The Three-Body Problem

By: Cixin Liu, Ken Liu - translator

Narrated by: Rosalind Chao

This program is read by Rosalind Chao, who stars as Ye Wenjie in the Netflix adaptation, 3 Body Problem.

WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL

Over 1 million copies sold in North America

“A mind-bending epic.”—The New York Times • “War of the Worlds for the 21st century.”—The Wall Street Journal • “Fascinating.”—TIME • “Extraordinary.”—The New Yorker • “Wildly imaginative.”—Barack Obama • “Provocative.”—Slate • “A breakthrough book.”—George R. R. Martin • “Impossible to put down.”—GQ • “Absolutely mind-unfolding.”—NPR • “You should be reading Liu Cixin.”—The Washington Post

The Three-Body Problem is the first novel in the groundbreaking, Hugo Award-winning series from China's most beloved science fiction author, Cixin Liu.

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

The Three-Body Problem Series

The Three-Body Problem

The Dark Forest

Death's End

Other Books by Cixin Liu

Ball Lightning

Supernova Era

To Hold Up the Sky

The Wandering Earth

A View from the Stars

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

©2014 Cixin Liu (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“A breakthrough book . . . a unique blend of scientific and philosophical speculation.”—George R. R. Martin

“Remarkable, revelatory and not to be missed.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"A must-read in any language.”—Booklist

love it!!!

I am a novice at physics, but the descriptions and analogies made it easier to understand. love the story!!!

I would go with the original audible

Story itself gets confusing in places but has very interesting elements. But I don’t think the narration in this version is great. I would go with the original (pre-Netflix) narration version if I were doing it again. There just seemed to be mistakes here and kind of random variations in the narrator’s enthusiasm, probably due to her taking breaks.

Unique and terrifying

I was surprised by the unique take on sci-fi in this book. And using China as the backdrop added a great layer to the story. Reading a non-euro centric sci-fi was a real treat.

This book builds up slowly, and the real reveal only comes in the last few chapters. The threat to humanity is quite terrifying. As far as monsters go, this one definitely tops the list. Not least because this is a plausible scenario for human race. The 3-body problem is an intriguing story within the main plot. All the high level physics sometimes went over my head, but it was great fun to explore anyways. The author, I expect, is very well versed in Physics which brought authenticity to the characters and the problems. The various “miraculous” experiences were treated with subdued drama and it fits the tone of the book. To have a scientist experience this miracle was a great choice!

This is ultimately a story of human nature screwing its own well-being while squabbling over personal conflicts and ambitions. The book is almost a reflection of our reality with few extra dimensions thrown in.

Compelling but confusing

The science is beyond me. The story is good. I liked this narrator better than the other one. Tv series will be interesting.

, confusing

this probably deserves another listen though my first listen didn't yield positive results. The story seemed a little confusing, especially after watching the show. nothing really lined up and didn't seem like it had. a good flow

even Rosalind Chao can't save this one

The performance is as good as it can possibly be, but the book is still a slog... too much physics (even for a former physicist like me), too little attention to plot and characters. One great scene (if you've seen the tv series you know which one). This is a case where the tv adaptation is (for me, at least) a vast improvement on the source material.

Science Fiction Through a New Set of Eyes

The story is clever and breathtaking as you understand this is the start of an ambitious trilogy. It is with a listen for the story, but also for the cultural context of a Chinese writer. It's cadences and choices are different than a Western Sci-fi story. (such as just as the action is seemingly building a head of steam, the author spends a long chapter from the Trisolaren perspective that goes into great and even numbing detail of key science concepts, derailing the action) What is perhaps most interesting is how the author never buys into and even actively undermines the concept of a hero or even a protagonist.

Slow and boring

I dont understand the hype around this title. Its confusing and slow incredibly boring. I gave it a chance even listened a few hours in ended up returning it. I couldn't keep slogging through hoping it would eventually get interesting it jumps around just confusing.

3body

I always enjoy reading Cixin books! I made an error is watching the TV series before reading this book, which was a huge mistake on my part. This book is so great and storyline is very engaging. I recommend reading the Three-Body even if you watch the series.

Far-Fetched Fantasy

Too much, too little substance. The author has quite the Imagination, but fails to pull it all together for even a fantasy fan. After all the hullabaloo, I was disappointed. And the whirlwind of Chinese names did not help.