I just had to get this off my chest and have no one in real life to talk to you about it. Lol. I enjoyed the first book but I could definitely tell it was a translation, nonetheless I was eager to finish the series. I’m up to page 200 in The Dark Forest and I’m hoping it gets better, but what I really wanted to rant about was the little side story with Luo Ji and his imaginary book girlfriend. This has to be something lost in translation both literally and culturally… It is just so ridiculous and annoying. Also, the wall breakers sharing their plans with everyone completely contradicts everything from that first meeting. I really hope this book gets better. OK, rant over. Thanks for listening.
Read the book for the story and the ideas. The characters are garbage for the most part, but the concepts are great.
It’s the worst part about the series. I’d recommend pushing through if you can. The ending is far stronger and Death’s End is worth reading.
The girlfriend side plot was super cringey and the low point for the entire series. In part it’s supposed to make Luo Ji unlikeable and set up his further character development, and in part it’s bad writing. If you can get past it, I think you’ll enjoy it.
As for the Wallfacers, remember that the point is that they are trying to misdirect everyone so their plan isn’t obvious. So when they reveal something about their plan, keep in mind that it might be misdirection.
Wait was she actually imaginary? I thought he’d misused his resources/authority to get her, but that she was actually real. I absolutely might be misremembering (DNF a few years ago due to that tedious drivel tho)
He had Da Shi find a girl that looked just like her.
I really felt like I just slipped into a Murakami book for a short while - which was honestly fine with me! But yeah, the transition is pretty jarring and I was feeling like, oh we’re actually doing this?
The Dark Forest is awful. I hated everything about it from start to finish, but the next one is quite good.
DF actually felt like it was written by a completely different person but I see that it was a different translator than the 1st and 3rd books so maybe that’s it. Regardless, the events of DF are ridiculous and stupid.
For Luo Ji, you’re supposed to think “What’s wrong with this guy?”, so your reaction is the one intended by the author.
Also, none of the wallbreakers reveal their plans ahead of time.
I like the idea that everyone has, whether consciously or subconsciously, an ideal significant other in their minds, and when we agree to start seeing somebody, it’s because we assume they match that. As we get to know each other and the facade of who we portray ourselves is chipped away, the reality either matches the fantasy close enough and we stay together or it is too far apart and that is what causes the relationship to end.
Beyond that, everybody wants to think that their soulmate is out there somewhere, and most of us put a big part of our lives’ focus on finding them. This guy just so happens to have a world class detective at his disposal instead of having to fumble through tinder.
But my head cannon is that the people behind the wall facer program just went and found a special agent willing to play a part in exchange for a pretty baller lifestyle and just gave her a bunch of plastic surgery k Pop style to match the description so that they could get Luo Gi to do what they want.
The girlfriend thing was super weird at the time. You could say he goes a bit off the rails when re realizes no one is going to let him off the hook of being a Wallfacer and so just decides to check out of the game on his own terms. Bear in mind the ONLY reason he was chosen was because the >!UN discovered he was the only human the trisolarans were afraid of.!< Other than that, he’s just “some guy” picked seemingly at random and his reaction might not be as far-fetched (if still super cringe) as you might expect.
If the Three Body Problem plot and characterization and all, all those things independent from translation (which was not awesome, though not bad either), the things related to the author and the plot he wanted totell, did not bother you and you still got book 2 after that, well you got what you deserved…
The book gets better! If anything, hang on for the third book. I’m in the last 50 pages and it’s amazing.
Interesting. My problem with The Dark Forest, and the whole trilogy, is the completely unwarranted cynicism about interaction between life in the universe. It was an interesting story, but the mechanics of culture and personalities felt like they were written by a bad economist.
I thought Ken Liu’s translation of Three-Body Problem was superb — I read a couple of his other translations since (Invisible Planets, Waste Tide). The Dark Forest is a different translator, it was a bit of a chore for me but had its moments. I wonder how much of it has to do with the translation. They went back to Liu for the third book, which I haven’t read yet.
You’re not alone, basically everyone recognizes that as author wish-fulfillment and the weakest part of the whole trilogy.
I don’t see how you can read that and think it’s author wish-fulfillment. The government comes to him and tells him that he’s one of four people assigned the job of saving the world, and given unlimited resources to do so. He immediately gives up and abuses the position to indulge himself. It’s deliberately unheroic.
🤣🤣