For those who haven’t seen the recent Netflix series or read the book, the following scenes are excerpted from Cixin Liu’s novel The Three-Body Problem, the first book in a Ring-type saga, a trilogy-with-prequel called Remembrance of Earth’s Past.
The book captured the science fiction world since first publication. It won the Chinese Galaxy Award in 2006, and the 2014 English translation won a Hugo for Best Novel.
First, I’m presenting this excerpt, with thoughts, as an extra for paid subscribers, as a way to say thank-you. This is a limited publication in a private newsletter. I hope you enjoy reading it, and I hope it inspires you to purchase and read the book.
Second, I’m presenting this excerpt for its drama. The moment builds to a powerful conclusion, one I didn’t expect as I read the book. This is a writerly reason; I’m going to be adding fiction to the offerings here, reviews of fiction and perhaps some work of my own.
Third, this scene is appropriate for today. This is a political reason. See my comments below for an explanation.