The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu
In The Dark Forest, Earth is in shock after learning that alien invaders will arrive in only four centuries. Although the human allies of the aliens may have been vanquished, Earth’s defence strategies are now completely open to the alien threat due to the sophons, subatomic particles that provide Trisolaris rapid access to all human information. Only the human mind continues to be a mystery. This is the driving force behind the Wallfacer Project, a risky scheme that provides four individuals with immense resources to create covert plans that are hidden from both Earth and Trisolaris via lying and misdirection. The fourth Wallfacer is completely unknown, while the other three are well-known scientists and leaders. Unambitious Chinese sociologist and astronomer Luo Ji is perplexed by his new position.
The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu
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The book itself is a fantastic fusion of science, conspiracy, astronomy, and philosophy that connects the book’s major themes in a number of unexpected and exciting ways. The way the plot developed, how everything came together by the end, and the relationship between the two civilizations, including the pivotal scene involving Luo Ji and the trisolaris, were all truly astounding aspects of the overall plot construction. The final ending in particular really closed the book for me because it was just so perfect. Throughout the book, there are numerous footnotes that provide context for references that, without them, would have bewildered me.
There is little to no character recurrence from book one, even in the early sections, and it begins a few years after the conclusion of the first book and finishes more than two hundred years later.
The environment feels different from the outset. In the first book, there were only faint indications of mystery and strangeness; otherwise, it was the real world as we know it. Even though it has only been a few years, everything feels much more futuristic and sci-fi because everyone is aware of the approaching Trisolarian fleet, and cultures, economies, and outlooks are shifting as a result.
This serves as the backdrop for The Dark Forest, in which mankind recognizes the magnitude of the risk and learns that they have 400 years to get ready before the alien fleet shows up. They are aware that their opponent is technologically superior to them, but they are unsure of how much. And they are no longer able to do basic scientific research. The anecdote so conveys a great deal about the enormous benefit of further technical improvement.
