When I was in the fifth grade I read War of the Worlds for the first time. I would go back to read it again two more times before college, however it was that first time that stuck with me. It was truly horrifying to me and I think that that sentiment is not uncommon when reading “Alien Invasion” fiction. Being the apex predator is integral to humanity's view of the world and ourselves, and for the script to be flipped so easily and to have ourselves placed below even one species on the cosmic food chain is unnerving to us. However, in movies, cartoons, comics and especially books the theme of “Alien Invasion” is tired. It is used too often as the driving force behind a science fiction universe that each new work has begun to feel too similar to its predecessors. There is a blurry and reflective plot line that runs throughout the “Alien Invasion genre” that begs for originality. This is where I will introduce the book The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu. There are a number of reasons that it is, in my opinion, one of the most original science fiction novels I have ever read. In no other novel have I seen these exact pseudo-scientific principles, setting, and plot, and it makes the entire book a wonderful journey to read. It was so interesting that I actually recommend against reading the rest of this review so that you do not have to suffer even the minor spoilers I will be giving you. That being said I will try and maintain the integrity of this book review without over developing the plot of the book. There are a couple of reasons I think Three Body Problem so effectively reaches its end, but they all start in the same places: Location, Characters, and Backdrop.
The Location of the story depends on the page, but in a general sense there are three places it goes. The first is China; mid-Cultural Revolution, modern day China, and the world of a VR game called 3Body (Trisolaris). These locations are integral to the story and allow for supreme diversity in setting. They are also critical parts of the character building portions of the novel. It’s worth commending Cixin Liu on her choice of location. China does not generally receive the limelight in science fiction as the genre tends to be dominated by western writers. This change of place was refreshing and from the very first page made the novel feel unique from other novels of its genre. There are significant time jumps between the locations, allowing for very intricate and engaging storytelling to take place.
The Characters of Three Body Problem caught me by surprise. Cixin Liu has a natural skill for developing enjoyable and unique characters. She very rarely lets even the most random figure go without a dash of personality. A village of peasants takes the stage for no more than 10 pages and yet the reader can feel a profound sense of knowing them and their history, as if the few sentences that described them are more than enough to make them come alive, and the more time she dedicates to them, the better they get. This is however, not a hard and fast rule for Liu. I also believe that those characters who are not developed fully were done so for an express reason, and it served the feeling of the plot to do this. So far as examples go there was one character (who will remain nameless to avoid spoilers) that the audience is introduced to so that they will hate them. Every bit of dialogue, narration, and action pushes the player towards a great misconception of who this character is. Then when the moment is natural, this same character becomes a beloved favorite, and one which the reader enjoys each time their name appears on the page.
With location and characters out of the way we can begin to discuss the most critical part of the whole story which is the backdrop. This is where major spoilers will be revealed, so decide whether or not you would like to read the book before continuing.
The Alien invasion in Three Body Problem does not take place in the book. In fact the genius of the novel is that it has both nothing and everything to do with the invasion of Earth. This is what I mean by backdrop. The invasion serves as the ticking clock in the background of everything that the characters do. It informs every decision and influences every event in subtle physical and psychological ways. The Three Body Problem does not ask “What if aliens invaded?” but instead “What would happen if humanity knew an alien invasion was coming?” The entire story rests on the premise that the aliens are on their way, but it will take them four hundred and fifty years to arrive. The aliens are also acutely aware of the fact that by the time they get there humanity will have evolved its technology to the point where they will lose the war definitively. It will be a slaughter. However there are those who see the Trisolarans (the aliens) as a beacon of hope, denying their humanity and aiding them in their invasion. This is how the backdrop develops character. Next to the horror of the cultural revolution (a period in china where scientists and thinkers were scorned for their western ideas and brutally murdered by an invigorated population of youths) it makes perfect sense that one of the primary antagonists of the story would find such irrefutable disgust with humanity. They have atrocities committed against them and their family in the name of halting science. The foil to this character is another scientist who lives in an age of growth and scientific advancement. They are hailed for their intelligence. The juxtaposition of these two characters plays out through the whole of Three Body Problem and their differences are highlighted as two sides of a coin. One believes that humanity cannot herald in its own golden age and needs help from another world, no matter the cost, and the other believes humanity will end up on the correct side if given time and care. These characters are products of their upbringing and both of their motivations make perfect sense. The reader may even find themselves sympathizing with some of the antagonists instead of the protagonists.
All of this is to say that Three Body Problem is original from other “Alien Invasion” stories because it isn’t one. It is a story about people, about real, believable people who have to cope with a new universal truth: That they are not alone. This is what drew me in, beyond science fiction, the novel allows the reader to consider their position as well. It is a debate on humanity and its potential reactions to alien life. I know that there are many novels which cover a similar topic, but it is important to note that this novel doesn’t take place in the future. This is another reason Three Body Problem is so wonderful. The reader cannot know where the real physics and biology end, and the fiction begins. It so expertly blends the ideas that the reader does not get distracted by learning the lore of an unfamiliar universe. They can focus the whole of their attention on a unique, human story. This is the reason I would recommend Three Body Problem. It is not generic in any sense, and this originality in setting and subject make it sit in a category all on its own. This is the reason that it may be perfect for students. Some are looking for an escape and others want to seriously ponder the human condition. The novel allows the reader to do both. It is both distant enough from reality that the questions it asks are passively interesting, and close enough to our time that they are crucially important.