Wrapped up the first book after much struggle. Am I crazy for finding it extremely poorly written? Writing aside, the characters suck, the motivations suck, and the scenario building feels like it was tossed together by a 12 year old. I don't get the hype. Everything is paper thin. The fictional science aspect is the most compelling part but as a cohesive whole it fails to land.

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[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 19 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

I think there's a real struggle in translating Chinese literature into English.

For what it's worth, the second book - The Dark Forest - starts off much stronger and builds from there, making the first book feel more like it was just introducing the story.

[–] GorGor@startrek.website 4 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

the Dark Forest sucks just as hard if not more so. the premise of the story

spoiler

Mutually Assured Destruction

isnt an original thought, but the author refuses to acknowledge it until the end, pretending like it wasn't obvious the whole story. then he hand waves the problems he sets up (how do you deal with an alien technology so much more sophisticated than your own) pretending like the sophons just couldn't deal with the threat. All this and the character doesn't ever really develop. Things happen to him, but we don't get any meat to his personality, just external bullshit.

I started listening to the third book because I am a gluten for punishment and I have a long commute, but it just meandered. If it was another author Id give them the benefit of the doubt, but I havnt been able to get through it.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 3 points 14 hours ago

Dark Forrest: Gump with a Gun

[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 16 hours ago

and the third book is even better.

But I agree with OP that the writing is bad, I just enjoy the intrigue and sci-fi enough to read the books, esp. at that particular part of the second book (the first book and first part of the second book were admittedly less compelling to me than the rest of the second book and the third book).