Added this series to my list a few months back. Read book 1 about a month ago and I’m about 70% through book 2.

I’m struggling to understand why this book is so recommended here and on Amazon. Perhaps the English translation version is just bad?

The pacing is terrible and the plot is meandering (to put it nicely). And overall the character arcs and storyline is confusing. It has a ton of filler content that doesn’t add much and feels like it needs an editor to chop it down / tighten it up.

Every once in a while there are some novelties, like droplets (book 2). But last night while reading I was just skipping pages hoping to get it over with.

Was hoping for Alastair Reynolds but this is more Ayn Rand.

I hate quitting a book but I’m just about there. Throwing out a lifeline in case I’m missing something…

  • ChiBeerGuy@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    IMO It is because there hasn’t been an epic hard sci-fi series of this scale in a while. After the first book, the quality of the plot and characters drop precipitously. The first half of the second book is a big slog. The pacing picks up in the third, but the characters are absurd and there are major plot contrivances. What kept me going was unwrapping the mystery box and the far out sci-fi concepts. But if you’re judging the books in terms of literature, the second two books aren’t very good.

    • datusernames@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      I’m curious as to what “a while” means to you, because The Expanse is pretty hard Sci Fi, and the last book Leviathan Falls only came out in 2021 (plus the authors are almost done with the first book in a new series!). I agree, with your sentiments on Book 2 of Three Body Problem and haven’t gotten around to 3 yet, but it doesn’t sound like I’ll be putting that high up on my list anytime soon.

      • BEVthrowaway123@alien.topBEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        I thought book 1 was good. I’m having a really hard time getting through even the first 100 pages of book 2 that I might just drop it.

        • datusernames@alien.topBEnglish
          1·
          10 months ago

          The resolution of The Dark Forest was its strongest portion IMO, so if you can stick through it I don’t think you’ll regret it.

    • BloodySpinorField@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      Imo ||a lot of sci-fi concepts were dumped on the reader in the last 20% of the third book, which at least for me made it harder to enjoy. On the other hand for book two there’s just one big concept which is revealed, and it’s the pay off of the entire book, which makes it worth it.||