The translator (Ken Liu) is apparently quite good any infelicities may or may not be the author’s, so I will not focus on them. On this basis, I suspect that some criticism of “The Three-Body Problem” is indeed misplaced, or rather a criticism (perhaps correct) of Chinese literature more generally. It is said that his stories, all of which I’ve read, are based largely on Chinese narrative structures, and I think, without re-reading them, that they have certain parallels to this book, including flat characterization and a certain “feel” that is hard to describe but is somewhat unsettling for Western readers.

One angle on this debate that I have not seen anyone note is a comparison to the science fiction of Cordwainer Smith (real name Paul Linebarger died 1966), who wrote a variety of classics, including “Scanners Live In Vain” and “The Ballad of Lost C’Mell.” He was an army officer, spy and professor, of Asiatic Studies, with extensive Chinese expertise, including as a confidant to Chiang Kai-Shek. There seems to be much debate about whether certain dubious characteristics of the novel, including the flat characters, are not actually failings but rather part of the nature of Chinese writing. And numerous plot elements, even the most intriguing, seem shoehorned in-saying, in essence, “look at my brilliant idea!” Even so, these problems don’t really detract from an open-minded reader’s enjoyment-and such problems are typical of the genre. Yes, Cixin uses the “deus ex machina” a bit too much. It makes the reader want to read the sequels. It has ideas of startling originality, such as the sophons (I particularly was intrigued by the description of the results of various levels of dimensional unfolding). I very much enjoyed reading the book (some spoilers below). But I can say the book is very good-with some non-trivial shortcomings. Whether it “deserved” the Hugo I can’t say, having little basis for comparison in my own reading. This book was nominated for the top awards in science fiction, and won the Hugo Award.

Much of that attention is due to a political tussle among science fiction fans, where some believe that various unworthy writings have been exalted by the establishment merely to make a political point about supposed under-representation by authors of certain types, including non-American authors. “The Three-Body Problem” is a science fiction novel, of the “hard” subgenre, that has received a great deal of attention.

The three body problem 2016