alex_bl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
moverton's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
roemer37's review against another edition
5.0
holy DHIIIITYY that was so good
“i have a dream that one day brilliant sunlight will illuminate the dark forest”
cixin liu effortlessly plays with pacing and incredible ideas in this book and it’s a delight to read. i LOVE this book
“i have a dream that one day brilliant sunlight will illuminate the dark forest”
cixin liu effortlessly plays with pacing and incredible ideas in this book and it’s a delight to read. i LOVE this book
degroot_maartje's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
skinnercolin221's review against another edition
4.0
When I was a kid, my big brother used to fight me, so sometimes I’d run to a random neighbors front door and threaten to ring the doorbell, which made him stop and that is basically this book lol.
Despite enjoying the creativity and drama, I found the central premise of "The Dark Forest" to be somewhat unconvincing. The notion that the universe is akin to a dark forest, where advanced civilizations are inclined to eliminate unfamiliar entities due to suspicion, is a stretch for me. The concept of sending coordinates as an invitation for annihilation is intriguing, but it's hard to fully buy into.
I think that any flourishing civilization would inherently develop empathy and a moral compass. Moreover, they would recognize that other successful civilizations would likely have evolved similarly. Take, for example, our experience with nuclear weapons: nearly a century has passed, and the world has yet to witness a total annihilation. I think this is primarily because most humans are not monsters. Or perhaps the threat of retaliation acts as the more powerful deterrent. Either of these reasons could have been more fleshed out. (I know the ending has Luo Ji considering this potential for loving aliens, it just wasn’t hammered out enough for me)
While the conflict over resources between ships was gripping, I don't see that as an apt representation of the dark forest theory. The tensions in that scenario seemed more about resources and less about the inherent distrust of unknown powerful entities.
So why four stars? Because I don’t have to agree with an author to think they’ve done a great job. The author does a great job of weaving different character webs together to build a cohesive gripping story. And as you can tell by my long review, it made me think critically a lot and I appreciate any author who does that!
So I definitely recommend the book to friends!
Despite enjoying the creativity and drama, I found the central premise of "The Dark Forest" to be somewhat unconvincing. The notion that the universe is akin to a dark forest, where advanced civilizations are inclined to eliminate unfamiliar entities due to suspicion, is a stretch for me. The concept of sending coordinates as an invitation for annihilation is intriguing, but it's hard to fully buy into.
I think that any flourishing civilization would inherently develop empathy and a moral compass. Moreover, they would recognize that other successful civilizations would likely have evolved similarly. Take, for example, our experience with nuclear weapons: nearly a century has passed, and the world has yet to witness a total annihilation. I think this is primarily because most humans are not monsters. Or perhaps the threat of retaliation acts as the more powerful deterrent. Either of these reasons could have been more fleshed out. (I know the ending has Luo Ji considering this potential for loving aliens, it just wasn’t hammered out enough for me)
While the conflict over resources between ships was gripping, I don't see that as an apt representation of the dark forest theory. The tensions in that scenario seemed more about resources and less about the inherent distrust of unknown powerful entities.
So why four stars? Because I don’t have to agree with an author to think they’ve done a great job. The author does a great job of weaving different character webs together to build a cohesive gripping story. And as you can tell by my long review, it made me think critically a lot and I appreciate any author who does that!
So I definitely recommend the book to friends!
only_brainrot's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mynameisstu's review against another edition
5.0
I *loved* this book! Some really cool concepts explored in this story and the previous one too. My favourite part is the description of cosmic sociology and the idea that it is an answer to the Fermi paradox.
This story is a sweeping future historical epic with core characters who change in each installment. It's longer than what I normally choose read/listen to but I couldn't put it down and am well on the way with the 3rd book!
This story is a sweeping future historical epic with core characters who change in each installment. It's longer than what I normally choose read/listen to but I couldn't put it down and am well on the way with the 3rd book!
assistant_sensei's review against another edition
4.0
Quite a step up from book one, which really just feels like a Prologue. Entertaining almost the whole way constantly building up and increasing in excitement. The end was just ok.