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 I'm halfway through book 3 of the Three Body Problem. It's an interesting story, highly plot driven (with some forgivable gaping holes), and has very uninteresting character development. It feels very Chinese to me.

My main problem with it is I'm pretty sure part of the reason it was exported from China was in order to normalize collectivist ideas in the American mind. I don't even know if the author endorses collectivism, but even just normalizing the concept has an effect. Obama's endorsement on the book is my first red flag. I've seen lots of positive reviews on nostr, just be aware you might be getting brainwashed. 
 All I know is a absolutely loved the series on Netflix. I'm a sucker for sci-fi 🥹 
 It's a page turner for sure 
 I read the first two - and yes, you're right.  What I found most interesting is the long-term thinking, the ultra-low time preference strategies that are required for a multi-generational threat.  And of course the parallels to Bitcoin one can draw! 
 I wanted to love it (I love sci fi and fantasy) but I didn't ... also had a similar reaction to yours around the underlying collectivism push. The back cover endorsement definitely didn't help 
 I knew I couldn’t be the only nerd who doesn’t like it 😅 
It’s so depressing (especially the end) and boring.
I really really wanted to like it, and after seeing so many positive reviews here, attempted a second read. This time I didn’t even bother finishing. 
 It does have some interesting concepts in it, I’ll give it that. But it could’ve been a short story. 
 Haha that is probably true 
 I havent read it but watched the series and it definitely had some hardcore collectivist brainwashing vibes. Also got the impression it was attempting to install some hysteria seeds to help program that 
 Hysteria huh, what about? 
 about the impending arrival of some boogeyman species that are coming to wipe out humanity 
 Oh yeah, fair 
 It could also be it's just really good sci-fi, and the author thought he could find a broader audience in the West.

In any case, I liked the second of the three books the most compelling, and it had the most interesting ideas, as I recall. 
 Both can be true, it wouldn't be effective propaganda if it wasn't good. I mostly question what appears to me to be manufactured publicity. 
 I'm curious where you see manufactured publicity.  I learned about it years ago from a page on the Atomic Rockets website talking about proposed answers to the Fermi Paradox (yes I'm a big 🤓).  No one I've talked to about it had heard of it before.

It recently got attention because of the Netflix adaptation (which was pretty good), but it was rather obscure for years before that. 
 Just a feeling. Obama + Netflix 
 societies and civilizations advance largely due to cooperation.  it’s super obvious with bitcoin too. 
 At least author was based enough to add Cultural Revolution to English version

A much needed lesson for the West 
 Was that not in the original? 
 No it wasnt 
 That is very interesting