The Three Body Problem or Red Rising for Next Book

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Red Rising is a fun read.

Three Body Problem is a very difficult read, but very much worth it. It's difficult in the sense that it's a Chinese author, and while the translation is fantastic the thought process can seem a bit "foreign" at times. It's also difficult because there are a lot of concepts that are new to Sci Fi. ie, "Dark Forest Theory", Theoretical Materials science, Radio Astronomy, etc.. TBP is very conceptual.. and is.. absolutely fantastic. I wasn't old enough to experience Arthur C. Clarke's innovative ideas at the time they were written, but reading this gives me an idea of what it was like.

In 20 years, Three Body Problem will be the book everyone remembers, not Red Rising.

I enjoyed Red Rising, but if your the type of person that has to finish a series once you’ve started, like me, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you know what you’re getting into. Read the synopsis for the second and third books cause they are pretty significantly different in scope than Red Rising.

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FWIW I liked golden son and morning star (books 2 and 3 of red rising) more than red rising itself.

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Me too.

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The Three-Body Problem all the way. Read both its sequels also. The third entry, Death's End, is one of the best sci-fi books I've read in years.

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Absolutely, you have to read all three. I really hate telling people to stick with a book, but you really have to stick with these books and just get through them. Some of the concepts that Liu Cixin came up with are simply mind blowing.

I've read a few "hard sci-fi" books - heavy on the technical side - The Martian, Seveneves, etc.. sometimes it can come across as mental masturbation. This is the first "hard sci-fi" series that I felt was truly innovative, and didn't rely on tropes.

Fans of Sci-Fi have to read this series because future authors will be riffing off of this work for years. Solar-Radio Astronomy, Sophons, Dark Forest Theory, Game Theory, Materials Sciences, etc... He really pushed the envelope.



Edit: I really enjoyed "The Martian" FWIW

Long bump since I didnt feel like starting a thread for this.

I just finished the Three Body Problem trilogy. Holy crap that was incredible. My question - has anyone read The Redemption of Time? It's called the "fourth" book but it's not actually written by Cixin Liu. Just wondering if I should spend the time reading it or not.

I love Red Rising! That and the First Law are some great fantasy books.

Brown becomes a better author throughout the books imo, but the plot/setting is great.

Dark forest may be my favorite sci fi book. But I really enjoyed red rising also. You have a lot of good reading ahead of you no matter the choice.

Red rising is a good read . Like a marvel movie-entertaining

Three Body is not a standalone, and that is the reason that I avoided it for several years. You will need to read the others, and you will want to. It's very, very good if you like science fiction with an emphasis on the science.