Military版 - glowing reviews for the Dark Forest!! |
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c******a
发帖数: 4400 | 1 http://www.amazon.com/The-Dark-Forest-Cixin-Liu/product-reviews
Probably the most cerebral (yet still accessable) book I've ever read. A
fantastic sequel to an incredible first book. If I say anything I think I'd
give it away. But if you want to know what our future could look like if we
were driven by fear, this is a great read. If you want to see how society
could change, how it would react differently, how the old becomes mythical,
larger than life, whilst still being just as human as any of us, then this
is the book for you.
Read it. It may be some of the most rewarding reading you ever do.
5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing
ByP. LioVINE VOICEon February 3, 2016
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I loved this book. So much more than book 1, it had the creativity and
involving characters, but the translation was so much smoother and more
enjoyable. I did understand that they were going for a more sparse
translation in the first book, but this was really a better experience. Some
of the most important ideas I've ever read, and and I don't think I'll ever
forget.
Exult in these books. Treasure your time with them.
ByMarc Johnsonon February 2, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition
For veteran science fiction readers this is revelatory. Great new ideas
about galactic civilization. Profoundly arresting characters presented with
artistic depth rarely seen in our literature. For novice readers of science
fiction, a warning, you will be disappointed by almost everything else you
ever read in this genre.
I've been reading science fiction avidly since the early 1960's, and I
heartily endorse Cixin Liu. What a read!
5.0 out of 5 starsThis may be the single greatest science fiction novel ever
written
ByChristopher C. Smithon January 31, 2016
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I've read a lot of science fiction, so I don't say that lightly. There are
so many brilliant concepts here, and they're beautifully woven together in a
fascinating and suspenseful storyline. No words are wasted on meandering or
pointless side plots. The book presents a dark but profound and utterly
compelling picture of the universe. Where The Three-Body Problem's
characters were a little flat, The Dark Forest's characters are full-bodied
and richly human. So stop reading this review and go buy the book.
4.0 out of 5 starsThe Lone Wolves in the Forest
ByPlamen Nenchevon January 16, 2016
Format: Hardcover
The Dark Forest is the continuation of Cixin Liu's multiple award-winning
masterpiece, The Three-Body Problem. The title is a direct reference to Liu'
s vision of the universe as an arena of hostile civilisations competing for
limited resources (i.e. a dark forest that is full of lone hunters stalking
each other). It can also be interpreted as an allegory of humanity's own
descent into darkness in the two centuries following the discovery of the
Trisolaran threat.
If you have read The Three-Body Problem, then you would know what to expect
– more of the same. Liu's writing style is as inelegant with ever, with
cardboard characters, strained dialogue, sluggish development and clichéd
plot devices. Having to narrate newscasts on TV to move the story along, for
example, (multiple times, on top of it), is scarcely a mark of good writing.
However, just like The Three-Body Problem, the Dark Forest also offers
remarkable ideas, great science, and amazing insights into human nature. The
idea of the Wallfacers was particularly enthralling – just like the "Dark
Forest" as an explanation of Fermi's paradox. Something of a particular
interest for a Westerner is Liu's brutal honesty when he dissects problems
like defeatism, escapism or despair, where he both takes a unique Chinese
angle and offers a refreshing alternative to the usual upbeat American
heroism.
I had one genuine laugh when I read about Hugo Chavez's successor who had
turned Venezuela into a blooming garden using neo-communist policies. I
think the Venezuelans who queue for hours to buy toilet paper will strongly
beg to disagree.
ByPaul D. Miller a.k.a. Dj Spookyon December 13, 2015
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Brilliant work by someone who has really thought out the Fermi Paradox. I've
read lots of work by a wide variety of science fiction writers, but this
series really feels comfortably at the bleeding edge of 21st Century
thinking without being cliché. Kudos to Tor Books! Wish there was more
sooner rather than later.
5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing and thought provoking
ByAmazon Customeron November 30, 2015
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I usually don't leave reviews but I will make an exception for this book. I
thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the trilogy but this second novel is
just on another level. The different layers and interlocking stories, the
overall conceits which drive the story, and the pacing and characterization
are all top notch. This is just one of those books where you finish the last
page and just put the book down and think. My only regret is that I
finished this 6 months before the final part of the trilogy will be
published in English. The wait will be unbearable.
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of the most lively, infuriating, insightful, and smart
first-contact tales!
ByAnonymouson November 18, 2015
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Cixim Liu's trilogy is perhaps the most alien set of books on Tor's front
list. The writing, the narrative structure, the character development, the
episodic plot . . . are not like US/UK science fiction . . . but they are
absolutely worth reading and are perhaps the most interesting Chinese novels
I've read in years. The translation of all three books is uneven, making it
hard to tell how careful a writer Cixim Liu might be. The books read, at
times, like sloppy Vernor Venge . . . adequately written but somewhat
unedited, perhaps. If you can set aside the wobbly translation, however, you
'll find a wonderful set of tales nested inside other tales nested inside
histories, real and imaginary, that are as lively and insightful and strange
and wonderful as the best US/UK science fiction. Are the three books an
allegory of China's relationship to the West? Maybe. That's at least part of
what's going on. Are the books about China's relationship to it's own
history? Maybe. Are they some of the most insightful, scientific, thoughtful
first-contact stories? Yes. Are they a Chinese response to, oh, the X-files
and Greg Bear and post-50s US science fiction in general? Yes. Are they
readable, exciting, smart, weird, upsetting, comforting, nostalgic, silly,
angry, patriotic, pro/anti-Western, politically complex, and looser than
than an Alan Moore comic? Yeah, they are. Have fun! | c******a
发帖数: 4400 | 2 5.0 out of 5 starsVery different, but very deep. Thank goodness for
translations or I'd never have enjoyed this excellent work.
ByJOHN P BACKon November 8, 2015
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Straight off - I'm not rating this five-stars because it's flawless,
beautiful prose. It's a translated work and while the English is excellent,
there is an underlying 'restraint' to the pace of narrative that I suspect
is unique to the solemn calm of a schooled Chinese author.
So why 5? Because IMHO this is ESSENTIAL reading for any serious lover of
science fiction. I've rarely encountered such an eye-opening breadth of
ideas and concerning philosophy about galactic expansion in particular. But
no spoilers. It's worth the ride - make sure you read the first book "Three
Body Problem". And enjoy a very different, but very deep story.
I'm completely perplexed by how the storyline is going to be continued in
the third book - like a lot of graduation translations - the wait is the
hardest part!
5.0 out of 5 starsRead It!
ByDaveon October 30, 2015
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
absolutely loved every part of the story and the way it forced me to
question my own generally accepted beliefs.
5.0 out of 5 starsSuperb science fiction
ByAmazon Customeron October 27, 2015
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I really enjoyed the first book, but was skeptical of where Liu might go
with the story in a second volume. Boy was my skepticism misplaced. This
turned out to be one of the best books I've read in the last few years. It
has great story arcs, plenty of surprises, and an overall theme that is
genius. It starts out a bit slow, but by the second half, the book is hard
to stop reading. I'm looking forward to the third volume!
First Contact with an Alien Civilization -- China!
BySheldon Leemonon October 19, 2015
Format: Hardcover
First, let me say that The Dark Forest is a much, much better book that the
Three Body Problem. While the first book in this series took a maddening
series of digressions that added nothing to the story except to slow it down
in order to build suspense, the Dark Forest is almost all meat and no
filler.
The other thing that is striking about this book is how different a point of
view it presents than western science fiction. Although the first book
tells a cautionary tale about how political ideology led to abuses during
the cultural revolution, this book wholeheartedly adopts the Chinese
Communist view that correct political thinking is of paramount importance to
solving a global crisis. Thus, it is not only the alien's efforts to block
technological advances that challenges the human race's efforts to survive,
but it is also wrong thinking that sets us back. Thus the need to send
military political officers into the future to combat perils such as
Triumphalism (overconfidence) and Defeatism. It is particularly interesting
how the people righteously stand up to the Escapists, who want to selfishly
leave the doomed Earth and live elsewhere. Whereas in Stephenson's Seveneves
the people of Earth find it rational to unite to save a remnant of humanity
, Liu indicates that such a solution is unacceptable because saving selected
individuals is unfair to the collective. While us Westerners can understand
Stephenson's point of view, Liu's seems incomprehensible to us.
But does Liu really believe that ideology plays a key role in his story, or
is he merely putting that stuff in to appease the government censors? We
cannot tell, because like the Wallfacers, citizens of China can only be
judged by their actions, while their true thoughts remain hidden inside.
Thus, Liu's criticism of Escapism may actually be a sly dig at the Party
elites, who outwardly preach that the welfare of the collective is paramount
, but who enrich themselves and their families while enjoying perks that the
masses can only imagine. The exposure to Chinese thinking this book
provides is indeed akin to first contact with an alien civilization.
As for all the accolades from readers for the hard science content, I find
the concepts of the Sophons and of using the sun as a radio wave amplifier
to be palatable, but dubious. Compare the "hard science" in this book to the
exposition of orbital mechanics and genetic engineering in Seveneves and
you'll see what I mean.
Wenshuang Luo3 months agoReport abuse
Like the comment of yours
I can not help thinking what you will think after you read the third book.
Which even dig deeper into this area, and showed me something that really
just make me feel deeply disturbed (who in fact mostly agree the first 2
books' . pessimistic views)
BTW, from a interview of the author, he commented on the pessimistic view of
his books:
"I wrote about the worst of all possible universes in Three Body out of hope
that we can strive for the best of all possible Earths."
Ian Clemens3 months agoReport abuse
I too was baffled by some of the things you mentioned, which is why I felt
compelled to leave a comment. What struck me initially was this overwhelming
sense of belief that Liu CiXin is really against democracy, that as a
collective whole, the human population keeps making wrong decisions that
hinder the progress trying to achieve by the selective few elites/
intellectuals who "had it right". Liu's interpretation of the state of
political affairs in this series strongly reminds me of the failed democracy
from the ancient Greek era. I was baffled for the same reasons you said,
because the first pages of Three Body Problem was set in the disastrous era
of Cultural Revolution, when political correctness means life and death. Liu
is clearly critical of the regime, of what could happen when unchecked
power is abused. Then in the Dark Forest, he turned 180 degrees, seemingly.
It took me a while to clear some cloudy parts in my head, but I think I've
managed to figure it out, in part due to your review. First is that we,
almost by fault (or by default), focused too much on political ideology.
That because Liu is a Chinese writer, and China is a communist state (
whatever that means nowadays), therefore his writings must reflect some of
the differences between political ideologies. I can be fairly certain at
this point that is a bias against Liu and his world views portrayed in the
series. Liu's perspective is much broader than political ideology, if I were
to accuse him of anything, is that his pessimistic view on humanity as a
whole. Whether it was the Chinese cultural revolution, or the ever-
scrutinizing of wallfacers' plans by the UN, the collective opposition
against Escapism, to ultimately the Dark Forest theory itself, "when in
doubt, save yourself by shooting first." Selfishness is only one of the
faults Liu find in humanity, but I'll stop here. His view on humanity is
indeed very pessimistic, though I don't mean it by its negative connotation
by dictionary definition, but a positive one from the perspective of the
entire series because it's a recurring theme he reiterates over and over
with different stories.
Which brings us to the second point, the different rationality (or
irrationality...) between what people make in Liu's world vs in Stephenson's
world, again, has little to do with the differences between East and West,
but time, the urgency of the impending doom: 400 years vs. 2 years. Which is
another reason why Liu's series is much refreshing. When I first read in
the book that the U.S government states that despite of the impending threat
, its no.1 priority is still its national security, it made me go "that is
absolutely brilliant!" Because 400 years is a long time for us mortal beings
, that's some-15 generations of offspring for most of us to not really care.
People rationalize priorities based on urgency, it is very reasonable.
Finally, I'd like to try to defend Liu's pessimism. Despite of what we might
prefer to think of the world we live in today, how much more advanced and
civilized we are from the past, the many faults Liu finds in humanity is
still very grounded in reality. People (collectively speaking) are capable
of selflessness, but in tough situations, the default choice is always "me
first". We saw trade protectionism run rampant after the financial crisis.
Systematic denial of global warming by the old energy industry. Rejection to
austerity measures by citizens of bankrupting EU nations. And now the
refugee situation in Europe. It's clear when people's self interest is at
stake, the priority is always "me first, then my children, then you, then
your children." Unless, of course, if the moon explodes today and destroys
Earth in 2 years, I hope. | c****h
发帖数: 4968 | 3 才191个review，只能说明看的人不多。第一部有600多的review。
youtube上面的review基本都是负面的。我正在看中文版，觉得文笔真的很一般，只能
算把事情说清楚的阶段，理科大学生的水平。 | c******a
发帖数: 4400 | 4 The first one was out 1 yr earlier than the second
He is not particularly known for writing characters and artful depictions
【在 c****h 的大作中提到】
: 才191个review，只能说明看的人不多。第一部有600多的review。
: youtube上面的review基本都是负面的。我正在看中文版，觉得文笔真的很一般，只能
: 算把事情说清楚的阶段，理科大学生的水平。
| a******9
发帖数: 20431 | 5 你这啥逻辑 第一部是前年出的 600个review 第二部才几个月 攒了190个 所以说明第
二部看的人不多？youtube上怎么还有书的评价？我看goodreads上基本全都是正面评价
而且第一部拿了hugo prize 说明一切问题了 英文版销量100k+ 在美国scifi界属于妥
妥的热门畅销书
【在 c****h 的大作中提到】
: 才191个review，只能说明看的人不多。第一部有600多的review。
: youtube上面的review基本都是负面的。我正在看中文版，觉得文笔真的很一般，只能
: 算把事情说清楚的阶段，理科大学生的水平。
| K*****2
发帖数: 9308 | 6 贴youtube链接
【在 c****h 的大作中提到】
: 才191个review，只能说明看的人不多。第一部有600多的review。
: youtube上面的review基本都是负面的。我正在看中文版，觉得文笔真的很一般，只能
: 算把事情说清楚的阶段，理科大学生的水平。
| l******t
发帖数: 55733 | | B*Q
发帖数: 25729 | 8 嗯
人物和文笔是不行
大刘试图耍笔杆子的地方
俺都基本跳过
索男也不爱看这些
就跟看《法律和秩序》一样（原版的，不是后来的衍生货）
一开始言情了
俺就去上厕所
回来接着看广告
Just the facts, ma'am. | c****h
发帖数: 4968 | 9 其实这本书可以砍掉至少1/3。那些对人物动作、表情的描写味如嚼蜡，对剧情没有什
么帮助。 | a******g
发帖数: 13519 | 10 你个傻屌，《三体》在美国科幻迷里火得一逼，被认为是这20年来，硬科幻里最牛逼的
。我同事里就有好几个人买了。感觉黑暗森林英文版情节跟中文版有点不同，跟同事聊
天时，感觉他们说的一些东西我好像没读过。
【在 c****h 的大作中提到】
: 才191个review，只能说明看的人不多。第一部有600多的review。
: youtube上面的review基本都是负面的。我正在看中文版，觉得文笔真的很一般，只能
: 算把事情说清楚的阶段，理科大学生的水平。
| s*x
发帖数: 8041 | 11 感觉三体第二部是三部里最好的。第一部主要在展开故事，情节有些缓慢。第三部展开
的太大了，虽然最后是收回来了，但感觉有些仓促了。而且这个结局可能有些人不会喜
欢。 | c******a
发帖数: 4400 | 12 the ending will slap lots of americans in the face
【在 s*x 的大作中提到】
: 感觉三体第二部是三部里最好的。第一部主要在展开故事，情节有些缓慢。第三部展开
: 的太大了，虽然最后是收回来了，但感觉有些仓促了。而且这个结局可能有些人不会喜
: 欢。
| d****o
发帖数: 32610 | 13 没事
不管发生什么都可以怪女权婊editor魔改原作
【在 c******a 的大作中提到】
: the ending will slap lots of americans in the face
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