The first 80% of this book was pretty difficult for me to get through. It's hard science fiction, coupled with an extreme amount of exposition and a translation that at times was beautiful and at others was just plodding. 
 I loved the Three-Body Problem, even though I'm not usually interested in hard science fiction. The concept of the three-star system, the virtual reality world, and the unusual description of the alien race was intriguing and at times captivating. I also felt as though the translation was stronger and the plot didn't really drag. 
 The Dark Forest's plot, though, felt stilted, perhaps by the time jumps, but more so by the need to stop and hear a character explain a concept with pages and pages of exposition. I'm glad I finished the book, because the last 20% was pretty captivating, but it doesn't redeem the book as a whole, for me.