinating. Welcome to the world of plots. Yes, everyone could have a plot. What you see is not what it could be. Taste the despair, more and more despair, and then......

Hello readers who have finished The Dark Forest:
if you love this book, you should definitely check out this video "WaterDrop": [http://www.project-57.org/]
This is made by a TDF fan, and you are gonna love it. This is the favorite video approved by Cixin Liu, a must-watch.

This book surpasses the first book, The Three-Body Problem. I really liked the character Da Shi. The characters were less complex, but they were still equally as well developed. I liked how the mood changed from darkness in the first book to hopefulness in this book. I can't wait to read the third book in the trilogy!

This is the best book of the trilogy.

I just finished the Chinese version of all three books. I am only getting the English version of book 2.

Book 1 is an excellent start which describes the other civilization. It is certainly a fun read. Book 3 describes a pretty dark universal rule for the universe. Although all three books are full of twists and suspense, Book 1 and 3 have obvious holes in the plot and concept. They are more into conceptual development than character and story development.

Book 2 is weak on character development too, as many others have described. However, the scenario is much more realistic: what humanity will do when facing elimination. The scientific context is no longer important. The same story will happen whether facing alien invasion or some other disasters. That's what made this book apart from the other two.

Four wallfacers are appointed with responsibilities to develop their own strategies against the impending invasion, and depending on their background and past experience, they use all their might, imagination, and knowledge to create what they thought as the best way for the human race. There is a lot of twist and turns and surprises.

The plot of one wallfacer is different in the English version. That's another reason why I am buying this book in English instead of the other two. However, I would buy it even there is no difference.

Stilted translation. One-dimensional characters. Characters make decisions no reasonably competent military person would make. Convoluted, cliched, plot. Unbelievable ending, even with suspension of disbelief. Not nearly as good as the Three Body Problem.

Book one was great. This book is so boring, unscientific, repetitive, flat, kinda stupid, etc etc. The first chapter is almost 200 pages of excruciatingly uninteresting nonsense that has nothing to do with anything anybody would care about. So many pages about his imaginary girlfriend, ugh. This book is a total cash grab based on the success of book one. Just aweful garbage.

I loved the 3 body Problem, and possibly liked the second book even more. It manages to grow the universe of the story in a way that is dazzlingly big, and yet, the story is still straightforward and compelling. Fantastic!

The first two thirds of the book could be removed and the story would lose nothing. I assume it was just the author trying to figure out what to do with the story, realizing what they wrote was going no where and then deciding to just stop and skip ahead. A good author would have just started over or removed it. Anyone can write dribble that goes no where and parts I and II go no where and add nothing to the story. Part III of the book has its own challenges, mainly that everyone is an idiot. Idiots to the point that the story becomes unbelievable. Imagine if a character decided there was no gravity based solely on their own wishes. So they decide they want to fly around since there's no gravity. They start marching up the stairs of a building to the roof so they can fly off. Completely ignoring the fact that waking up stairs is proof of gravity. They get to the roof, winded from their long climb up. Stepping up on the ledge of the building they jump off. Guess what happens? If you answered "fly away" you'd be a character in Part III of this book. If you answered correctly "fall to their death" you're too smart for this book, read something else.

The story was not bad. The story telling was weak. I felt like it was written by a robot, mechanically describing things without any art, pacing, or feeling. Maybe that was lost in translation? Moreover, there was almost no tension; it was always obvious when the author was setting everything up for things to go in an "unexpected" direction. No subtlety at all.

Full of surprise, can't put it down. The book has some deep thoughts about the essence of both science and sociology. The main character, Luo Ji, is much better developed than the characters in the Three Body Problem

I loved "Three Body Problem" for its distinctive mix of Chinese political history, personal narrative, fantastical imagination, and ingenious hard-SF imagining of a SETI first contact. Some of the nuts-and-bolts logic of the plot didn't quite make sense, but in the context of the sheer genius of the book such nitpicks hardly mattered. Most of the same enjoyable elements are back in book two, The Dark Forest, but the narrative is weaker and the logical holes are so glaring this time that they really stopped me in my tracks.

I won't engage in any plot spoilers here, but I can broadly tick off some of the things that gnawed away at me. Key plot points reveal that Cixin Liu has no idea how the Hubble Space Telescope works. No idea how astronomers study planets around other stars. No idea how an atomic bomb works. No idea how a gun works! The errors are so glaring that at first I took them for translation glitches, but as the plot progresses it's clear that they are the author's own mistakes--mistakes that a half hour of googling could have avoided. For me, that laziness eroded a lot of the suspension of disbelief needed to soar through a book like this.

There are also several pivotal moments in the middle section when primary characters (most notably the Wallfacers and Wallbreakers) behave in illogical ways that seem entirely out of character, and counter to human nature. That's a subjective reaction on my part, I realize. Many others clearly felt otherwise.

What troubled me the most, though, was the whole concept of "the dark forest." Again, I don't want to engage in any plot spoilers here. Suffice it to say, if you know anything about astronomy and SETI efforts, you'll understand that the premise is wildly, laughably misguided. It relies on a fundamental misunderstanding of how scientists locate sources in the sky. The plot could have worked much the same with a more realistic depiction of the dark-forest concept, but the way it's explained here is techno-babble of the lowest order.

All of which is a shame, because many of the characters are beautifully drawn, the plotting is again blazingly creative, and some of the insights into mass psychology are sensitive and surprising. There's so much to love about this book. I just wish the good didn't come weighted with such a lodestone of simplistic goofs.

Disappointing. The rickety wooden plot telegraphs the central denouement from a hundred pages away. There is much more expository bloat, and all the female characters are embarrassingly (to my western viewpoint) submissive, subordinate, and paper-thin. At one point there is a description of an unplanned (human) interstellar voyage, and unfortunately one cannot help but to compare it with Robinson's Aurora, released this year, a superior book that meticulously describes why this Would Not Work. Ken Liu's absence is felt as well--he did an amazing job with 3Bod. Not a horrible book but surely not a Hugo winner.

This book presents an entirely unique view on the Fermi Paradox. It delves deep into both human and nonhuman psychology. Instead of just thinking outside the box, he exposes the inner sanctum to the outside in a vivid mix.

First, let me say that The Dark Forest is a much, much better book that the Three Body Problem. While the first book in this series took a maddening series of digressions that added nothing to the story except to slow it down in order to build suspense, the Dark Forest is almost all meat and no filler.

The other thing that is striking about this book is how different a point of view it presents than western science fiction. Although the first book tells a cautionary tale about how political ideology led to abuses during the cultural revolution, this book wholeheartedly adopts the Chinese Communist view that correct political thinking is of paramount importance to solving a global crisis. Thus, it is not only the alien's efforts to block technological advances that challenges the human race's efforts to survive, but it is also wrong thinking that sets us back. Thus the need to send military political officers into the future to combat perils such as Triumphalism (overconfidence) and Defeatism. It is particularly interesting how the people righteously stand up to the Escapists, who want to selfishly leave the doomed Earth and live elsewhere. Whereas in Stephenson's Seveneves the people of Earth find it rational to unite to save a remnant of humanity, Liu indicates that such a solution is unacceptable because saving selected individuals is unfair to the collective. While us Westerners can understand Stephenson's point of view, Liu's seems incomprehensible to us.

But does Liu really believe that ideology plays a key role in his story, or is he merely putting that stuff in to appease the government censors? We cannot tell, because like the Wallfacers, citizens of China can only be judged by their actions, while their true thoughts remain hidden inside. Thus, Liu's criticism of Escapism may actually be a sly dig at the Party elites, who outwardly preach that the welfare of the collective is paramount, but who enrich themselves and their families while enjoying perks that the masses can only imagine. The exposure to Chinese thinking this book provides is indeed akin to first contact with an alien civilization.

As for all the accolades from readers for the hard science content, I find the concepts of the Sophons and of using the sun as a radio wave amplifier to be palatable, but dubious. Compare the "hard science" in this book to the exposition of orbital mechanics and genetic engineering in Seveneves and you'll see what I mean.

This book was very different from the first. I enjoyed the first but this was a slog to get through. So many hyperboles and superlatives in the writing. If interjecting these throughout the prose make this literary science fiction then this is the most literary novel in the history of the human race. The book almost gets interesting at the start of part three but it falls into boring rambling prose of the first two parts.

Not nearly as interesting as The Three-Body Problem, the first book in the trilogy. Characters tend to be undeveloped or boring. The story line drags, and the book is too long. Many events seem implausible, even for science fiction. Not recommended.

Disappointed. Reminded me of the "required reading schlock" I was forced to read on the other side of the Iron Curtain years ago. Finding 5-star reviews, proclaiming this series to be some sort of second coming of sci-fi, rather strange.

The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu is a little more difficult to read than the first volume of the Three Body Problem series, but is still a thought provoking and imaginative description of life on earth in a future struggle with beings from another planet.

If you read and enjoyed the first volume you have a good likelihood of enjoying this second volume. You can read this volume on it's own but I would advise reading the first book before you do so to get the most understanding of the background story.

The book continues to provide more insights into Chinese world views and history, many insights into speculative science fiction and an imaginative description of what life might be like 200 years from now.

This volume contains relatively little of the computer game reality that was a large part of the first book in the series.

This book also continues the sometimes simplistic story-telling that reminds me of a detective story. This book also continues Cixin Liu's mode of having characters in the story carefully describe the science involved at different parts of the story. Characters in this book don't just pull out ray guns for example, the principals involved with the science are always explained along the way.

Worth reading all the way to the end.

Just Awful. As with the first book, the dialogue is superficial, unnatural, unrealistic and abrasive. Characters unlikeable and boorish with no depth whatsoever. Childish and over-hyped. Pity, as the concept is completely brilliant. Perhaps everything good about it was lost in translation.

One of the worst sci-fi novels I've ever read. Infused with a soul-less Communist cynicism the narrative arc is gibberish pretending to be cool. A lot of dupes (I'm talking to you, Mr. Uplift) taken in.

On the one hand it was enlightening to understand how someone born in a repressive country, indoctrinated in Communist ideology since childhood sees the world. However, I'd rather not repeat the experience. I'm just glad I don't live in a country that thinks so little of its people that it sends droves of "Political Commissars" to every primary and secondary school, college campus, business and military formation.

In Europe and America books describing this level of political repression and societal manipulation are called fiction. In this writer's world it's just baked into the background of everyday life because, unfortunately it's not fiction in China. The failure and hopelessness of the Communist system is on full display as character's choose suicide over personal growth and optimism.

I don't understand how this novel is rated higher than the Three-Body Problem! At least in the Three-Body Problem novel, the disaster of totalitarianism represented the antagonist it actually is. Hopelessness led the main character to betray the entire human race. No such lesson is evident in this book. Perhaps Chinese censors had more to say about this book after the Three-Body Problem won the Hugo Award. Obviously, this wasn't the point of the book, but it was impossible for me to enjoy the novel knowing that this part, at least, wasn't intended as fiction.

This fell far short of the first novel. I couldn't tell if it was the translation, the absolutely lifeless narration or just bad writing on the part of the author, but by the end it felt very tedious. Inside the universe the author has created, this novel seemed to contain a great deal of improbable elements; again, i'm speaking in relative terms of the universe of the first book. And the narration... man is it stale. I often had a hard time following the narrative because the narration was so monochromatic. Overall, still work listening to if you liked the first book - just dont get your hopes up.

Interesting storyline...yet poor writing especially on characters. And like the previous book, too many scientific mistakes for any one who has a bachelor degree or above in science to tolerate. The translator has already even fixed a few obvious mistakes...e.g. Foucault Pendulum, originally it was written as Fourier Pendulum.

Just Awful. As with the first book, the dialogue is superficial, unnatural, unrealistic and abrasive. Characters unlikeable and boorish with no depth whatsoever. Childish and over-hyped. Pity, as the concept is completely brilliant. Perhaps everything good about it was lost in translation.

One of the worst sci-fi novels I've ever read. Infused with a soul-less Communist cynicism the narrative arc is gibberish pretending to be cool. A lot of dupes (I'm talking to you, Mr. Uplift) taken in.

On the one hand it was enlightening to understand how someone born in a repressive country, indoctrinated in Communist ideology since childhood sees the world. However, I'd rather not repeat the experience. I'm just glad I don't live in a country that thinks so little of its people that it sends droves of "Political Commissars" to every primary and secondary school, college campus, business and military formation.

In Europe and America books describing this level of political repression and societal manipulation are called fiction. In this writer's world it's just baked into the background of everyday life because, unfortunately it's not fiction in China. The failure and hopelessness of the Communist system is on full display as character's choose suicide over personal growth and optimism.

I don't understand how this novel is rated higher than the Three-Body Problem! At least in the Three-Body Problem novel, the disaster of totalitarianism represented the antagonist it actually is. Hopelessness led the main character to betray the entire human race. No such lesson is evident in this book. Perhaps Chinese censors had more to say about this book after the Three-Body Problem won the Hugo Award. Obviously, this wasn't the point of the book, but it was impossible for me to enjoy the novel knowing that this part, at least, wasn't intended as fiction.

This fell far short of the first novel. I couldn't tell if it was the translation, the absolutely lifeless narration or just bad writing on the part of the author, but by the end it felt very tedious. Inside the universe the author has created, this novel seemed to contain a great deal of improbable elements; again, i'm speaking in relative terms of the universe of the first book. And the narration... man is it stale. I often had a hard time following the narrative because the narration was so monochromatic. Overall, still work listening to if you liked the first book - just dont get your hopes up.

Interesting storyline...yet poor writing especially on characters. And like the previous book, too many scientific mistakes for any one who has a bachelor degree or above in science to tolerate. The translator has already even fixed a few obvious mistakes...e.g. Foucault Pendulum, originally it was written as Fourier Pendulum.

When I reached 30% of book contents, I was sure that was the best sedative I've ever had - 5 minutes reading and then happily zzzzzzz..... But something was familiar about this feeling.... in my youth, I had to read books like that - hey, that was that! I had had to read so called soc-realist books at school, it used to be obligatory in communist era! One idea for the plot, usually simple. (not here, plot is twisted enough, but why, oh why do these twists take so much pages?). Lots of explanations, partly they consitute the boring speeches of main characters. One very proper hero, undeterred by harsh twists of the plot (usually dies). Dire complications always end by some "deus ex machina" and the sun shines and humanity strides happily into sunny future.
What was particularly unbearable for me? Condescending upon readers.
Skip it. Loss of time and money.

The issue I think is the translation, just from reading Book 1 and now Book 2, its almost like two different authors wrote them. The dialogue is unnatural and is very hard to follow. Every line of dialogue is either composed of overly forced metaphors or cliches that don't seem to work with the speaker.

However like all the other reviewers, I agree the story is good, and innovative.

Either something here was lost in translation or a lot of people are over-hyping a "foreign" author. This book is dry, boring and lacks almost any way to connect with the plot or the characters. Avoid.

I read this trilogy in Chinese. The Three Body Problem was just okay compared to the other two books. The story became very interesting from the Dark Forest. I could hardly put it down. However, in the third book, the author completely revealed his misogyny. In this trilogy, women were always the ones that led human to catastrophe, and men were always the heroes to protect human from being destroyed. This is the only and the most serious problem the trilogy had. The plot of the story is worth 5 stars. But more than 2 stars should be taken from the author's sexual discrimination.