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The Three-Body Problem cover art

The Three-Body Problem

By: Cixin Liu, Ken Liu
Narrated by: Daniel York Loh
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Publisher's Summary

Listen to the award-winning, critically acclaimed, multi-million-copy-selling science-fiction phenomenon – adapted into a Netflix Original Series from the creators of Game of Thrones.

1967: Ye Wenjie witnesses Red Guards beat her father to death during China's Cultural Revolution. This singular event will shape not only the rest of her life but also the future of mankind.

Four decades later, Beijing police ask nanotech engineer Wang Miao to infiltrate a secretive cabal of scientists after a spate of inexplicable suicides. Wang's investigation will lead him to a mysterious online game and immerse him in a virtual world ruled by the intractable and unpredictable interaction of its three suns.

This is the Three-Body Problem and it is the key to everything: the key to the scientists' deaths, the key to a conspiracy that spans light-years and the key to the extinction-level threat humanity now faces.

'Your next favourite sci-fi novel' Wired

'Immense' Barack Obama

'Unique' George R.R. Martin

'SF in the grand style' Guardian

'Mind-altering and immersive' Daily Mail

Winner of the Hugo and Galaxy Awards for Best Novel

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Cixin Liu and Ken Liu (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

What listeners say about The Three-Body Problem

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    5 out of 5 stars

The start of the best sci-fi series I have ever

This is not ONE of the best in my opinion, it is THE best hard sci-fi book series I have EVER read.

People who found it a slog are obviously reading this book in the standard western book format and are expecting to be told how to think. The beauty of this series is that it leaves moral opinions in the hands of the reader and encourages changing views and looking at a problem from a much grander scale than an immediate threat.

PS: This is the weaker book but a necessary one to get into the others

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3 people found this helpful

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Amazing story, alright performance.

the story is awesome, its an interesting exploration of the philosophy of alien ideas. the narration lacks a bit of energy, but it is still very serviceable.

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2 people found this helpful

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Well woven

Easy to follow story & explanations of very complex characters, situations & science. As my first translated-to English novel, I yearn for more now. Onto part 2 of the trilogy. Kudos to the author & translator & the voice performance (tho American accent needs work 😀)

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1 person found this helpful

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Nice work really enjoyed jt

Really enjoyed the work of liu cixin. Amazing work. Really gripping especially the end was very interesting
Looking forward to the other two

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Lots of science, very available.

Great story! I enjoyed a refreshingly new outlook on science and the fiction that can be drawn. The big bonus was the insight into life in China, of ordinary folk, during the Cultural Revolution.

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Thanks audible

Thanks for bringing us this wonderful story. I can hardly wait to start the next book. Loved the performance by Daniel York Loh. The story is so well written and characters very interesting. I think this book is a reflection of ourselves.

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A great listen

Cixin Liu is a master of Sci-Fi. This is a great translation and amazing narration that makes you not want to put it down. A must have in anyone's library.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Agonizingly long and wrong scientific explanation.

The overal story is fine.
"Alien species need to conquer earth for their own survival." Is a thankful trope that genrally works well.
Figuring out the FOUR body problem through a video game is a creative narative structure.
Notice that I said four, whilst the title is "the three body problem." The author is confused on what the 3 body problem is in science (for examppe 2 suns and a planet), and presents a 4 body problem by mistake (3 suns and a planet).
That brings me to this books largest failing. It goes to agonizing lengths to present itself as a sciencr based story. Especially so at the end, which is one ongoing giant violation of "show don't tell".
Such bad storytelling is made all the worst when the author does not have a real grasp of the science itself and is simply blatantly wrong.

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  • Overall
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Riveting, beautifully translated.

I can't remember the last time I read a translation from the Chinese that managed to avoid steering into English narrative tropes while kindly weaving cultural explication into the prose for naive readers. Thoroughly beautiful. Will be heading straight into the next one

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Great Sci Fi with great science.

a different perspective on science from a Chinese author. much more detail that gave sense to the Netflix show.

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