The Three body problem is a read that makes you think, analyze and reciprocate to the thoughts it poses. Its a sci-fi story with a lot of heart, regrets and built on moments of revolution. A revolution that has such a great influence and impact on its survivors that humanity for them, has lost its way on the path of evolution. In early part of the book, science is tied to political propaganda, cultural impact and humanity. 
 As the title suggests, the novel explores and relies heavily on the very real three body problem that has been worked upon by many physicists and mathematicians over the years. I am sure there exists novels which has used this problem as a plot point but the way Liu treats the problem is probably unique. 
 The most striking aspect of the novel is the underlying philosophy that Liu carries out throughout the novel. For every character who has immense scientific knowledge, they come with an extreme reading on moral compass in their view on humanity at large. Firstly there is Ye, who sees the horror of cultural revolution (late '60s) when her father is publicly executed as her mother speaks against his perspective on science and technology. The impact this incident has on her can potentially change the course of humanity. Wang Miao is a modern day scientist working on nanotechnology who gets involved with a bunch of scientists at the insistence of military, police etc. By chance he happens on a game called The Three body problem that sets of the second act of the story. 
 The pacing till the beginning of second act of the story is good with an intricate plot and bit of science. In the second act however, its mostly about the game, science and some more science. As an engineer, I loved it all. The game takes place in a world that has three suns and has a chaotic environment. The players have to work around the harsh climatic conditions and ensure that the race evolves, advances and lives. Every time Wang goes into the game, he enters a specific period in civilization where he has to work with tools and technology available at that time to ensure the people survive the chaotic era or a climatic change that can potentially destroy the civilization. Every civilization reaches a specific point in history and then perishes.I enjoyed reading the ways the great contemporary minds of the civilization would come together and tries to solve the problem. The most interesting one was Newton and Neumann using humans (Chinese soldiers) to solve a complex mathematical equation. Once Wang starts moving up the level he figures out where this is all going. 
 All the science aside, the story has a lot of heart. Liu exposes the horrific byproduct of progress and advancement in technology. The characters reflect this ideology where there are bunch of scientists who are simply weary in the way humanity is progressing while there are some who still have hope and do things because they have to be done. My favorite character is Da Shi, a policeman who is street smart and does things because they have do be done. Its a simplistic view without any grandiose but is the most hopeful character in the novel. Ye, loses hope when violence seeps into ideology instead of a discussion and betrayal becomes a recurring theme in her life. Wang, interestingly loses and gains hope during his interaction with different factions people belong or when he is playing the game. 
 I am not sure if all the information given in this book was entirely necessary to reach the end. If few pages of information was skipped, it will still be okay. I am guessing all these information - which are given in report format will be important for the sequels. Liu uses fascinating metaphors to summarize the situation or the context where science or mathematics describe a philosophical observation or an extremely vulnerable situation. They were accurate and delivered the emotional punch the context was aiming for. 
 Eagerly looking forward to read the next one.