Three Body Problem

Warning: spoilers.

I’ve done it: I’ve read a book. Or, more importantly, I’ve read a novel. The last couple years has had me so focused on parenting that I spent most of my limited reading time on books about parenting like Hunt, Gather, Parent.

I’d originally set out to read an Isaac Asimov book to try to get something fun to read. I browsed Libby to see if I could check out I, Robot, but I could only place a hold. While browsing around, I saw that 3 Body was available to check out. I’d been wanting to read that one too!

So I checked it out, loaded it up on the Kindle, and started.

It’s been a bit of a rough ride, as my mind doesn’t seem to do a good job retaining what I’m reading. Not sure if it’s dad brain, old age, Long COVID, or just being out of practice reading novels. There’s also the difficulty I’ve generally had of reading books from e-readers. As much of a techy as I am, I still enjoy reading my books on dead trees 😬.

Nonetheless, I thought to myself to do some more book reading this year, and, huzzah, I’ve finished one before the end of the month! Go me!

Here are some thoughts.

The human-formation computer

There was a lot of great imagery in the whole novel, but this one really drew me in and stuck with me. Thinking about a giant computer built from humans as components is an amazing idea, and seems so…Chinese. My mom used to say this expression (but not so much recently): “China doesn’t have a lot of things but what they do have is a lot of people.” Or, sometimes the expression: “People mountain. People sea.”

The wisdom of Westerners is terrifying. You are not more intelligent than the men of the East, but you can see the right path. For example, Copernicus could figure out that there are three suns, and you could come up with your three laws. These are very impressive accomplishments. We here in the East cannot, for now, match them.

The story was originally published in 2006, so it’s interesting to hear this sentiment of “we cannot match them.”

But I find the addition of “for now” to be an important bit. Empires rise and fall. At some points, we may be at our lowest, and yet, humanity, culture, civilization, and people rise back up. Given a long enough time span, whatever we have now will also pass.

Bugs

Earlier on in the story, Rachel Carsons’s Silent Spring was the catalyst for Ye Wenjie’s actions that would ultimately change the world. It was a book about the use of pesticides and how they are detrimental to nature. We’re trying to get rid of bugs with our technology.

And then, at the end of the story, we have Shi Qiang, showing Ding Yi and Wang Miao locusts in his hometown: the bugs that cannot be stopped despite the technology we have in the world.

We are bugs, but that’s not bad.