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I will be making a review on this book without trying to spoil any plot points of the entire series. Here is what you should know. I have said it on my review of the first book of the series, The Three Body Problem. The writing is rough, and the character dialogue is even more rough. Sometimes the details are hard to follow, and sometimes things are explained so far in detail it kind of derails from the plot.

However, you should 100% read this series. The trilogy is worth the time you will spend. The books have this way of over explaining, but this is to make things make sense and to back up aspects and ideas. This series is an overall idea of what the writer would think the world would be like during an extraterrestrial crisis. What it lacks in over explaining and rough character dialogue, it makes up in story and concepts of human thought and provocation.

This is book in my opinion is the best book in the whole series by far. The Three Body Problem lays out a future problem. This book takes that and builds a story on top of that with a main character that goes through a rollercoaster of emotions and responsibilities. It will make you think things are calm and collected and then throw you for a loop. Cixin Liu could have ended the series here, in my opinion.

I loved this book, and it is my favorite of the trilogy. Just be aware it is wordy and the character dialogue is a bit dry. The science is very well explained, but often to a point it takes away from the time that could have been invested in the characters and plot even farther. If you go in aware of this, it can make it a much easier read. I think it should also be known that this is a Chinese author, and Eastern Culture can be different from Western culture. Translation from one language to another might be the reason the dialogue feels so dry and that is important to keep in mind.

No spoilers here as I will not be ruining the content of the book but I will be preparing the reader. This series is beyond interesting and captivating in regards to theories, concepts, and paradoxes. If you have not heard of The Three Body Problem physics problem then just know that it doesn't pertain to the series to much but rather is an actual equation with its own set of issues. This first book just outlines what is to come.

What a reader should know is that writer is an engineer, Chinese (it seems irrelevant but not entirely), and a man of science. He also supports some not so Western cultural ideas and themes and throughout the series you will see that slightly. The series translation makes for some hard character dialogue and like most sci-fi has the intention of explaining sci-fi ideas as best as possible.

The character dialogue can be dry and the characters in this book can feel a bit 2 dimensional. I think this has a lot to do with our the language translates over. However, the more interesting aspects of the book as well as the series is the sort of concepts that go along with the theme. Taking the human mental state and portraying it in ways one might react.

Overall, the series is good. Book 2 "The Dark Forest," is my favorite book. Book 3, "Deaths End," I am half way through. I will have reviews for the entire series. Be prepared to stumble through a whirlwind of emotions after this first book of the series.