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A considerable time (Goodreads whispers, 'Nine months') has passed since I finished reading 'The Three-Body Problem' - the first book in the "Remembrance of Earth's Past" series. The first book, while being exciting, wasn't really thrilling except may be in the last 50 pages. Besides, I kept losing track of the characters while reading it.
Having gone through a lean patch of unexciting books (I have joined a library which houses mostly classics), I decided to give this one a go. I had also read that the second book is much better than the first one and kept delaying picking it up.
'The Dark Forest' starts with the protagonist Luo Ji conversing with Dr. Ye Wenjie at her (Wenjie's) daughter's grave and sets the tone for the things to come. The entire conversation is described from the point of view of an ant. The stark contrast between the tiny size of the ant and the subject of the conversation between Luo Ji and Dr. Wenjie - cosmic sociology - is really remarkable. The conversation touches upon topics like 'chain of suspicion', 'relationship between civilization and matter' and 'technological leap' (which hardly made any sense to me at that time).
Taking the plot ahead from the last book, the aliens from Trisolaris are coming to wipe out the bugs (i.e. humans) and take over the planet. They'll be reaching in 400 years and their omnipresent sophons (subatomic particles which are actually supercomputers) have locked down research and development in Physics. Sophons are also transmitting every written and heard word back to Trisolaris. The only hindrance to Trisolarians is their inability to read the human mind.
Humans are in panic mode and, in their effort to defend the planet, appoint four Wallfacers (an ex-US Defense Secretary, an ex-President of Venezuela who is also a nuclear scientist, a neuroscientist and cosmic sociologist Luo Ji) who are given extreme liberty to use resources to develop defense plans. In their efforts, they are allowed to deceive the rest of the world so that their real plan is never known to Trisolarians. (First whoa moment of the book!)
Meanwhile, Trisolaris is quick to appoint Wallbreakers - who are assigned the task of figuring out each of the Wallfacers' plan.
The plot takes the reader through the plans of each of the Wallfacers. While three of the Wallfacers are working hard at developing their plans, Luo Ji uses his Wallfacer status to live a life of extreme pleasures - moving to a home of his dreams and striving to find the love of his life.
There are other characters (mostly astronomers and defense forces folks) who are trying to choose a line of development to be used against the Trisolarian fleet 400-years down the line. (Massive scale of time!)
How the plans of the four Wallfacers shape up and what happens when Doomsday arrives is best left to the reader and will be a crime to reveal, it's simply fantastic how the author takes the reader towards the climax.
There are so many things that I loved about the book. First, the plot itself is so satisfying, that I am in awe of the author's thinking process. The book has one of the best practical applications of game theory and it makes immense sense in the plot.
Second, the references to historical events, books, and movies are so aptly placed, that it just shows of the author's preparation and application. Special mention for the tremendous impact left by Goethe's 'If I love you, what business is it of yours?' and the author's twist. (Successfully avoided spoiler)
Third, though the characters aren't as dense as a fantasy, the plot unfolds as if the author let the characters shape it instead of them being forced in the plot. Even, nondescript old people with nothing but a page or two, while comparing old days to new ones, lend a strong hand towards the plot.
Fourth, the futuristic technological ideas of the author are simply amazing (exception: For some reason, I just don't love flying cars) - mental imprinting, nuclear technology, light-speed travelling, and the forest-like structure of cities.
'The Dark Forest' has lifted this series among my most favourite ones. It's been more than a day since I finished the book and I am not going to stop thinking about it any time soon. I have spent all my free time today googling about Cixin Liu and this book but sadly, I haven't clicked around much for the fear of spoilers of the third book. I have also watched this interview of the author which talks about his thinking process and where he thinks science should proceed. Also, this article about how it'd be dangerous to send out signals to space is a good read. I can't wait to start the last book definitely hoping that it's a thrilling end to a fascinating saga.
