[dope9967]

Interestingly enough, Liu Cixin's books got me thinking in more pessimistic ways, and maybe even more realistic - how we are still just a bunch of brutal animals, MAD being the only thing that's keeping us from destroying each other. His "Wandering Earth" is also a very good read.

[drclau]

I read the trilogy, which is actually named “Remembrance of Earth’s Past”, with “The Three-Body Problem” being the first, and IMO the weakest of the books.

<Spoilers follow>

Great read, but I can’t see how anyone would be optimistic about humankind after reading them: a group of humans who think we should be eradicated and invited aliens to do it, or at the least enslave us; collaborators when that eventually happens; and then as you mentioned, MAD, and then a series of bad, emotional decisions, all leading to near extinction.

I just can’t find any optimism in there. And it feels very realistic. I read the entire series during the pandemic, lockdowns, and the poor management of all of it, and the books resonated way too well.

[throwoutway]

I read the first book during the pandemic and Barely finished it. It seemed confusing until I realized the plot, but even that plot seemed incoherent. I couldn’t find any reason to pick up the second book. Your comments about the negative/pessimistic finale make it sound unworthy of continuing. Is there any reason to continue reading? Would you advise against it?

[drclau]

My opinion is that the 2nd book is the best of the trilogy, followed closely by the 3rd. The 1st, I could have done without, except that there's some information that will help make sense of things in the 2nd. Maybe a good summary can replace the 1st book entirely for some readers.

To answer your question, I think it's worth reading them. I enjoyed them both. There are some smart ideas in there, the Dark Forrest Theory being probably the most famous, and one in particular that is overlooked: an interesting (fictional) explanation for dark matter. There are some good characters too. Also, they're better written (or maybe better translated?).

The story progresses faster into the future, with some characters remaining present throughout the books (cryonics FTW), and there are some ups and downs, so it's not all dark and gloomy and pessimistic. But overall, I maintain that the story is one of pessimism.