The Three-Body Problem is a 2006 Chinese science-fiction novel translated into English in 2014, along with the second and third books of the "Remembrance of Earth's Past" trilogy. It won the Hugo Award in 2015, and it is the most popular sci-fi book in China, due to be adapted into a movie this year. In it, an advanced civilization called the Trisolarans make contact with Earth during China's Cultural Revolution. The Three-Body Problem fully explores the Lysenkoism of modern physics which led to several top scientists being imprisoned and even killed.
The daughter of one of these physicists is one of the main characters. She helps the Trisolarans find Earth, leading to the Trisolarans interfering with the progress of science on Earth. This is the main thrust of the novel. Under the guidance of the Trisolarans, humans create an immersive video game about the Trisolaran world, about its history and its people. The highlight of this game is the creation of a human computer using flags to do extensive computations. Two figures I admire - Kim Stanley Robinson and Barack Obama - praised the book, and I can't help doing the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment