The Three-Body Problem

Characters: ★★★ Atmosphere: ★★★★ Writing Style: ★★★ Plot: ★★★★ Intrigue: ★★★ Relationships: ★★ Enjoyment: ★★★The Three-Body Problem brings forth some interesting scientific theories to a classic alien invasion story that overall left me apathetic.Three-Body really shines in an academic sense, with well-researched historical fiction elements and scientific theory dumbed down for layman understanding. The plot is engaging, the mystery is compelling and the ending leaves you wanting more.However, there are a few problems I have in this book.It's incredibly bleak. Don't get me wrong, some of my favourite books torture the characters through seemingly unwinnable scenarios, but Three-Body takes this to another level. Earth is a cesspool of corruption, deceit and disregard for life, and every character you meet proves this through victimhood, betrayal, or both.There are two characters you hold any stake in—Ye Wenjie and Shi Qiang (Da Shi)—and the rest are expendable characters lacking personality or growth, that just serve to drive the plot forward. Some characters, like Mike Evans, seem to come into the plot as a convenient tool to drive the ETO forward. It's a glaring problem for me in a book where I am (maybe) supposed to root for humanity and I don't care about, let alone like, almost every single character.Building on convenient plots and overall lazy writing, I found the Sophons to be a strange plot convenience. I'll admit, I'm just a dumb regular sci-fi reader with no science background, but I find it hard to suspend my disbelief of tiny proton-sized computers programmed not only to disrupt particle colliders (I could work with that), but also project communication at faster-than-light speeds to target humans?Not only that, but the Three-Body VR game seemed like a strange vehicle to spread awareness of the Trisolarin problem. The ETO may want to recruit the top minds based on their ability to solve the Three-Body game, but the actual solution is an existing theory called the Three-Body Problem. Could a layman not Google the name of the game and figure out the answer to the mystery fairly easily? Are there no game guides in this universe where one nerd completes the game and shares the solve for everyone else? Why would the ETO only want to recruit people who can truly understand the science behind the Trisolarins' planetary problem if they would benefit from the masses being empathetic to the aliens? The VR game felt like a convoluted approach to express the same information in a more ‘sci-fi' way.In conclusion, the best takeaway from this novel is that I can find so many circumstances to exclaim, “Dehydrate!” in everyday life now.