The Dark Forest

Ok I thought really hard about upping this to 4 stars, but I fear I was not able to convince myself. This book is overall slower than the first, and has less hard science ideas, but its major problem is its massive, massive plot holes. I'm going to give a broad overview of the plot hole based on the information of the summary of this book to limit spoilers, but slight spoilers for the previous novel follow.

1. Since only human thoughts are safe, the Wallfacer project is erected. Luo Ji has a strategy the Trisolarans want to kill him for, and he knows this. Yet he does not tell anyone his strategy just like the other Wallfacers. Yet in his case, it makes NO sense to keep the strategy hidden, because the Trisolarans already know what it is (which is in contrast to how they don't know the strategies of the other Wallfacers), and want to kill him so no one else knows. In which case, the logical conclusion would be to explain the strategy publicly so that it could definitely be made use of. And yet this does not happen...which was extremely frustrating to see.

2. The strategy itself isn't even that complex. How no one else thought of it in the timespan of this book which is almost two centuries boggles me. I myself figured it out before its spelled out for the readers. Heck, it's not even his idea because he gets it from someone else. It's a strategy even a normal person could think of! So how does literally no one else on this planet of billions of people over two centuries think of it!! Even when he does something that makes the strategy obvious no one makes the connection. I feel like this is the case of the author trying to make the hero successful by making all of humanity stupid.

Those plot holes were just ughh because they don't have to do with the science but the narrative and really lowered my opinion of the book. I did like how it ended though and think Luo Ji does at last do something not any normal person could, and it was still an interesting read.

Edit after reading more reviews: These book has more plot holes than I even thought of. But if you're willing to overlook it it's still a good read.