OC text below by @tracyspcy@lemmy.ml
My opinion:
- Interesting concept of a Dark Forest & cosmic sociology axioms.
- Unpleasant characters: Ye Wenjie (narcissistic and psychopathic), Cheng Xin (a kind billionaire lol).
- Disappointing ending—the last few chapters feel weak.
Bonus: Absolutely fascinating interpretation of the first book by @yogthos@lemmy.ml.
i hate that people complain how he was not very good at writing people, so was Asimov.
it's hard science fiction, it's shines in that aspect. the author obviously has a different set of skills, and at some point it's like judging a fish for his hability to run.
not making excuses, not going to say it's the perfect book and peak literature. but it's one of the best science fiction written in a long time. especially because the focus is in the universe and science fiction.
way too many "science fiction" stories are great stories with shitty science fiction. because those are two different skill sets. theoretically, you could have an author one day that excels in boths. and I'll be happy with him/her (originally wrote one him, might have personal biased or the excuse that I had Liu in mind). but so much of the criticism feels cruel.