The Three Body Problem was the second book my book club voted on to read (Going Infinite was the first). In full disclosure, I am not a science fiction reader (our book club’s current read is also science fiction). However, I am always open to experiencing different genres, and fiction, especially science fiction, can really unlock some creativity that historical nonfiction fails to do. With that prefaced, I still did not enjoy a majority of The Three Body Problem. Indeed, for me the book did not become captivating until the 280th page (the book is around 400 total). While the premise behind Liu’s story is quite intriguing—do not worry, there are no spoilers here—the delivery was too slow.

The major twist in this story is genius because it involves something that could actually occur if the stars aligned (read: we discover other life forms in the universe); however, I must reiterate that the gradual build up caused too much confusion mixed with boredom—the audience was left in the dark for too long. I will add that I can appreciate Liu’s patience, it would have been much easier to write the story in a linear fashion where the reader could still experience the story, but the grand reveal would have been diminished. Still, because the story became much more interesting at the 70% mark, maybe a de-emphasized plot twist in return for a steadily compelling read could have resulted in a more enjoyable book.