“To effectively contain a civilization’s development and disarm it across such a long span of time, there is only one way: kill its science.”

In the midst of the Chinese cultural revolution, scientific progress is hampered by anti-occidental sentiment, and the scientific broadening of humanity's horizons are criminalized due to the heavy politicization of virtually every area of research.If a scientist made any assertion that came close to contradicting a claim adopted by those in power, they would almost certainly be losing their life. In this turbulent sociopolitical environment, so many people have been subjected to unimaginable cruelties, and the people who witnessed this reality were left irreparably broken and jaded, having lost hope in the goodness of humanity. Could these jaded people look towards the stars, and hope that somewhere out there, a much more advanced alien race can sweep into our planet and save humanity, a species that, instead of unifying itself to ensure survival, has ultimately chosen the path to self destruction?

To say that this book was intellectually stimulating would be an understatement. This science fiction work is definitely the epitome of what this genre can be. The science here is front and center, and the author doesn't hesitate to plunge the reader in the details of it. Apart from the science itself, so many essential sociological and philosophical and environmental themes are explored in profound depth. An antispeciesest ideology as a reaction to the atrocities committed by humanity permeates the motivations of the "antagonistic" characters of this book, and a starry-eyed idealism towards extraterrestrial societies threatens to blind great minds from thinking objectively.Who is to say that aliens are so psychologically advanced that they outgrew the survivalist impulses of war and violence? Why do we assume that different species would act better than us just because they are more "intelligent"? Is it not possible that our naive trust in creatures inhabiting the vast cosmos of space, species that we have never even met, has been dangerously misplaced?


 “It was impossible to expect a moral awakening from humankind itself, just like it was impossible to expect humans to lift off the earth by pulling up on their own hair. To achieve moral awakening required a force outside the human race.”

One of my favourite aspects of this novel was the integration of a virtual reality system one of our main characters immerses himself in as a means of exploring the main "mystery" of the book, a sort of game revolving around figuring out a consistent pattern regarding the orbit of 3 suns around a planet, a seemingly chaotic orbit that makes it impossible for life to sustain itself long enough within the planet. If the pattern is cracked, inhabitants of the planet can find a way to effectively navigate this uncertain orbit and survive. The process of figuring out this mystery was very interesting to read about, and the science involved behind it was very logical and deeply analyzed, which anchored the plot to a firm basis of logic.

 I found this book to be the perfect blend of hard science fiction accompanied by a riveting plot and a highly immersive atmosphere. Since this is quite heavy on the hard science, with lengthy descriptions that go into great detail, it might not be the perfect read for readers who might find it to be tedious, but if you're a fan of science fiction, this is a must read that will surely be known as a Scifi classic sometime down the line.

The fact that I listened to the audiobook made the science much more digestible and enjoyable for me, and it was a great companion to my commutes! I'm very excited to be diving into the next book of this trilogy to see where the story goes, and I'm grateful that this work has been translated and was exposed to a global reading audience.


 “The creation myths of the various peoples and religions of the world pale when compared to the glory of the big bang. The three-billion-year history of life’s evolution from self-reproducing molecules to civilization contains twists and romances that cannot be matched by any myth or epic. There is also the poetic vision of space and time in relativity, the weird subatomic world of quantum mechanics … these wondrous stories of science all possess an irresistible attraction. Through the medium of science fiction, I seek only to create my own worlds using the power of imagination, and to make known the poetry of Nature in those worlds, to tell the romantic legends that have unfolded between Man and Universe.”