The size of the Trisolarans reminds me of a quote by Douglas Adams, it goes: "...the mighty ships tore across the empty wastes of space and finally dived screaming on to the first planet they came across - which happened to be the Earth - where due to a terrible miscalculation of scale the entire battle fleet was accidentally swallowed by a small dog." 🤣
I know the quote, is kind of profound in a way as a wormhole opens up while arthur is saying: "I seem to be having tremendous difficulty with my lifestyle" and this is a terrible insult to the race who being total warmongers decide to travel across thousands of years. in a way, its the dark forest? Or serious, i know its comedy, but the randomness of alien encounters may have totally random miscommunications and make little to no sense to us, which is part of the profundity of Adam's satire of scifis which all have to have theories and make deductive sense. Another freak dimensional anomaly caused a race to worship his act of getting mad at a coffee machine and build gigantic statues of him throwing a coffee cup too.
*SPOILERS* - I think it was a very important part of the original trilogy that earth never saw the Trisolarans. It gave them an even greater psychological advantage because an imagined threat can be far more intimidating than a known threat. It also allows the reader to constantly change their perception of them as the story continues. And, it makes scenes like the living computer even more crazy to imagine when you think about human size creatures trying such an endeavor. The revelation of them being insect like, canon or not, was great because when you look back and apply it to their decision making process it produces a lot of AHAH moments. Like how they were willing to force humans to survive by cannibalizing each other. I think humans would be more reluctant to use a tactic like that, even on an alien race, because it is a barbaric concept to us. But for them, they put little value on the individual life, so they have no issue forcing that mentality on another race.
They are basically the equivalent to sapient ants, which actually makes it more terrifying imo. Think of the sheer physical scale that they are able to operate on: the droplet or the recreation of a human body to scale in comparison to them, scale that up to a creation of that size for something humans would create at the same level. But there is only so far they can stretch the laws of physics, so it explains why, despite their tech, they couldn’t physically solve the terraforming issue. Imagine trying to manufacture a modern bulldozer while your population is ant-sized. Scaling up machines to build bigger machines ad nauseum to make your desert hell a little cooler….or just spend a fraction of the resources smacking the local monkey population and transporting your whole civilzation to a tropical resort.
@@harveyflippers9531 What terraforming issue? The problem with the trisolar world was the three body problem throwing it around and inevitably destroying it meaning the only solution would be either removing one sun or distrupting the suns into a stable configuration which probably requires solving the three body problem.
The lack of culture among the Trisolarans highlights an interesting idea that Liu touched on, but then abandoned: the idea that the stagnation and death of art can be an existential threat. We see the Trisolarans become obsessed with Earth culture in both the second and third books. This could potentially been used as a weapon by Earth to destabilize Trisolaran society or force a symbiotic relationship, even though it ultimately wasn't.
I was surprised that the description of cultural appreciation exploding among trisolarans after exposure to earth didn’t end up being a prelude to fundamental subversion and upheaval of their society
He wrote another short story where an alien artist comes to Earth and towards the end it is implied the author doesn't like art at all and sees it as a waste of time. But then again in his novels, he seems to dislike humanity a lot. He makes many references to Chinese history especially imperialism and communism but he has to be discrete because of the CCP.
The Trisolarans being so tiny also makes the scene in the first book where they're said to have arranged themselves into a circuit board seem a lot more plausible.
why? a huge crowd of human beings reading each other’s minds would have exactly the same effect. each would perceive what the other perceives. there would be no delay, it’s instantaneous crowd computing.
@@tonoornottono It was kind of described like a grade school exercise where everyone did a basic boolean logic gate. That doesn't really scale up very quickly. Processing power is roughly proportional to clock speed and the number of logic gates. Trisolarians where described as being able to do hundreds of these calculations per second, so lets round to 1kHz, but consumer microprocessors near 1980 where hitting 1MHz so you need a thousand people to perform parallel calculations to replicate the performance. Replicating the power of an Atari 2600 with it's ~10k logic gates would require close to 10 million people. That was roughly the point processing power wise where digital computers could efficiently simulate moderately complex physical systems.
Tiny nitpick: The Trisolarans did actually solve the Three Body Problem in the book. The real issue was that when they used it to predict the future of their civilization, they realized it was doomed to fall into one of their suns eventually. That's why they needed to invade Earth.
Question, as someone with very little physics/maths background: can't the three body problem just be brute forced in simulation? Wouldnt they be able to figure that out long before they actually solved the three body problem?
@@SJNaka101 The issue with that its that it's a chaoitic system which means the smallest approximation or error in recording makes it go completely wrong after sometime. Its the same reason as to why we can't predict weather with any degree of accuracy more than a week away and even within that week there'll be lots of chance for error. Now any good calender would be needed to predict millennia of time not just weeks.
@@SJNaka101 since the first book it's said it's was done tons of simulations without results , actually a group of trisolarian supporters on earth wanted to help to solve the Three Body Problem in hope if they did it, the Trisolarian invasion would permit coexistence between species. But I remember it was not mentioned on first or second book that Three Body Problem was solved, so probably happens in the third or the spinoff.
Thanks for the explanation guys, that makes sense. Any tiny error becomes hugely magnified over time such that the simulation becomes worthless. Much appreciate learning something new today!
@@SJNaka101 Also, another thing about the 3 body problem(which we too experience in the solar system to a lesser degree) is that there is no pattern and no stability so the system tends towards one part being consumed by the other or being ejected from the solar system all together. And as I said, our solar system has this same problem to a lesser extent as do all systems so it is predicted in the eons after the end of star formation in the universe, our sun will eject away all the planets or have them crash into it until its either just the sun or the sun and Jupiter but in a 3 body system(a system with 3 bodies of similar size instead of one just dominating the other) this will happen so much faster instead of ours where it will take billions of billions of billions of years or more.
The Daleks are kinda similar in concept to the Trisolarans. Tiny, little mutated squid things that need large scary machines to intimidate their enemies
"They're bugs!" This blew my mind. Quinn, I am so grateful for your work and exposing me to this book trilogy. All that I know of it is what you have progressively revealed, but I have learned of and been horrified by the Droplet, all the history of Earth in dealing with the menace and now to learn that they are tiny little beings the size of grains of rice, it feels wonderfully appropriately weird and just the kind of impossible that bears the mark of sincerity. I've been thinking on it all day. Thank you so much for the compelling ideas, I really value them! Godspeed, Quinn! 🌟
@@murasaki9 Absolutely. Do creatures the size of rice have a different relationship with molecules? How different? Does their ratio of size compared to atoms have an effect on that development of advanced atomic and sub-atomic technology? It's so fascinating to suppose this direction of thought.
@@ikenosis8160 its impossible that this kind of aliens would exist, for starters no planet would be that small in scale of their body for them to be able to have a civilazation like earth second that is also true about giants look at dinos they did not survive because of their size plus the climate change caused by the asteroid now if we talk about human size ants that is possible,,, also scary
Were they really that small? You would think if they're that small, as someone already mentioned, they can come to earth secretly without invading us and live amongst us without anyone noticing.
"Surviving and existing are very different from living and thriving." Today's my birthday and I swear this channel was the best present I got. So happy I discovered this! Thank you!
Trisolarans seem to be partially inspired by Tardigrades. It was also quite obvious in other aspects from the trilogy they were very small, especially with all the stories of the ant watching humans.
@@jaykrizzle It's based on the book Cixin Liu approved as canon. So no, not "fan fiction". Disagree? Write a letter to the Cixin Liu and tell him he's wrong.
One of the things that Trisolaran mass cognition implies is that Listener was not a lone dissatisfied actor. If Trisolarans are truely incapable of individual thought to such an extreme degree, then the Listener must represent an aspect of Trisolaran group thought... an undercurrent that constantly runs counter to the mass desire. And there is good evolutionary reasoning for this. A truely singleminded group consciousness would be inflexible to change and not adaptable, and adaptability is the most important trait for a species on a planet in a three-body system. So the species has to have a mechanism to cultivate undercurrents of subversive thought, even while the totalitarian impulse remains the dominant force. So the Listener is then perhaps a focal point for a collective subversion, which is why he desires things like love and art that he cannot possibly really have personal references for. Its why he feels this strong empathy towards Earth culture, because of the subversive leanings of other individuals. He is then the Listener not just Earth signals, but of those kinds of thoughts within the collective. This also explains the need for extreme martial law. Deviants are then not lone bad actors in Trisolaran society, but focal points for mass anti-social thought. Which makes them far more dangerous to the totalitarian body than a lone actor. But it also explains how they were suddenly able to lie when we are told explicitly they are incapable of lies... the main body of totalitarian thought maintains the party line that all thought is known and contained, while the undetected undercurrents keep different forms of thought alive as resevoirs for survival. This in itself is subterfuge, lying is therefore part of the Trisolaran deep nature. Just one that they hide from themselves. This all reflects back on Chinese history and the need to purge intellectuals and provacateurs who were far more dangerous to the revolution than individual dissidents would be. Im reading Ai Weiwei's book One Thousand Years of Joy and Sorrow and it is actually a really excellent companion piece to the The Body Problem books for someone from the West to understand some of the background of the revolution and how the Chinese political body became so hyper-focused on stamping out reactionary thought.
@@patreekotime4578 its not a group conciousness their thoughts are simply visible near them. If one of them is physically separated from the rest they cant read his thoughts.
@@patreekotime4578 It would be better described as mass intelligence, rather than group consciousness, they can think by themselves, but aren't very good at doing so.
Feels like the Trisolarins could have easily terraformed Mars with their tech. Coexistence would be feasible. Hell, we could have given them Australia.
I find it interesting that the Trisolarans also sound much like another scifi race, but this time from anime. The Zentradi from Macross/Robotech were a race bred for one thing, war, to be soldiers. When they encounter the humans personally, they are shocked by men and women together, by love, by music, by culture. The Zentradi did not have a culture all their own.
I dont know what changed so that you can upload this much but im so glad it did. I have listened to everything at least 3 times. This stuff and dune stuff more than I'm willing to admit. Keep up the awesome content!
For me The Listener Trisolarian and Da Shi are the best characters of the saga, they help to move the plot and are crucial to the events on their books.
Probably the most epic scale science fiction ever written. I put the Three Body Problem series up there with Dune, Foundation, The Expanse, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, etc as a genre defining work of literature.
@@asant90 Your first point is completley subjective, and the second point is because its not a story about individuals. There is a cultural difference between Chinese literature & Western lit like LoTR. Its like complaining that DUNE only followed Paul's story for 1.5 books.
@@asant90yes the characters weren’t very well written, but that’s not the point of the books. It’s hard sci-fi, it’s all about exploring interesting ideas and science
That The Expanse found trought comment section on youtube is crazy. Def will watch. Also comparing 3 body problem to LoTR is mad, cuz Tolkien is a god compared to even creator of Dune or Foundation. GoT is not even on the map. It would be, if some random youtube guy, doesnt have to make conspiracy about all that old age where walkers probably got second wind in current time, nothing is known about ancient chinesse-like empire, time traveling bs or even where magic come from (that corner city of GoT). It should be canon. Also it is absolute crime that works like Hyperion Cantos are not mentioned or even put on other formats like series or games, which soon can be fixed by Warner Bros. and Bradley Cooper. Also I am missing Steven Erikson or Wheel of Time.
I've started reading the three body problem series based solely on you videos Quinn. You have greatly turned me on to books I never would have known of. I always thought of myself as a massive sci-fi fan but your videos have really opened my eyes to sci-fi stories that I was sorely missing in my reading.
I never gave the size of the Trisolarans a second thought. I just assumed they were slightly larger than humans because I've trained to thinks so by most Science Fiction I've read or watched. Just another reason why the Three Body Problem Series is brilliant.
I'd recommend the zones of thought series. It explores more the idea of a society where thoughts and intelligence is a shared thing requiring multiple individuals, but in another way. The dog-like Tines require a pack of 3 to 6 individuals in order to make a singular full self aware person. So they have a culture built on the science of creating and cultivating minds by mixing and matching individual bodies within a group. However the twist on the usual hive mind concept is that they're only able to function with an optimal number. Too many and they become dumber, until they become something too incoherent to be a single mind.
Ha, you beat me to it. Apart from everything you mentioned I am anxious to hear Quinn's opinion on the Zones themselves. Hell, the On-Off-Star alone would make for more than one great video - let alone its connotations for the zones.
So many interesting concepts in those books... the zones of thoughts themselves (and the cataclysmic tides that can go through them) are a great plot device, same with the transcended intelligence living in the Beyond that occasionally peer into the slow zones, like humans looking at fish in a pond (the exact metaphor in the book, if i recall correctly)
The size and intelligence of the Trisolarans, in Baoshu's sequel, sent chills through my spine as I read about them. I don't consider the rest of the sequel to be canon (because it's weird loll). But those small details about Trisolarans' biology was spot on! It just made so much sense!!! I felt as if I should have known all along, as if it was now so obvious! Suddenly, the lack of individuality within their social structure seemed perfectly normal, without the actual cognitive ability for an individual to be something complex. Individuals have tiny minuscule brains, they are extremely simple creatures, barely sentient. Communication generates intelligence, complexity. Therefore, when an individual becomes weak, sick or dysfunctional, it's not immoral to destroy them, it's necessary. Like a broken cell in our body. Even the Trisolarans themselves don't even seem to care that much when they must be killed. Even having sex kills them loll. What I would have liked to know are the demographics of the Trisolarans. There's a quadrillion ants on Earth (a million billions!)... So... Loll
@@ElZilchoYo Yeah, I know. Baoshu's sequel is far from perfectly coherent loll. I guess individual Trisolarans must have at least a functional level of intelligence. Maybe like a very simple human? They're clearly unable to grasp the complexity of the human brain, like metaphors, fiction, deceit, arts, etc. Humans have an exponential scientific curve, while Trisolarans have a flat, linear one. They're obviously limited. But I wonder how smart a single San-Ti might get... Maybe in the netflix show we'll get to see more!
I can't believe I'm only just now finding this series - I just watched every video in it (I'm about to listen to the music next). Remembrance of Earth's Past is maybe my favorite series ever, I fell so hard in love with it, and was devastated to find that not only are not many people making videos about it, but some of the people that are making them are kind of crappy people (bigots or people that just can't relate to non-American characters or whatever). This is a great video series. I could listen to you talk about these books forever!
I have to thank you for turning me on to what I think is hundreds of hours of audiobooks that I’ve listen to so far based on your recommendations. I have enjoyed them all
Just finished Death's End last night. What a gorgeously bleak tale of "deep time." It bears some similarity to John C Wright's "Eschaton Sequence." Like Da Liu's series, it follows three characters from a near Earth future, all the way to then end of time. It starts wild and over 7 books it never stops getting wilder.
I feel so blessed to have read these books before "The Remembrance of Earth's Past" series really started to catch on with the mainstream. So excited for the Netflix adaptation! I'm currently still reading "The Redemption of Time" and am only 100 pages in, at this point. But I'm loving your videos the most! Definitely one of the channels I've subscribed to this year!!
This universe as envisioned by Liu, has me absolutely captured by fascination, (tinged with horror and dread) at the truth I see in his vision. These books have truly invaded my thoughts and I somehow wish I could read them again as if for the first time... Thank you so much Quinn for your excellent work bringing the news of this great piece of SciFi to the masses. I look forward to your continued investigation and coverage of these and many other great works of Science Fiction; but more importantly, I cannot wait to finally have a copy of YOUR Graphic Novel: Tadhya,); and soon The Lie Behind the Star! BRAVO 👏👏👏
Plz keep this series going hearing your story’s on the three body problem is practically the only reason I watch yt anymore, I watch your vids on other sci-fi books but there’s just something different about this series it intrigues me so much
I remember watching RUclips, and You saying "most terrifying science fiction books series". I stopped the video to avoid spoilers, bought it all on Audible, listened it with great pleasure and with a great relief when it ended. It was great, the 1st book and THE revelation about the existence of the Trisolarans ... wow. But from there it was basically: - "How much worse it can get?!" - "Yes." Many times I felt that only someone who suffered "cultural revolution" could write such twists. I liked it, and I´ll never read it againg ... that I love. :) Thank You Quinn!
So stoked you upload so much more often! I’ve been here since you were in the 20k follower range and you deserve every follow you’ve been getting! Here’s to a million!
The Trisolarans being bug-like also fits the collective aspect of their civilization. Also, and I don't see this being pointed out very often, the Trisolaran system as described in the books is a critique of the current Chinese system.
Because it is. It's critique on authoritarian system that have been plagued the Chinese for years. And the Listener thought is an author insert opinion toward the Chinese regime today, but the Earth betrayer is a conflicted ideas that the author have which challenged it.
I haven't read the spin-off novel, but while reading the original trilogy - I'm glad you brought up water bears - I constantly pictured them as looking like tardigrades.
Really love your videos! Thank you so much for the hard work. Your commentary on the Three Body Problem series has kept me afloat - I can't get any of my friends to read it! 🤣 I absolutely loved this series and really enjoyed what you had to say about everything. I hope you can maybe talk about some of his other work like Ball Lightning in the future!
Intriguing! I'm really enjoying this exploration of the Three Body Problem novels. As for further scifi, Iain M Banks' "Culture" series is incredibly deep and rich.
I just started the series because of these videos. So thank you very much. I have no idea would made me start clicking on your videos several months ago, but because I did, I found amazing books with intresting concepts to read.
Fun fact: initially The Princeps (the First) was the Roman name for what we generally call "Emperor" and The Principate was the Roman word for their State. Principality, prince, princess, principal, etc. are words that have their root in this.
Really digging the three body content! ***Spoilers*** Maybe my favorite scene is at the end of book 2 when Luo Ji details the deterrence plan and the Trisolarans send him a "Eyyyyyyy you good bruh?"
One problem with the size of the Trisolarans. If they were so small why couldn't two races peacefully coexist on Earth? How much space and resources would rice grain sized creatures need after all? Let's not forget that not entire race was coming on their fleet but a fracture of it.
@@UnfollowYourDreams We pollute not because we are malicious or suicidal (since collapse of ecosystem will be our doom too) but because we haven't reached ecofriendly technological development) Trisollarans could have elevated to such a level of development, (by the way, in trilogy they kind a do that).
@@fernandogutemberg261 Again, let's take into consideration their minuscule size. How much energy and matter would a individual use? How many should they be to make it significant? Quadrillions? Sextillions? If I were them I would rather limit numbers of my population than force other side to use "Dark Forest Deterrence"
You are so talented and dedicated I feel you deserve much success. I’ve spent my money on the Remembrance of Earth's Past based on your videos. I would not have heard of the books otherwise.
Quinn, I've just finished the Three Body series based on your recommendations and videos. I really loved this series, it was a breath of fresh air and I really enjoyed the ideas presented and the central thesis, so... thank you! In regards to the physiology of the Trisolarans I agree there was foreshadowing of them being small creatures. Firstly, in reference to humanity as being bugs, which is one of the most terrifying things to come out of the end of the TBP. Also, there is a literary segue in TDF introduction, where the idea of Cosmic Sociology is first being introduced in the graveyard scene and an ant is crawling over the tombstone. Cixin ascribes feelings to the ant, but the ant is unable to get past its core programming of collective thought, much like the Trisolarans. I also like to think the ant (as a physical metaphor for the size of the Trisolarans) is symbolic ofthe sophons listening in at a crucial moment in history 🙂
One thing that is great about this channel is that even though Quinn does a great job himself, there are plenty of recommendations in the comments worth checking out. If I may add one of my own right now, it would have to be the Apple series Severance.
Never change to an AI based narration Quinn. Your intonation and pace are spot on perfect. The AI crap out now, no matter how interesting the topic, is just unlistenable. Thanks for your hard work
Nah, making the Trisol's into bugs is a bad idea and takes away from their fearsomeness as an enemy. Additionally, I doubt they could develop technology far more advanced than ours without being 'human-sized' and being able to manipulate matter/energy...build machines, etc. Otherwise water-bears would've evolved beyond us in intelligence. It'd make sense the Trisols are our size or larger.
quinn my man! love your videos and cant thank you enough for putting me onto this trilogy. i still cannot believe all of this came out of someone's brain. incredible that people can possess that amount of creativity oh i also wanted to mention...one of the ideas i haven't heard people discuss much is how this series relates to current humanity's decision making. if we venture out and find less intelligent life, do we become the hunters or do we take the path of the listener? this isn't a new idea in science fiction but having these books that can explain and demonstrate the reality of a dark forest scenario, especially with humanity as one of the victims, may change how people think about it quite a bit thanks again, cant wait for them to ruin the netflix show 😑
Would love to hear your thoughts on some Stanislaw Lem books like Solaris, His Master's Voice, or Invincible. I have the feeling they would go well with your kind of content.
I read the books. I loved them, but I was disappointed when Cixin Liu didn’t explain what they looked like. I also thought Boushu’s imagined them correctly in his spin off novel, mostly because I thought it would be ironically poetic if humanity was called “bugs” by aliens who themselves looked like bugs.
I understand why Cixin didn't show them, it's based on the principle that "nothing is scarier". If the danger isn't shown in it's full extent, we will never be sure of it's limits and it's capabilities. That's why good horror films don't show the monster until the end and why Lovecraftian tales never describe the elder gods at all. Keeping the Trisolarans mysterious was a good idea and made them even scarier. The twist that they were bugs in Boushu's book was pretty good though.
@@saucevc8353not going to lie. I always hated movies and shows that did that. Nothing but jump scares 80% of the time. Not even thought provoking. But im a hard seller on horror I guess. Except paranormal stuff. Then it makes sense to me not to show. But im lame.
@@williamthompson1455 Movies that fill themselves chock full of jumpscares are the opposite of this trope, because you see the monster all the time and it gets old fast. This would be more like a film that makes you think a monster is about to jump out at you the whole movie, but you never see what it actually is.
A lot of pieces start to fall into place if you imagine them as small bug like creatures instead of slightly bigger than humans. For example the dehydration process, in the VR game they pick humanoid Trisolarans from the storage buildings and throw them into a lake. If you are evolving to rehydrate at a moment's notice you'd need a potentially huge amount of water in close proximity to the buildings where you store the dehydrated population in order to revive them. (And remember that only a small amount of Trisolarans stayed hydrated and functional during Chaotic Eras)By the time you are finished rehydrating everyone the Stable Era might have already ended. But if you are a small species in size, you could use even puddles on the ground and the rehydration process is done very fast.
I just finished the 3rd book and never would've thought that they'd be so small. I even made a joke about Trisolarans being the best pasta makers in the universe because pasta is their way of life. Now that I know that they're very small, their pasta would be too small to even satiate a baby human.
I love the implication of them being the size of a grain of rice. Obviously their technology was far beyond humanity's, but just merely on a physical level no one would've found them threatening at all if they knew the truth about their physical appearance.
I have devoured the trilogy in just a week, and love every part of it. You're the one who introduced me to this incredible series of books, i watched one or two videos and was curious, and goddamn that was such a ride ! Big big thanks to you Quinn from the bottom of my heart !
I haven't read any of the books yet, thought i've just ordered them after watching your videos on the three body problem series. The most horrifying science fiction series of all time video hooked me in lol. Your videos are extremely entertaining/educational for me and are also helping me rediscover my love for Sci fi. Just wanted to say thank you for the content it really is top tier stuff. Much love from England and you have an awesome voice for story telling/audio books ❤️
The Redemption of Time did a splendid job expanding on the true nature of Trisolarans. The reveal towards the end seemed to flow so naturally from the trilogy that it felt like original intent.
The only point I have minor issues with, is that - if they are so tiny and deficient in independent cognition, that the listener could be posted in a lone role, and could act independently against the wishes of the society seems like it needs a little more explaining.
@@ThePurza yeah… a bit. I was a tiny bit put off even in the trilogy how the trisolarans were depicted as acting and thinking in very anthropicly familiar way. Although in the scenes describing the initial failed attempts to create a sophon, the interactions between the princepts and the scientists were hilarious, and reminded me very much of the pilot episode of Invader Zim for some reason.
@@encyclopath In my mind, the Trisolarans always were tiny or otherwise weak creatures individually. I expected this to be part of some final reveal in the trilogy and was genuinely surprised when it wasn't brought up. I have not read Redemption of Time yet, but I am looking forward to it.
@@pelgervampireduck the characters were never the selling point of the series. They are primarily vehicles through which the story is told. I’m pretty sure the author expressed that exact sentiment, too. That said, you’re free to take it or leave it 🤷🏻♂️
I have read the first two books of the series and I love the Trisolarian civilization that Cixin Liu has created. It's interesting to see the way their culture adapted to survive their unique environment.
Just finished Xenogenesis Trilogy, and Three-Body Problem before it, both brilliant and exactly the kind of original sci-fi I've thirsting for since reading Dune, Hyperion Cantos etc. Looks like your channel has now become my source of book recommendations, keep recommending these gems!
It seems weird that we could see the trail of their fleet in the cosmic dust lines if their bodies were small as grains of rice. I would think their ships would then also be very small and that the dust trails wouldn't be noticeable. I really like the idea of not knowing exactly what they looked like or their size.
@@szymonmaciejewski663 that still breaks the idea that one of them could reach out to her with any sort of secret. Unless it was BS bait the whole time.
@@m00ninite the one who answered her was, at that moment, alone, and therefore there was no one who knew what he was doing and could stop him. It wasn't a secret after a fact, because yeah, they can't hide their thoughts, so he couldn't lie that he didn't do it, and also trisolarians knew exactly which outpost has sent the answer.
I didn't read the books but I am watching the Netflix show. I had a feeling the Trisolarians were tiny, probably like the African flies and moth larvae that dehydrates during droughts, they do it by replacing the water in their bodies with a protein called trehalose, a disaccharide made up of two molecules of glucose, every living organism has trehalose from yeast to humans but only a few species of very small life forms can dehydrate their entire physical form by expanding/stretching trehalose, they call it "plasticity of regulatory systems". Anywho, I was right, they are pretty small, sounds like they look like fly larvae, or as I like to call them, maggots.
I just finished "Ad Infinitum" by Randall R. Scott. It's a short novella about time, free will within that structure, and complexity. It's a bit of a slow read due to some pretty heavy subject matter but, it makes up for it in the second half. I suggest you read it twice. I had to read it 4 times due to being more of a fantasy reader. I love your analysis of the dune series and I'm almost finished with the Dark Forest , thank you for this recommendation.
I think it is. I prefer the Rare Earth Hypothesis (life is not very common and that's why we don't see any), but the Dark Forest hypothesis is the theory i think is the second most likely.
I personally don't think it's a good solution, simply because we would have already been destroyed by now. It's almost impossible to hide an entire advanced civilization in space, because planets give off both biological and technological signatures. Life itself alters the biochemistry of a planet's atmosphere, and any advanced civilization hunting for other signs life would know exactly what to look for. A space faring civilization would also produce a lot of waste heat and emit signals into space that would be easily detectable. I think a possible solution for the Fermi Paradox is the "First Born Hypothesis". It's likely we are one of the first advanced civilizations in our galaxy. With all that being said, I really do love this book series! It's super thought provoking!!
So far from what we know, its plausible but no more plausible than say The Rare Earth hypothesis or The Great Filter. We would need a lot more data to move forward with these theories.
Thank you so much for introducing me to three body. As an aspiring speculative fiction writer myself this series is mindblowing. Hope you some day do a live disscussion stream or something.
I always imagine the Trisolarans as big moss piglets. I haven’t read redemption of time, but I figured that since Liu never outright says they have telepathy, the Trisolarans communicated by modulating their internal organs which were visible through their transparent skin.
@@Liboo52 happens, but its a pretty big part of the first book, and the motivation that basically kicks it all off (since it directly results in the contacting of trisolaris and Ye Wenjies betrayal of earth. the shocks of the cultural revolution are basically what motivates her to say "f*ck humanity"
In my opinion Cixin Liu makes a lot of non -believable choices in the books. For example, the chance that the nearest star system is inhabited by an advanced civilization is slim to none. It seems like an amazing coincidence for advanced life forms to evolve so close in the vastness of space. In fact, due the huge variations in the climate of the host planet it will be very difficult for life to evolve into complex forms. Moreover, their desire to conquer Earth means that they consider the environment here to be compatible with their environment and their needs, which is another hard-to-believe coincidence.
The show brought me to the books im halfway through the first and LOVE it. Though i do at least at the moment prefer the netflix characters besides Ye Whenjie, prefer her way more in the book.
I think this makes them turning on humanity make even more sense. at least in the series in that same scene they saw that we called those we hated "bugs" "insignificant little creatures to be squashed"
Can you make a video about the grand theme of entire series. The eternal conflict of The Master vs The Lurker and how they shaped the fundamental nature of the universe?
I started to follow because of your coverage of Dune (fantastic). I know fantasy isn't the common thing but I highly suggest Brandon Sandersons Cosmere as well as Stepen Erikson's Malazan series. Personally I find that both authors attempt to bridge sci fi and fantasy rather well.
Interesting - I haven't read the spinoff novel yet so the "you are bugs" makes a significant impact to me. That the "bugs" are calling humans "bugs" is a somewhat ironic and indicative of their hubris! I personally see a great deal of the Chinese mindset in the trisolaran empire... starved of everything but survival would be one possible outcome of living in that society, and I personally think the author is attempting to illustrate this to the reader. IMO.
I like how this channel talks about books nobody I can find has read or even has heard of like this series. And many of them are book readers. And it's hard to find vids on these books, too.
The books honestly broke me down a little bit as I read it. Even though it's sci-fi now, it might be a sort of prophetic book in the future. As I continued to ponder on the concepts inside the book, I quickly realised that we, as of 2023, are at a time when the world is tiny and the universe we can "touch" is tiny. We have high-speed travel and high-speed communication that made the world small. There is nothing much left to explore, nothing much to wonder about. Truly, our ancestors were lucky. However, our current tech will never allow us to experience the grandness of space. We are just the ants on the tombstone, only experiencing a tiny sliver of what's actually out there, and we, as of now, will never be fortunate enough to know what is possible for humanity in the far future. If hibernation was possible, I'd hop across time like the characters in the books. Crossing vast eras to experience the endless beauty and horror to come. I know it's not possible now and might never be. I might be old and dying when such possibilities might happen. It's truly sad and a bit depressing to understand that I was just born in the wrong time.
Three books/series I'd recommend to a sci-fi enthusiast would be; "the world at the end of time(Frederik Pohl), Marrow (Robert Reed) and Eon (Greg Bear)
I have either started to read or have read most books you cover thanks to your videos. Anytime you introduce a story i havnt heard of i go get it. I trust your judgment of literature, your my source for good sci-fi and i look forward to what you will share next.
I don't think the size of Trisolarians as really tiny makes much sense. We know that size and metabolism plays a key role in lifespan. In general larger animals live longer than smaller. If Trisolarians could live for hundreds of years they wouldn't be as small as a grain of rice.
@@RSK412 I totally agree with being fiction, the only thing is much of the series is considered hard sci-fi in that it a lot of technology is based on real science or possible science, (strong force material, sending information between entangled particles). I only read the original trilogy by Cixin Liu, but I wonder if the author of the extra book went away from hard sci-fi to soft sci-fi in which you can make up anything without basis in the actual laws of physics
@@briankurth4405 Please read Ball Lightning, set in this same universe. Then you'll see the series is more satire of hard sci-fi than anythihg. Even the TV show mocks people who feel like they have to understand how everything works.
Since the release of the series on Netflix, I'm glad to have found your video for some additional information. I was interested in reading the series as well and now more interested than before. I also thought the dehydration process possibly hinting at the Trisolarans small stature. Thanks for the insightful video.
Interesting, I didn't expect them to be the size of a grain of rice. There was a movie called invasion or something similar, where aliens were as big as a tiny rock, but they were parasites. I would like to see you do a video on Dan Simmons Olympus and Ilium series.
The size of the Trisolarans reminds me of a quote by Douglas Adams, it goes: "...the mighty ships tore across the empty wastes of space and finally dived screaming on to the first planet they came across - which happened to be the Earth - where due to a terrible miscalculation of scale the entire battle fleet was accidentally swallowed by a small dog." 🤣
Entertainingly miscalculated irony indeed 😅😝
Hahaha!
Douglas Adams is the only author who made me laugh while reading his book. Most books rarely get a grin out of me.
I know the quote, is kind of profound in a way as a wormhole opens up while arthur is saying: "I seem to be having tremendous difficulty with my lifestyle" and this is a terrible insult to the race who being total warmongers decide to travel across thousands of years. in a way, its the dark forest? Or serious, i know its comedy, but the randomness of alien encounters may have totally random miscommunications and make little to no sense to us, which is part of the profundity of Adam's satire of scifis which all have to have theories and make deductive sense.
Another freak dimensional anomaly caused a race to worship his act of getting mad at a coffee machine and build gigantic statues of him throwing a coffee cup too.
@@dannyg4383 “Men were men, women were women, and small furry creatures were small furry creatures.”
*SPOILERS* - I think it was a very important part of the original trilogy that earth never saw the Trisolarans. It gave them an even greater psychological advantage because an imagined threat can be far more intimidating than a known threat. It also allows the reader to constantly change their perception of them as the story continues. And, it makes scenes like the living computer even more crazy to imagine when you think about human size creatures trying such an endeavor.
The revelation of them being insect like, canon or not, was great because when you look back and apply it to their decision making process it produces a lot of AHAH moments. Like how they were willing to force humans to survive by cannibalizing each other. I think humans would be more reluctant to use a tactic like that, even on an alien race, because it is a barbaric concept to us. But for them, they put little value on the individual life, so they have no issue forcing that mentality on another race.
Nazis did it in WW2
They are basically the equivalent to sapient ants, which actually makes it more terrifying imo. Think of the sheer physical scale that they are able to operate on: the droplet or the recreation of a human body to scale in comparison to them, scale that up to a creation of that size for something humans would create at the same level.
But there is only so far they can stretch the laws of physics, so it explains why, despite their tech, they couldn’t physically solve the terraforming issue. Imagine trying to manufacture a modern bulldozer while your population is ant-sized. Scaling up machines to build bigger machines ad nauseum to make your desert hell a little cooler….or just spend a fraction of the resources smacking the local monkey population and transporting your whole civilzation to a tropical resort.
Just like chinese
@@jaguillermol you think chinese people are living computers incapable of lying who live on a planet with three suns?
@@harveyflippers9531 What terraforming issue? The problem with the trisolar world was the three body problem throwing it around and inevitably destroying it meaning the only solution would be either removing one sun or distrupting the suns into a stable configuration which probably requires solving the three body problem.
The lack of culture among the Trisolarans highlights an interesting idea that Liu touched on, but then abandoned: the idea that the stagnation and death of art can be an existential threat. We see the Trisolarans become obsessed with Earth culture in both the second and third books. This could potentially been used as a weapon by Earth to destabilize Trisolaran society or force a symbiotic relationship, even though it ultimately wasn't.
I was surprised that the description of cultural appreciation exploding among trisolarans after exposure to earth didn’t end up being a prelude to fundamental subversion and upheaval of their society
@_____ well, consider the source
Robotech
He wrote another short story where an alien artist comes to Earth and towards the end it is implied the author doesn't like art at all and sees it as a waste of time. But then again in his novels, he seems to dislike humanity a lot. He makes many references to Chinese history especially imperialism and communism but he has to be discrete because of the CCP.
@@encyclopath yeh book makes a lot more sense if you think of modern Chinese history
The Trisolarans being so tiny also makes the scene in the first book where they're said to have arranged themselves into a circuit board seem a lot more plausible.
why? a huge crowd of human beings reading each other’s minds would have exactly the same effect. each would perceive what the other perceives. there would be no delay, it’s instantaneous crowd computing.
they also mention how they can do the switches hundreds of times a second, making it even more plausible
If you read ants vs dinosaurs by Cixin Liu. His description of the ants feels similar
@@tonoornottono It was kind of described like a grade school exercise where everyone did a basic boolean logic gate. That doesn't really scale up very quickly. Processing power is roughly proportional to clock speed and the number of logic gates. Trisolarians where described as being able to do hundreds of these calculations per second, so lets round to 1kHz, but consumer microprocessors near 1980 where hitting 1MHz so you need a thousand people to perform parallel calculations to replicate the performance. Replicating the power of an Atari 2600 with it's ~10k logic gates would require close to 10 million people. That was roughly the point processing power wise where digital computers could efficiently simulate moderately complex physical systems.
Wow touché man I appreciated your sharing that comment.
Tiny nitpick: The Trisolarans did actually solve the Three Body Problem in the book. The real issue was that when they used it to predict the future of their civilization, they realized it was doomed to fall into one of their suns eventually. That's why they needed to invade Earth.
Question, as someone with very little physics/maths background: can't the three body problem just be brute forced in simulation? Wouldnt they be able to figure that out long before they actually solved the three body problem?
@@SJNaka101 The issue with that its that it's a chaoitic system which means the smallest approximation or error in recording makes it go completely wrong after sometime. Its the same reason as to why we can't predict weather with any degree of accuracy more than a week away and even within that week there'll be lots of chance for error.
Now any good calender would be needed to predict millennia of time not just weeks.
@@SJNaka101 since the first book it's said it's was done tons of simulations without results , actually a group of trisolarian supporters on earth wanted to help to solve the Three Body Problem in hope if they did it, the Trisolarian invasion would permit coexistence between species.
But I remember it was not mentioned on first or second book that Three Body Problem was solved, so probably happens in the third or the spinoff.
Thanks for the explanation guys, that makes sense. Any tiny error becomes hugely magnified over time such that the simulation becomes worthless. Much appreciate learning something new today!
@@SJNaka101 Also, another thing about the 3 body problem(which we too experience in the solar system to a lesser degree) is that there is no pattern and no stability so the system tends towards one part being consumed by the other or being ejected from the solar system all together.
And as I said, our solar system has this same problem to a lesser extent as do all systems so it is predicted in the eons after the end of star formation in the universe, our sun will eject away all the planets or have them crash into it until its either just the sun or the sun and Jupiter but in a 3 body system(a system with 3 bodies of similar size instead of one just dominating the other) this will happen so much faster instead of ours where it will take billions of billions of billions of years or more.
I keep imagining tiny, pissed off Daleks squawking "YOU WILL BE REHYDRATED! REHYDRATE! REHYDRATE!"
😂
😂😂😂
The Daleks are kinda similar in concept to the Trisolarans. Tiny, little mutated squid things that need large scary machines to intimidate their enemies
"They're bugs!"
This blew my mind. Quinn, I am so grateful for your work and exposing me to this book trilogy. All that I know of it is what you have progressively revealed, but I have learned of and been horrified by the Droplet, all the history of Earth in dealing with the menace and now to learn that they are tiny little beings the size of grains of rice, it feels wonderfully appropriately weird and just the kind of impossible that bears the mark of sincerity. I've been thinking on it all day. Thank you so much for the compelling ideas, I really value them! Godspeed, Quinn!
🌟
@@murasaki9 Absolutely. Do creatures the size of rice have a different relationship with molecules? How different? Does their ratio of size compared to atoms have an effect on that development of advanced atomic and sub-atomic technology? It's so fascinating to suppose this direction of thought.
@@ikenosis8160 its impossible that this kind of aliens would exist, for starters no planet would be that small in scale of their body for them to be able to have a civilazation like earth second that is also true about giants look at dinos they did not survive because of their size plus the climate change caused by the asteroid
now if we talk about human size ants that is possible,,, also scary
@@eastbow6053……it’s fiction.
Bootie Bits
Were they really that small? You would think if they're that small, as someone already mentioned, they can come to earth secretly without invading us and live amongst us without anyone noticing.
"Surviving and existing are very different from living and thriving." Today's my birthday and I swear this channel was the best present I got. So happy I discovered this! Thank you!
Happy for you, and belated Happy Birthday. :3
Trisolarans seem to be partially inspired by Tardigrades. It was also quite obvious in other aspects from the trilogy they were very small, especially with all the stories of the ant watching humans.
ya, but they are way way bigger than the tardigrades.
@@lagrangewei how do you know?
@@jaykrizzle Trisolaris are size of rice grain. Tardigrade are invisible to human eyes.
@@leitodamien3835 isn't that based on non Canon fan fiction
@@jaykrizzle It's based on the book Cixin Liu approved as canon. So no, not "fan fiction". Disagree? Write a letter to the Cixin Liu and tell him he's wrong.
One of the things that Trisolaran mass cognition implies is that Listener was not a lone dissatisfied actor. If Trisolarans are truely incapable of individual thought to such an extreme degree, then the Listener must represent an aspect of Trisolaran group thought... an undercurrent that constantly runs counter to the mass desire. And there is good evolutionary reasoning for this. A truely singleminded group consciousness would be inflexible to change and not adaptable, and adaptability is the most important trait for a species on a planet in a three-body system. So the species has to have a mechanism to cultivate undercurrents of subversive thought, even while the totalitarian impulse remains the dominant force. So the Listener is then perhaps a focal point for a collective subversion, which is why he desires things like love and art that he cannot possibly really have personal references for. Its why he feels this strong empathy towards Earth culture, because of the subversive leanings of other individuals. He is then the Listener not just Earth signals, but of those kinds of thoughts within the collective. This also explains the need for extreme martial law. Deviants are then not lone bad actors in Trisolaran society, but focal points for mass anti-social thought. Which makes them far more dangerous to the totalitarian body than a lone actor. But it also explains how they were suddenly able to lie when we are told explicitly they are incapable of lies... the main body of totalitarian thought maintains the party line that all thought is known and contained, while the undetected undercurrents keep different forms of thought alive as resevoirs for survival. This in itself is subterfuge, lying is therefore part of the Trisolaran deep nature. Just one that they hide from themselves.
This all reflects back on Chinese history and the need to purge intellectuals and provacateurs who were far more dangerous to the revolution than individual dissidents would be. Im reading Ai Weiwei's book One Thousand Years of Joy and Sorrow and it is actually a really excellent companion piece to the The Body Problem books for someone from the West to understand some of the background of the revolution and how the Chinese political body became so hyper-focused on stamping out reactionary thought.
well the listener was alone for a long time
@@Blaketarded No one is alone in a group consciousness.
This is modern america. Become one with the collective and regurgitate the dictated narrative or else there will be "consequences".
@@patreekotime4578 its not a group conciousness their thoughts are simply visible near them. If one of them is physically separated from the rest they cant read his thoughts.
@@patreekotime4578 It would be better described as mass intelligence, rather than group consciousness, they can think by themselves, but aren't very good at doing so.
Feels like the Trisolarins could have easily terraformed Mars with their tech. Coexistence would be feasible. Hell, we could have given them Australia.
KEK
You mean America.
@@benenator America still has guns and some belligerence. Australia has been neutered and would be a perfect sacrifice.
@@benenator I am ok with giving them California its almost a alien planet at this point anyway
Right lol logic throws most alien sci Fi out the window 🪟
I find it interesting that the Trisolarans also sound much like another scifi race, but this time from anime. The Zentradi from Macross/Robotech were a race bred for one thing, war, to be soldiers. When they encounter the humans personally, they are shocked by men and women together, by love, by music, by culture. The Zentradi did not have a culture all their own.
I dont know what changed so that you can upload this much but im so glad it did. I have listened to everything at least 3 times. This stuff and dune stuff more than I'm willing to admit. Keep up the awesome content!
Yeah, he's pumping out the content.
My guy got his stride
@@Drega001 ...or lost his job...
@@hypocriticalnihilist645 I sincerely hope not, or at least I hope he has another source of income.
For me The Listener Trisolarian and Da Shi are the best characters of the saga, they help to move the plot and are crucial to the events on their books.
Loving more frequent videos and stuff about the 3 Body series.
same
o7
Probably the most epic scale science fiction ever written. I put the Three Body Problem series up there with Dune, Foundation, The Expanse, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, etc as a genre defining work of literature.
It ended very badly and character development was almost nonexistent
@@asant90 Your first point is completley subjective, and the second point is because its not a story about individuals. There is a cultural difference between Chinese literature & Western lit like LoTR.
Its like complaining that DUNE only followed Paul's story for 1.5 books.
@@asant90yes the characters weren’t very well written, but that’s not the point of the books. It’s hard sci-fi, it’s all about exploring interesting ideas and science
Going to give Foundation a watch based on your list
That The Expanse found trought comment section on youtube is crazy. Def will watch. Also comparing 3 body problem to LoTR is mad, cuz Tolkien is a god compared to even creator of Dune or Foundation. GoT is not even on the map. It would be, if some random youtube guy, doesnt have to make conspiracy about all that old age where walkers probably got second wind in current time, nothing is known about ancient chinesse-like empire, time traveling bs or even where magic come from (that corner city of GoT). It should be canon. Also it is absolute crime that works like Hyperion Cantos are not mentioned or even put on other formats like series or games, which soon can be fixed by Warner Bros. and Bradley Cooper. Also I am missing Steven Erikson or Wheel of Time.
I've started reading the three body problem series based solely on you videos Quinn. You have greatly turned me on to books I never would have known of. I always thought of myself as a massive sci-fi fan but your videos have really opened my eyes to sci-fi stories that I was sorely missing in my reading.
I never gave the size of the Trisolarans a second thought. I just assumed they were slightly larger than humans because I've trained to thinks so by most Science Fiction I've read or watched.
Just another reason why the Three Body Problem Series is brilliant.
I'd recommend the zones of thought series. It explores more the idea of a society where thoughts and intelligence is a shared thing requiring multiple individuals, but in another way. The dog-like Tines require a pack of 3 to 6 individuals in order to make a singular full self aware person. So they have a culture built on the science of creating and cultivating minds by mixing and matching individual bodies within a group. However the twist on the usual hive mind concept is that they're only able to function with an optimal number. Too many and they become dumber, until they become something too incoherent to be a single mind.
Ha, you beat me to it. Apart from everything you mentioned I am anxious to hear Quinn's opinion on the Zones themselves. Hell, the On-Off-Star alone would make for more than one great video - let alone its connotations for the zones.
So many interesting concepts in those books... the zones of thoughts themselves (and the cataclysmic tides that can go through them) are a great plot device, same with the transcended intelligence living in the Beyond that occasionally peer into the slow zones, like humans looking at fish in a pond (the exact metaphor in the book, if i recall correctly)
I really hope we get another book in that series to wrap things up. Lots of very interesting ideas, but I found where it left off to be unsatisfying.
The size and intelligence of the Trisolarans, in Baoshu's sequel, sent chills through my spine as I read about them. I don't consider the rest of the sequel to be canon (because it's weird loll). But those small details about Trisolarans' biology was spot on! It just made so much sense!!! I felt as if I should have known all along, as if it was now so obvious!
Suddenly, the lack of individuality within their social structure seemed perfectly normal, without the actual cognitive ability for an individual to be something complex. Individuals have tiny minuscule brains, they are extremely simple creatures, barely sentient. Communication generates intelligence, complexity. Therefore, when an individual becomes weak, sick or dysfunctional, it's not immoral to destroy them, it's necessary. Like a broken cell in our body. Even the Trisolarans themselves don't even seem to care that much when they must be killed. Even having sex kills them loll.
What I would have liked to know are the demographics of the Trisolarans. There's a quadrillion ants on Earth (a million billions!)... So... Loll
It contradicts the listener betraying his species though, he made a very independent individualist action.
@@ElZilchoYo Yeah, I know. Baoshu's sequel is far from perfectly coherent loll. I guess individual Trisolarans must have at least a functional level of intelligence. Maybe like a very simple human? They're clearly unable to grasp the complexity of the human brain, like metaphors, fiction, deceit, arts, etc. Humans have an exponential scientific curve, while Trisolarans have a flat, linear one. They're obviously limited. But I wonder how smart a single San-Ti might get... Maybe in the netflix show we'll get to see more!
A lot of humans die during and after having sex too 😂
@@ElZilchoYo It is implied he got out of their collective somehow and thats how he started having dangerous thougths
@@gustavoritter7321 It isn't, they dont have collective thoughts.
I can't believe I'm only just now finding this series - I just watched every video in it (I'm about to listen to the music next). Remembrance of Earth's Past is maybe my favorite series ever, I fell so hard in love with it, and was devastated to find that not only are not many people making videos about it, but some of the people that are making them are kind of crappy people (bigots or people that just can't relate to non-American characters or whatever). This is a great video series. I could listen to you talk about these books forever!
I have to thank you for turning me on to what I think is hundreds of hours of audiobooks that I’ve listen to so far based on your recommendations. I have enjoyed them all
Just finished Death's End last night. What a gorgeously bleak tale of "deep time." It bears some similarity to John C Wright's "Eschaton Sequence." Like Da Liu's series, it follows three characters from a near Earth future, all the way to then end of time. It starts wild and over 7 books it never stops getting wilder.
I feel so blessed to have read these books before "The Remembrance of Earth's Past" series really started to catch on with the mainstream. So excited for the Netflix adaptation! I'm currently still reading "The Redemption of Time" and am only 100 pages in, at this point. But I'm loving your videos the most! Definitely one of the channels I've subscribed to this year!!
Quinn I feel it's a privilege to be around to hear you explain these concepts, you are really exciting minds out here.
I really appreciate you making these videos, this is one of the most unique and engaging stories in sci-fi. So please keep making more videos!
This universe as envisioned by Liu, has me absolutely captured by fascination, (tinged with horror and dread) at the truth I see in his vision. These books have truly invaded my thoughts and I somehow wish I could read them again as if for the first time...
Thank you so much Quinn for your excellent work bringing the news of this great piece of SciFi to the masses.
I look forward to your continued investigation and coverage of these and many other great works of Science Fiction; but more importantly, I cannot wait to finally have a copy of YOUR Graphic Novel: Tadhya,); and soon The Lie Behind the Star!
BRAVO 👏👏👏
Plz keep this series going hearing your story’s on the three body problem is practically the only reason I watch yt anymore, I watch your vids on other sci-fi books but there’s just something different about this series it intrigues me so much
Quinn up early dropping goated content on your Tuesday like its no big thing.
I remember watching RUclips, and You saying "most terrifying science fiction books series". I stopped the video to avoid spoilers, bought it all on Audible, listened it with great pleasure and with a great relief when it ended. It was great, the 1st book and THE revelation about the existence of the Trisolarans ... wow. But from there it was basically:
- "How much worse it can get?!"
- "Yes."
Many times I felt that only someone who suffered "cultural revolution" could write such twists. I liked it, and I´ll never read it againg ... that I love. :)
Thank You Quinn!
Thank you for making these videos. I never would have found this series if it wasn't for one of your posts and it blew my mind.
Almost finished with 3 Body Problem, and wow! Thank you for making us aware of this book!
Thank you! Love your channel! Been wonderful watching your base grow over the years. Cheers!
So stoked you upload so much more often! I’ve been here since you were in the 20k follower range and you deserve every follow you’ve been getting! Here’s to a million!
Man.... you're on a roll.
Thought exactly the same... this man is in overdrive 🤓
...with butter and jam!
The Trisolarans being bug-like also fits the collective aspect of their civilization.
Also, and I don't see this being pointed out very often, the Trisolaran system as described in the books is a critique of the current Chinese system.
I had the same thought while watching this video. (I mean the critique part)
Because it is. It's critique on authoritarian system that have been plagued the Chinese for years. And the Listener thought is an author insert opinion toward the Chinese regime today, but the Earth betrayer is a conflicted ideas that the author have which challenged it.
You just have thought too much.
the whole first sequence of the cultural revolution in china kind of makes this obvious no?
One of my absolute favorite RUclipsrs.
I haven't read the spin-off novel, but while reading the original trilogy - I'm glad you brought up water bears - I constantly pictured them as looking like tardigrades.
Really love your videos! Thank you so much for the hard work. Your commentary on the Three Body Problem series has kept me afloat - I can't get any of my friends to read it! 🤣
I absolutely loved this series and really enjoyed what you had to say about everything. I hope you can maybe talk about some of his other work like Ball Lightning in the future!
I am grateful for this channel as I could never read all these stories but can still enjoy the summarized ideas .
Intriguing! I'm really enjoying this exploration of the Three Body Problem novels.
As for further scifi, Iain M Banks' "Culture" series is incredibly deep and rich.
I just started the series because of these videos. So thank you very much. I have no idea would made me start clicking on your videos several months ago, but because I did, I found amazing books with intresting concepts to read.
This is the series that I'm currently obsessed about! also thanks to you I read(finished in 4 days it was SO GOOD) Children of time recently!!!
Fun fact: initially The Princeps (the First) was the Roman name for what we generally call "Emperor" and The Principate was the Roman word for their State. Principality, prince, princess, principal, etc. are words that have their root in this.
Really digging the three body content! ***Spoilers***
Maybe my favorite scene is at the end of book 2 when Luo Ji details the deterrence plan and the Trisolarans send him a "Eyyyyyyy you good bruh?"
Luo Ji, literally about to shoot himself and take the entire solar system with him: "... What do you think"
they even wanted to send and Uber haha
Ayyyy bruh bruh bruh no need 4 all that homie jus j-just p-put down that g-gat Luo homie nah nah nah chillllll bruhhhhhh
I actually laughed when they said “Do you need us to call an ambulance for you?”
One of the best scenes in any book I've read. So damn cool. What a guy, no wonder they tried to have him assassinated repeatedly.
Wow!!! Nice final twist for the 3 body problem. Really didn't expect that... You did really well by saving the final twist for now.
One problem with the size of the Trisolarans. If they were so small why couldn't two races peacefully coexist on Earth? How much space and resources would rice grain sized creatures need after all? Let's not forget that not entire race was coming on their fleet but a fracture of it.
Yeah why would they need all the world except Australia? Literally all of them can live easily in a tiny island.
IF they Had a boom im population because of Earths Stable enviroment, no single world could garantee enough resources.
Just look at the noumerous world wide groups attempting to save bees from extinction. Our destructive behaviour doesn't spare creatures of any size.
@@UnfollowYourDreams We pollute not because we are malicious or suicidal (since collapse of ecosystem will be our doom too) but because we haven't reached ecofriendly technological development) Trisollarans could have elevated to such a level of development, (by the way, in trilogy they kind a do that).
@@fernandogutemberg261 Again, let's take into consideration their minuscule size. How much energy and matter would a individual use? How many should they be to make it significant? Quadrillions? Sextillions? If I were them I would rather limit numbers of my population than force other side to use "Dark Forest Deterrence"
Man, this is such a good series. However, I'm stuck going between this series and children of time. Love your work my guy!
You are so talented and dedicated I feel you deserve much success.
I’ve spent my money on the Remembrance of Earth's Past based on your videos.
I would not have heard of the books otherwise.
Same! On the second book now.
Quinn, I've just finished the Three Body series based on your recommendations and videos. I really loved this series, it was a breath of fresh air and I really enjoyed the ideas presented and the central thesis, so... thank you!
In regards to the physiology of the Trisolarans I agree there was foreshadowing of them being small creatures. Firstly, in reference to humanity as being bugs, which is one of the most terrifying things to come out of the end of the TBP. Also, there is a literary segue in TDF introduction, where the idea of Cosmic Sociology is first being introduced in the graveyard scene and an ant is crawling over the tombstone. Cixin ascribes feelings to the ant, but the ant is unable to get past its core programming of collective thought, much like the Trisolarans. I also like to think the ant (as a physical metaphor for the size of the Trisolarans) is symbolic ofthe sophons listening in at a crucial moment in history 🙂
One thing that is great about this channel is that even though Quinn does a great job himself, there are plenty of recommendations in the comments worth checking out.
If I may add one of my own right now, it would have to be the Apple series Severance.
Never change to an AI based narration Quinn. Your intonation and pace are spot on perfect.
The AI crap out now, no matter how interesting the topic, is just unlistenable.
Thanks for your hard work
Nah, making the Trisol's into bugs is a bad idea and takes away from their fearsomeness as an enemy. Additionally, I doubt they could develop technology far more advanced than ours without being 'human-sized' and being able to manipulate matter/energy...build machines, etc. Otherwise water-bears would've evolved beyond us in intelligence. It'd make sense the Trisols are our size or larger.
quinn my man! love your videos and cant thank you enough for putting me onto this trilogy. i still cannot believe all of this came out of someone's brain. incredible that people can possess that amount of creativity
oh i also wanted to mention...one of the ideas i haven't heard people discuss much is how this series relates to current humanity's decision making. if we venture out and find less intelligent life, do we become the hunters or do we take the path of the listener? this isn't a new idea in science fiction but having these books that can explain and demonstrate the reality of a dark forest scenario, especially with humanity as one of the victims, may change how people think about it quite a bit
thanks again, cant wait for them to ruin the netflix show 😑
Would love to hear your thoughts on some Stanislaw Lem books like Solaris, His Master's Voice, or Invincible. I have the feeling they would go well with your kind of content.
i love the Cixin Liu´s books, he is a really good sci-fi writer.
I read the books. I loved them, but I was disappointed when Cixin Liu didn’t explain what they looked like. I also thought Boushu’s imagined them correctly in his spin off novel, mostly because I thought it would be ironically poetic if humanity was called “bugs” by aliens who themselves looked like bugs.
I understand why Cixin didn't show them, it's based on the principle that "nothing is scarier". If the danger isn't shown in it's full extent, we will never be sure of it's limits and it's capabilities. That's why good horror films don't show the monster until the end and why Lovecraftian tales never describe the elder gods at all. Keeping the Trisolarans mysterious was a good idea and made them even scarier. The twist that they were bugs in Boushu's book was pretty good though.
@@saucevc8353not going to lie. I always hated movies and shows that did that. Nothing but jump scares 80% of the time. Not even thought provoking. But im a hard seller on horror I guess. Except paranormal stuff. Then it makes sense to me not to show. But im lame.
@@williamthompson1455 Movies that fill themselves chock full of jumpscares are the opposite of this trope, because you see the monster all the time and it gets old fast. This would be more like a film that makes you think a monster is about to jump out at you the whole movie, but you never see what it actually is.
A lot of pieces start to fall into place if you imagine them as small bug like creatures instead of slightly bigger than humans. For example the dehydration process, in the VR game they pick humanoid Trisolarans from the storage buildings and throw them into a lake. If you are evolving to rehydrate at a moment's notice you'd need a potentially huge amount of water in close proximity to the buildings where you store the dehydrated population in order to revive them. (And remember that only a small amount of Trisolarans stayed hydrated and functional during Chaotic Eras)By the time you are finished rehydrating everyone the Stable Era might have already ended. But if you are a small species in size, you could use even puddles on the ground and the rehydration process is done very fast.
@@saucevc8353 this isn't really true. it's more of a bad excuse for not being able to pay off an important part of the story
Thanks!
I just finished the 3rd book and never would've thought that they'd be so small. I even made a joke about Trisolarans being the best pasta makers in the universe because pasta is their way of life. Now that I know that they're very small, their pasta would be too small to even satiate a baby human.
Wasn’t their size only revealed in redemption of time?
@@encyclopath yeah. I meant, just before I watched the video I finished the 3rd book. I only know from this video. Haha
@@hkmrsrg1367 ohh, 👍
I love the implication of them being the size of a grain of rice. Obviously their technology was far beyond humanity's, but just merely on a physical level no one would've found them threatening at all if they knew the truth about their physical appearance.
I could listen to you all day delving into sci-fi. Truly elaquant in your descriptions.
I have devoured the trilogy in just a week, and love every part of it. You're the one who introduced me to this incredible series of books, i watched one or two videos and was curious, and goddamn that was such a ride !
Big big thanks to you Quinn from the bottom of my heart !
In just a week!? *high five*
Damn u read really fast.
@@Rodrigoooous to be honest, I was in holidays and had a full week to do nothing but read :P
I haven't read any of the books yet, thought i've just ordered them after watching your videos on the three body problem series. The most horrifying science fiction series of all time video hooked me in lol. Your videos are extremely entertaining/educational for me and are also helping me rediscover my love for Sci fi.
Just wanted to say thank you for the content it really is top tier stuff. Much love from England and you have an awesome voice for story telling/audio books ❤️
The Redemption of Time did a splendid job expanding on the true nature of Trisolarans. The reveal towards the end seemed to flow so naturally from the trilogy that it felt like original intent.
The only point I have minor issues with, is that - if they are so tiny and deficient in independent cognition, that the listener could be posted in a lone role, and could act independently against the wishes of the society seems like it needs a little more explaining.
@@ThePurza yeah… a bit. I was a tiny bit put off even in the trilogy how the trisolarans were depicted as acting and thinking in very anthropicly familiar way.
Although in the scenes describing the initial failed attempts to create a sophon, the interactions between the princepts and the scientists were hilarious, and reminded me very much of the pilot episode of Invader Zim for some reason.
@@encyclopath In my mind, the Trisolarans always were tiny or otherwise weak creatures individually. I expected this to be part of some final reveal in the trilogy and was genuinely surprised when it wasn't brought up. I have not read Redemption of Time yet, but I am looking forward to it.
@@pelgervampireduck the characters were never the selling point of the series. They are primarily vehicles through which the story is told. I’m pretty sure the author expressed that exact sentiment, too. That said, you’re free to take it or leave it 🤷🏻♂️
By the way, re: the extra dimensional giant space eyeball monster they accidentally summoned, I both love and hate that was never later expanded upon
I have read the first two books of the series and I love the Trisolarian civilization that Cixin Liu has created. It's interesting to see the way their culture adapted to survive their unique environment.
Just finished Xenogenesis Trilogy, and Three-Body Problem before it, both brilliant and exactly the kind of original sci-fi I've thirsting for since reading Dune, Hyperion Cantos etc. Looks like your channel has now become my source of book recommendations, keep recommending these gems!
You for yourself a new patron Quin! My man more 3body problem vids you earned yourself some of my money! 🤣
It seems weird that we could see the trail of their fleet in the cosmic dust lines if their bodies were small as grains of rice. I would think their ships would then also be very small and that the dust trails wouldn't be noticeable. I really like the idea of not knowing exactly what they looked like or their size.
I've read and listened to the series, and yet somehow your voice is the clearest way i remember them
If Trisolarans do not have private thought, how did one of them message her back about being a pacifist.
I would also like to know this.
It's not that they couldn't think on their own. They just couldn't hide their thoughts from each other.
@@szymonmaciejewski663 that still breaks the idea that one of them could reach out to her with any sort of secret. Unless it was BS bait the whole time.
@@m00ninite the one who answered her was, at that moment, alone, and therefore there was no one who knew what he was doing and could stop him. It wasn't a secret after a fact, because yeah, they can't hide their thoughts, so he couldn't lie that he didn't do it, and also trisolarians knew exactly which outpost has sent the answer.
Quinn you have made me realize how much I actually love sci fi. Freaking great content, thank you.
Just finished watching it on Netflix. Hope there is season 2 and 3
I didn't read the books but I am watching the Netflix show. I had a feeling the Trisolarians were tiny, probably like the African flies and moth larvae that dehydrates during droughts, they do it by replacing the water in their bodies with a protein called trehalose, a disaccharide made up of two molecules of glucose, every living organism has trehalose from yeast to humans but only a few species of very small life forms can dehydrate their entire physical form by expanding/stretching trehalose, they call it "plasticity of regulatory systems". Anywho, I was right, they are pretty small, sounds like they look like fly larvae, or as I like to call them, maggots.
I just finished "Ad Infinitum" by Randall R. Scott. It's a short novella about time, free will within that structure, and complexity. It's a bit of a slow read due to some pretty heavy subject matter but, it makes up for it in the second half. I suggest you read it twice. I had to read it 4 times due to being more of a fantasy reader. I love your analysis of the dune series and I'm almost finished with the Dark Forest , thank you for this recommendation.
You make some of the best content. I have read almost every book you have recommended.
Do you think The Dark Forest is a likely solution to the Fermi Paradox?
I think it is. I prefer the Rare Earth Hypothesis (life is not very common and that's why we don't see any), but the Dark Forest hypothesis is the theory i think is the second most likely.
I personally don't think it's a good solution, simply because we would have already been destroyed by now. It's almost impossible to hide an entire advanced civilization in space, because planets give off both biological and technological signatures. Life itself alters the biochemistry of a planet's atmosphere, and any advanced civilization hunting for other signs life would know exactly what to look for. A space faring civilization would also produce a lot of waste heat and emit signals into space that would be easily detectable.
I think a possible solution for the Fermi Paradox is the "First Born Hypothesis". It's likely we are one of the first advanced civilizations in our galaxy.
With all that being said, I really do love this book series! It's super thought provoking!!
So far from what we know, its plausible but no more plausible than say The Rare Earth hypothesis or The Great Filter. We would need a lot more data to move forward with these theories.
Thank you so much for introducing me to three body. As an aspiring speculative fiction writer myself this series is mindblowing. Hope you some day do a live disscussion stream or something.
I always imagine the Trisolarans as big moss piglets. I haven’t read redemption of time, but I figured that since Liu never outright says they have telepathy, the Trisolarans communicated by modulating their internal organs which were visible through their transparent skin.
he actually does explain that their thoughts produce electro magnetic waves (aka light). so....
@@svenlauke1190 oh really? I guess I just forgot that part. Thanks for the explanation
@@Liboo52 happens, but its a pretty big part of the first book, and the motivation that basically kicks it all off (since it directly results in the contacting of trisolaris and Ye Wenjies betrayal of earth. the shocks of the cultural revolution are basically what motivates her to say "f*ck humanity"
In my opinion Cixin Liu makes a lot of non -believable choices in the books. For example, the chance that the nearest star system is inhabited by an advanced civilization is slim to none. It seems like an amazing coincidence for advanced life forms to evolve so close in the vastness of space. In fact, due the huge variations in the climate of the host planet it will be very difficult for life to evolve into complex forms. Moreover, their desire to conquer Earth means that they consider the environment here to be compatible with their environment and their needs, which is another hard-to-believe coincidence.
Cixin Liu needs to give you a commission on every book sold in the U.S. Like many here, I bought the book based only on your reviews.
Thanks
Who is here after the Netflix Series. 😅
Here before and after
You guys should watch the Chinese make of the film series instead. As an East Asian, that one was much closer in terms of interpretation.
@@thngzys is it streaming anywhere? I adore Chinese cinema and would love to see this…
@@McMetal666 Sadly not that I know of at this time. Was produced by Tencent. Quinn mentioned it in his reviews too.
The show brought me to the books im halfway through the first and LOVE it. Though i do at least at the moment prefer the netflix characters besides Ye Whenjie, prefer her way more in the book.
I think this makes them turning on humanity make even more sense. at least in the series in that same scene they saw that we called those we hated "bugs" "insignificant little creatures to be squashed"
Can you make a video about the grand theme of entire series. The eternal conflict of The Master vs The Lurker and how they shaped the fundamental nature of the universe?
REALLY enjoyed the series & pleased to now know of the additional novel!
Your videos are GREAT, you keep the exploration going!🤗
I started to follow because of your coverage of Dune (fantastic). I know fantasy isn't the common thing but I highly suggest Brandon Sandersons Cosmere as well as Stepen Erikson's Malazan series. Personally I find that both authors attempt to bridge sci fi and fantasy rather well.
You've been crushing it lately bro and I'm digging tf out of it.
Interesting - I haven't read the spinoff novel yet so the "you are bugs" makes a significant impact to me. That the "bugs" are calling humans "bugs" is a somewhat ironic and indicative of their hubris!
I personally see a great deal of the Chinese mindset in the trisolaran empire... starved of everything but survival would be one possible outcome of living in that society, and I personally think the author is attempting to illustrate this to the reader. IMO.
I like how this channel talks about books nobody I can find has read or even has heard of like this series. And many of them are book readers. And it's hard to find vids on these books, too.
Came here after watching the Netflix 3 Body Problem series.
Hey, how about a breakdown of Yun Tian Ming's stories? That would make a hell of a video.
The books honestly broke me down a little bit as I read it. Even though it's sci-fi now, it might be a sort of prophetic book in the future.
As I continued to ponder on the concepts inside the book, I quickly realised that we, as of 2023, are at a time when the world is tiny and the universe we can "touch" is tiny.
We have high-speed travel and high-speed communication that made the world small. There is nothing much left to explore, nothing much to wonder about. Truly, our ancestors were lucky.
However, our current tech will never allow us to experience the grandness of space. We are just the ants on the tombstone, only experiencing a tiny sliver of what's actually out there, and we, as of now, will never be fortunate enough to know what is possible for humanity in the far future.
If hibernation was possible, I'd hop across time like the characters in the books. Crossing vast eras to experience the endless beauty and horror to come.
I know it's not possible now and might never be. I might be old and dying when such possibilities might happen. It's truly sad and a bit depressing to understand that I was just born in the wrong time.
Born too late to explore the earth, born too early to travel the stars. Born just in time to enjoy Quinn's videos
I've never read a word of 90% of any book you've talked about but I watch all of your videos
Three books/series I'd recommend to a sci-fi enthusiast would be; "the world at the end of time(Frederik Pohl), Marrow (Robert Reed) and Eon (Greg Bear)
I have either started to read or have read most books you cover thanks to your videos. Anytime you introduce a story i havnt heard of i go get it. I trust your judgment of literature, your my source for good sci-fi and i look forward to what you will share next.
I don't think the size of Trisolarians as really tiny makes much sense. We know that size and metabolism plays a key role in lifespan. In general larger animals live longer than smaller. If Trisolarians could live for hundreds of years they wouldn't be as small as a grain of rice.
There's even more problems than that imo. But then, it is fiction.
Maybe their metabolism is extremely slow for their size.
@@RSK412 I totally agree with being fiction, the only thing is much of the series is considered hard sci-fi in that it a lot of technology is based on real science or possible science, (strong force material, sending information between entangled particles). I only read the original trilogy by Cixin Liu, but I wonder if the author of the extra book went away from hard sci-fi to soft sci-fi in which you can make up anything without basis in the actual laws of physics
@@briankurth4405 Please read Ball Lightning, set in this same universe. Then you'll see the series is more satire of hard sci-fi than anythihg. Even the TV show mocks people who feel like they have to understand how everything works.
Since the release of the series on Netflix, I'm glad to have found your video for some additional information. I was interested in reading the series as well and now more interested than before. I also thought the dehydration process possibly hinting at the Trisolarans small stature. Thanks for the insightful video.
I love the book. However there’s a huge plot hole. A race capable of interstellar travel cannot terraform and develop life sustaining tech?
Also, they can hack everything except nuclear weapons source codes. Even human built terminators could do that 😅
Quinn, have you ever covered Nightfall by Asimov and Silverberg?
Interesting, I didn't expect them to be the size of a grain of rice. There was a movie called invasion or something similar, where aliens were as big as a tiny rock, but they were parasites. I would like to see you do a video on Dan Simmons Olympus and Ilium series.
I don't know about that movie but the first book of the Animorphs series named "The Invasion" is also about a parasite species called Yeerk
@@ucnguyen6375 I found it. It was a movie Invasion based on the book of the same name by Robin Cook.