what to read.me
Sample page The Three-Body Problem cover 📖 peek inside

The Three-Body Problem

by Cixin Liu

★★★★☆ 4.08 (506 627 ratings)
2008 · 400 pages · ~6h 40m read · Fiction

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. Decades later, a series of inexplicable suicides among scientists leads nanotech engineer Wang Miao to discover a mysterious virtual reality game. He soon uncovers a global conspiracy involving an extraterrestrial civilization on the brink of destruction. This mind-bending hard science fiction novel explores the 'Dark Forest' theory and the terrifying implications of first contact for the future of humanity.

A popular book with millions of readers worldwide.

Atmosphere: FantasticalVibe: IntensePacing: Relaxing
mysterypoliticsphilosophy

Notable Quotes

"No, emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness is a type of existence. You must use this existential emptiness to fill yourself."
"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."
"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."

Built by Dominik. I couldn't find a simple way to pick what to read next - so I've made this.

© 2026 what to read.me