The Dark Forest (spoiler free review) by Liu Cixin

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥: (I get a commission when you use the links)

𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬:

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𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐞:

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[jvillacis]

Your quote "... changed the way I look up at the stars at night". Wow... probably my favorite one sentence summary of why this one of my favorite books of all time! Great review!

[Raiden]

This book absolutely floored me. I straight up got nightmares (which almost never happens to me from reading books), and the ending was one of the darkest, most nihilistic things I've ever read, with the exception of that tiny glimmer of hope that is given at the end. I think it's amazing, one of the best I've ever read, but man did it destroy me emotionally. I've been wanting to read the third book since I finished The Dark Forest in Spring 2022, but I just don't know if I'm recovered enough from it. I may sound crazy, but the ending just really affected me in a way that few other books have.

[heretic]

Third book is insane. He crammed what could've been five, maybe even more, books into one. But it's not to its detriment.
I will never forget a certain graveyard scene.

[thegeeeeeeeeee]

Something I noticed is that Cixin Liu is actually much more philosophical than people expect when reading a hard science fiction. He has some PKD moments to an extent, with all these strange sections in his books like the imaginary girlfriend, vr game, creating the sophon. I think we shouldn’t put his writing in a box and only want the “relevant” scenes.

He talks about deep concepts both literally and metaphorically throughout his books. Makes him more special than an average sci fi writer.

[arild]

The writer has stated on several interviews that characters are to move the plot forward, nothing more. If one manages to regard the plot as a Hobb-esque character, and disregard the flatness of the actual ones, this is a fantastic read!

[vwkflynn]

The third book is really awesome. There's an amazing parable section that parleys into the ultimate end, which is soo cool.

[ptquillen]

Was eagerly awaiting your thoughts on this one after hearing your take on the first. The Dark Forest is truly a masterpiece of modern sci fi, and probably made me think, and expanded what I thought I could even think of, more than any book I’ve read in the past few years.

[DanExploresBooks]

Music to my ears. Love this book so much! When i finished The Dark Forest I started telling everybody i could to read it just so i could talk witg people about it. Now i have forgotten some of the details and will probably read through it again right away. Maybe a listen this time.

[BooksWithBenghisKahn]

Hell yeah!! This book hit for you exactly as it did for me, and funny you mention about skipping the first book on reread since that’s exactly what I did when I reread just books 2-3! You’re in for a wild ride with Death’s End, and yeah the concept of the dark forest and how it culminated in this book was special, as was the whole Wallfacers plot. So good

[DarkoDame]

I enjoy sci-fi just as much as fantasy, and DNF’d the first book because, like you, didn’t like the writing style, but now I must revisit the series considering so many have praised the second and third book.

[luske]

Such high praise! I got the first book a few weeks ago and really need to get around to reading it. After hearing this I can't wait!

[akhilkrishnan]

I am confused of the setting of the second book...whats happening! Should i stick more???

[donaldsmith]

I started the audiobook a few days ago and listened up to the part where Luo Ji was chocked out by the couch last night. Then I dreamt of whatever happened afterwards and knew I had to finish it today 😂😂 but really fun book. It was able to keep really Sci-Fi but also grounded where you didn’t struggle to grasp what was happening .

[andrewf]

The Dark Forest is my favorite of the series. Such a great book and agree easy five stars. I'm not sure if the third book is considered better by most people, but it was my least favorite in the series. However, it still has a ton of mind blowing scientific concepts. I just didn't like the main protagonist in the third book and I would have rewritten the ending to be a little more satisfying. Hope you love it, though. Either way, look forward to hearing your opinion.

[Alkemisti]

Oh boy, you're going to love the third book. No spoilers, but in the context of that scenario, some puny alien invasion is not going to feel that big of a deal anymore. There's a much more massive thing going on.

[valliyarnl]

Just started this! I am a bit confused by everything that is happening but hopefully it'll sort itself out soon

[NonstopRam]

I really liked the first book.
I also really enjoyed reading The Dark Forest. The ending really surprised me.

[noelwoodward]

Just blazed past the final couple of chapters. Boy! What a book! When it comes to style of the first book, I think it has a lot to do with the translator (Ken Liu) and the fact that he changed the order of the narrative by anchoring the plot around the Cultural revolution - as opposed to the original which highlights the Revolution through flashbacks. This change makes everything feel a bit clunky.

However, it’s an interesting tidbit which only came to light when I started watching Tencent’s Three-Body - which is average to say the least.

Great review btw!

P.S. Really looking forward to the Netflix show & Death’s End here I come!

[TomOrange]

Cant wait for your thoughts on Death's End

[benbryan]

I've just started this book and I'm looking forward to progressing. Has anyone read the 4th book? I know it's by a different author but I don't see anyone talking about it. Do you need to read it? 🤔