eBook, 832 pages
French language
Published Jan. 6, 2021 by Éditions Actes Sud.
Un demi-siècle après l’Ultime Bataille, l’équilibre précaire dû à la dissuasion de la forêt sombre continue de maintenir les envahisseurs trisolariens à distance. La Terre jouit d’une prospérité sans précédent due au transfert des connaissances et des technologies trisolariennes. La science humaine connaît des progrès pour ainsi dire quotidiens, les Trisolariens découvrent avec fascination la culture humaine et l’espoir grandit que les deux civilisations puissent bientôt coexister pacifiquement sans la terrible menace d’une annihilation réciproque. Mais lorsqu’une ingénieure en aéronautique originaire du début du XXIe siècle sort de son hibernation, elle réveille avec elle le souvenir d’un programme qui menace cet équilibre. Bientôt, l’humanité aura à faire un choix : partir à la conquête d’autres univers ou mourir dans son berceau. Après Le Problème à trois corps et La Forêt sombre, Liu Cixin referme l’un des cycles de science-fiction les plus ambitieux de ce siècle.
El derroche de ideas deslunbra y sorprende, CiFi hard pura, pero @liu_cixin cojea en el desarrollo de personajes. Clásico instantáneo aunque no la recomendaría a no habituales del género.
I suppose I don't read a ton of sci-fi, but this is one of the most satisfying payoffs I have ever read in any genre. This book drags a bit in places because Liu Cixin is incredibly meticulous about tying up loose ends and also feels the need to introduce a trillion new ideas, but it's all interesting and worthwhile. Once again, the dense science is balanced out with some very human, very heart-rending stuff. The whole trilogy is one of the best book series I've ever read. Can't say enough good things.
What is it about trilogies? And why is the third installment so often a let down? Maybe it's just me, preferring the middle of a journey over the destination. Anyway, while I had some problems with this book, I enjoyed it immensely.
Cixin Liu wraps up his incredible trilogy offering the reader more of what he served in the first two books: exotic culture, imaginative and mostly plausible use of science, and wild plot twists.
My problem is I think he tried too hard. At 600 pages, this is the longest book in the series. I felt that he really didn't hit his stride until about 200 pages in. He also tried to make use of inserting "excerpts" from a future work as a foreshadowing device. The problem is these weren't used much in the second half for no apparent reason, and more critically, the tone he uses in these …
What is it about trilogies? And why is the third installment so often a let down? Maybe it's just me, preferring the middle of a journey over the destination. Anyway, while I had some problems with this book, I enjoyed it immensely.
Cixin Liu wraps up his incredible trilogy offering the reader more of what he served in the first two books: exotic culture, imaginative and mostly plausible use of science, and wild plot twists.
My problem is I think he tried too hard. At 600 pages, this is the longest book in the series. I felt that he really didn't hit his stride until about 200 pages in. He also tried to make use of inserting "excerpts" from a future work as a foreshadowing device. The problem is these weren't used much in the second half for no apparent reason, and more critically, the tone he uses in these doesn't vary enough from the main narrative. Maybe something is lost in translation.
As always, I enjoyed all the Asian cultural references Liu puts in, though he doesn't come close to the high water mark he reached in The Three Body Problem. On the other hand, there are some "stories within the story" in this book that are absolutely fantastic.
Like the earlier books, Death's End found its way into my head. Liu definitely knows how to make you think, and about concepts truly astronomical in scale. In a Universe billions and billions of years old, how can our few thousand year old civilization pretend to know anything?
Astonishingly beautiful and heartbreaking.
This story will definitely be a sci-fi classic. It is epic in it's scope and really innovative in the storytelling.
I loved it, and enjoyed the scientific background, the matter-of-fact tone in which it is written, the constant surprises and the enigmas hidden throughout. It really is about science and technology, but deep inside it is about humanity and who we are, about our concepts of life, time, the universe and infinity.
The whole trilogy goes into my list of favourite books ever. Highly recommended!
Although I found many of the ideas in it fascinating, I found it very difficult to get into this series. It may have been partly due to the author's writing style, or cultural differences - but I think primarily it was because I didn't find the characters (especially the central characters of the second and third books) engaging. The few characters I did find interesting and wanted to know more about, were all side characters who had little impact on the plot. I don't regret reading this trilogy, however, and others may well find it much more engaging than I did.
Death's End is a fantastic follow-up to The Dark Forest. The pacing is excellent (improves with every book in the series), the scope of the ideas presented to the reader is staggering.
I will not reveal anything at all about the plot, because this series should be experienced by jumping into the books with a clear slate. In fact, I would recommend to the reader that you should not even read the blurb on any of the books.
My complaint with this book, and the reason I'm rating it as 4-star instead of 5, is that the last ~15% of the book meanders unnecessarily (in my opinion) and takes away from the impact that the book could otherwise have had. It feels like Liu Cixin wants to cram every idea he had but could not weave into the story towards the end of the book, in a faux-tie-up-loose-threads-journey-to-the-shire kind of …
Death's End is a fantastic follow-up to The Dark Forest. The pacing is excellent (improves with every book in the series), the scope of the ideas presented to the reader is staggering.
I will not reveal anything at all about the plot, because this series should be experienced by jumping into the books with a clear slate. In fact, I would recommend to the reader that you should not even read the blurb on any of the books.
My complaint with this book, and the reason I'm rating it as 4-star instead of 5, is that the last ~15% of the book meanders unnecessarily (in my opinion) and takes away from the impact that the book could otherwise have had. It feels like Liu Cixin wants to cram every idea he had but could not weave into the story towards the end of the book, in a faux-tie-up-loose-threads-journey-to-the-shire kind of setup.
Having said that, the first ~85% of the book is excellent and a fitting last book in the series.
I don't think I've ever read a more satisfying speculative fiction series than Remembrance of Earth's Past. Yes, the third installment definitely wanders a bit more than the first two, but the overall impact of reading these three books is something I haven't experienced before. How long do I have to wait before I can read them again?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book as an excellent conclusion to the series. This feels like a book for scientists or people who enjoy science in general. The concepts introduced really make you think about the nature of the universe. The characters really take second place here; I'm sure people will continue to talk about this book for years to come, but when they do they won't necessarily remember the characters. I think I may prefer the second (The Dark Forest) as the best of the series, though.
For my full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2016/10/book-review-deaths-end-by-liu-cixin.html
[Speaking of the trilogy as a whole:] Reminded me of something like 1 part Ringworld, 1 part Seveneves, and a dash of The Little Prince. Three Body Problem and Dark Forest drag during their first halves, but make up for it. There are some weird patches here and there, but it's hard to determine whether these might just be differences in narrative tradition between Chinese and English sci-fi.
Fantastic translations throughout.
