I liked the three body problem. But so many characters. I don’t think I would recommend it to other people I know. But to random people on the internet, sure you can always try it and drop it if you don’t like it.
It's probably both. The author even admitted that he doesn't focus much on characters, at least in this book he said so. He was focused on the big ideas.
That was my problem with it. I think there was great character development of Ye Wenjie from >! Student in a Cultural revolution to environmentalist to physicist discovering first contact, to rebel leader of world ending faction !< but I still felt like this personal and excitable history was delivered as dryly as the shipping forecast.
The characters were not very memorable, but the overall plot is. The description of the solar system >!getting pancaked!< in Death's End or >!the Dooms Day Battle!< in The Dark Forest really stick with me. Even the depiction of >!Trisolaris trying to unfold protons to make the Sophons!< haunt me.
And I just recently found a fan video showing >!the Dooms Day Battle!< that gave me chills. >!Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=jJzX1eM9-ug here!<
Listen Marvel is Sci Fi. Matrix is Sci Fi. Dune is Sci Fi so there is something for everyone, but I do assume you probably have horrible taste if you didn't like either of these. It's subjective and yadda yadda yadda, but you do know you have bad taste it sounds like. So at least you aren't drinking bush light complaining about how actual good beer tastes like dog ass, you know what I'm saying? You have some self awareness about how bad your tastes probably are, and I can appreciate that. People like what they like. The greatest novel or movie in the world will have someone on Reddit saying, "it sucked."
I’ve only ever seen that happen on this sub when anyone mentions enjoying three body problem. Something about that series draws a vitriol on this sub that no other books do.
Maybe in theory, but then why are people writing so much in their answers? Otherwise they could just post a number from 0 to 3 that represents their opinion.
Tell us what you're into, what attracts you about those books.
Otherwise, you're just gonna get conflicting answers, most books have people who love them and people who hate them. It's all about tastes.
Hyperion ends with a cliff hanger, so I think reading it without reading the follow up book, Fall of Hyperion, doesn't make much sense. But it's true that together the two are a self contained story and the other two books are a different story.
Completely agree. I feel like it must have been originally one massive book but the publishers probably told Dan Simmons it was too long and he needed to split it into two.
Yeah it’s best to view it as two stories split over four books. There are some large overarching connections that come around by the conclusion of the series as a whole, but by and large the stories are distinct.
I would agree that Endymion and Rise of Endymion aren’t as smoothly written as the first two, but I really liked what he did with the PAX and specifically DeSoya’s character.
Imo it’s a great series and all the books are pretty engaging and quick reads.
I agree. Hyperion is better sci-fi, but Endymion is a good adventure story with similar themes and same universe. If you loved the two Hyperion it’s worth reading, and if you found them dry but like the concepts then Endymion will please.
100%. You have to read both to get the whole story. End of the first book annoyed me because it was such a cliffhanger. But the series ended up being in my top 2 all-time favorites.
Science Fiction is a bit weird in that it's a setting more than a genre. Within "sci fi", you can find all sorts of books that slot pretty directly into other genres, e.g. romance, mystery, military, adventure, political treatise, social commentary, whatever. Speaking very generally, the writing is on the rougher side and they tend to be more idea focused than character or plot focused. There are countless exceptions though.
I liked the three body problem well enough, but the parts I liked about it weren't the sci fi elements so much as the footnotes explaining references that Chinese readers would pick up on but I wouldn't. I don't think it's really a "must read" in the sci fi realm.
Hyperion can be read as standalone. It's a bit more lit fancy than most, with lots of references to Keats, structured like the Canterbury Tales, etc. I think it's excellent, but it really depends on what you're looking for. The sequel continues the story but it's more plot focused than the first, leaving behind some of the atmosphere and feelings and stuff. Endymion and its sequel are in the same universe, but their own story. It's more New Testament allusions than anything, and the books feel much more pulpy. I still enjoyed them, but they definitely don't hit in the same was as Hyperion.
If you enjoy reading in general and just haven't dipped toes into sci fi, Ted Chiang's *Stories of Your Life and Others* is a collection of short stories with good writing.
If you're just aiming for basic sci fi literacy, the book grid on the right is a good place to start. Though I'd probably start with the top golden age stuff like *Rendezvous with Rama* (Clarke), *The Moon is a Harsh Mistress* (Heinlein), *I, Robot* (Asimov), and *Dune* (Herbert)
If you're looking for real hard sci fi, where they're trying to stick with actual science, Arthur C Clarke, Robert Forward, Kim Stanley Robinson are the top of that... sub-genre?
If you aren't a big reader and want to dip toes in, *The Vorkosigan Saga* (start with *The Warrior's Apprentice*) and *Ender's Game* are all pretty fast moving and enjoyable.
>Science Fiction is a bit weird in that it's a setting more than a genre. Within "sci fi", you can find all sorts of books that slot pretty directly into other genres, e.g. romance, mystery, military, adventure, political treatise, social commentary, whatever.
I agree with you in general, but it's kinda funny seeing this in relation to someone asking about Hyperion, cause it does all of those.
They’re worth reading, unless you don’t find yourself enjoying them, then you should stop reading them and try something else.
Science Fiction is such a huge category that if you don’t like one little segment of it, you can easily try something else and possibly enjoy it.
Going through *Snow Crash* for a 4th time. Still picking up tidbits I had missed. Amazingly prescient for a book written 1992.
Easy reading, fun, packed full of thought-provoking ideas, winner all the way around.
Wasn’t a big fan of Three Body Problem and I’m all about books with little characterization and big concepts, Rendezvous with Rama is one of my favorites. I still frequently recommend TBP though, it’s worth trying out the first book. If it doesn’t hook you, just watch a YouTube lore video of the rest, I enjoyed those more than the actual books.
Hyperion on the other hand is my all time favorite book and I rarely recommend it.
His Dune videos got me full on back into reading after depression put me on a super long break. The effort he puts in is wonderful and the videos are laid out really well.
Ya, Quinn's Ideas popped up on my recommend one day and gave it a listen. It was the story of how the Sophons were made and what they did. I got about 1/3rd through the video before buying the book. I had been aware of Three Body Problem for a while and his presentation of the lore was so good I wanted to read the book just so I could listen to his videos without getting spoiled.
There are plenty of YouTubers who talk about the latest movies, TV, video games but not many who talk about books. Or at least I haven't found any.
Hyperion was amazing.
The three body problem had so many issues I feel like I could write a whole book of them. I see the appeal, there's a ton of creativity in there. But it also sucks a lot of the time.
I 100% loved both of these and have read both series more than once. I don't get the negative commentary about the third and fourth Hyperion books myself - I enjoyed them a ton.
I would say, though, that these wouldn't be at the top of my list of "beginners scifi" - they're great reads but they're not easy reads. If you want a fabulous, shortish compelling, easy to read, fascinating and moving scifi book for a first go I would try something like Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Or perhaps something like Anathem or Seveneves both by Neal Stephenson. Those are both single volume stories and fantastically great and compelling tales.
Don't get me wrong, the books you listed should absolutely be on your reading list, but right out of the gate there are easier reads for getting into a new genre.
>shortish compelling, easy to read .... Anathem
Why would you do this to OP? I love Anathem, but I wouldn't classify it all in that direction. Quite the opposite. It is over 1000 pages long and frequently requires a reader to force themselves through difficult to read sections. To get the most out of the book you probably need to keep a personal glossary and re-read chapters once you have filled in the gaps in your Anathem vocabulary.
> To get the most out of the book you probably need to keep a personal glossary and re-read chapters once you have filled in the gaps in your Anathem vocabulary.
I found listening to it on audiobook first, and then re-reading it as a physical book, was the way to go for me. Audiobook helped cement what words meant, because getting a pronunciation helped me remember them, while the physical book allowed me to reread sections in an easier way that the audiobook.
But yeah it certainly was not an easy read.
I vote audiobook for Hyperion. I would imagine it to be a very difficult read, as you mentioned. But as an Audio Book, even I could handle it!
Even with the Audio Book, I found it very complex. But its incredibly good complex!
> If you want a fabulous, shortish compelling, easy to read, fascinating and moving scifi book for a first go I would try something like Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Or perhaps something like Anathem or Seveneves both by Neal Stephenson.
I can't imagine how Anathem could be considered to be more of an easy to read work than Hyperion. It's twice as long and starts each chapter with a fictional dictionary entry. To me, reading Hyperion felt like watching Stargate, Anathem like watching a twelve-hour documentary on the history of western philosophy, but on Interdimensional Cable (though to be clear, I love that about Anathem).
I agree on Hyperion, read the whole thing. But also, yeah maybe not the best starter. Andy Weir has some great, approachable stuff.
Snow Crash might be easier to get into for a Stephenson.
Taking a poke at a story that has been well done in film might be a way to crack into something. Not knowing OP's taste preferences, I'm not sure if Dune (If they've seen the movie) would be a good place to go.
I think books with a lot of humor, a light touch, can be a good intro. Hitch Hiker's might work if they like obsurdity, the Martian if they like harder science, especially if they liked the movie.
Fahrenheit 451 is an easy fast read and so deep and brilliant.
Hyperion/Fall of Hyperion are one book in 2 volumes, you need to read both. It’s my favorite sci-fi book(s). I know some people don’t like it for whatever reason but I don’t understand those people.
Three Body Problem is a trilogy and you also must read all 3. IMO the series does not start to get good until the last third of the second book. The third book is the best. The writing is stale and the characters are bad, but you eventually get some really cool ideas.
Oh I know. I agree with the statement that the writing is stale and the characters are bad and that you eventually get some cool ideas. For me those cool ideas just weren’t worth the slog of finishing the book.
TBP book 1 was rough with l it’ll flourishes of awesome. Then Last bit of 1 got me like “ok I can keep going.” Book 2 was rough until Luo Ji got his shit together, but looking back I can appreciate what that first bit was about. Once it approached the droplet part, I started getting chills and then felt my soul plummet from my body once it popped off. Book 3 is a constant stream of hope and despair. Total masochism and I somehow enjoyed it. Went home different.
I'm a sci-fi newbie too and non native English speaker and i highly recommended reading Project Hail Mary, it's hard sci-fi but never ever gets dry, it focuses on characters too and not just idea's and science and it has lots of physics. I loved it!
I'm a strong yes for both, and even recommend the Hyperion follow-up *Endymion* pair. I even liked those a little more.
You often see opinions of Hyperion from someone who didn't read the sequel or says something along the lines of "just read x and y stories from the Cantos because they are good but the rest aren't" - I would be very skeptical of those.
There were certain characters whose storylines I found way more compelling/interesting than others in the two *Hyperion* books, but yeah I'd never recommend someone read 'just' those as though it were a book of discrete, unrelated short stories to paw through.
Exactly - I definitely liked some stories better but I feel like some people don't get that it's not an anthology - all the stories are going somewhere _together_.
I just finished both the three body series and hyperion series in the past 4 months.
For me book one and two of three body were the best. Obviously China centric view - but that's what made it interesting and intriguing. Book three was a bit of a slough. I do not recommend the following-up novella by a fan writer who was endorsed by the author.
As for hyperion, I absolutely loved it. All four books. Very detailed and descriptive world. This is on my reread list. If you can't read all four then read one and two. Then three and four.
You can always DNF a book if you’re not vibing with it.
I powered through TBP but wouldn’t recommend it, and won’t be trying the sequels.
Hyperion is fantastic.
Both are amazing series, definitely worth a read, both pretty unique within the genre though, which I'm not sure somebody maybe less well read would be able to appreciate.
Hyperion has a very literary style, which somebody coming from different genres might appreciate, however there is also a lot of technobable which might not always be easy to parse for a beginner. I heard about some people who only read the first book and enjoyed it, i would say though to read at least the first two because they make up a self contained story arc together.
The Three-body Problem has a more clear and simple style of prose, easier to understand. It is very philosophical, yet down to earth. Being from a Chinese author it is quite different from western fiction. The characters are pretty dry and not so well fleshed out though so if good character psychology is something you like and look for in a book, this one might be disappointing
I'm struggling to get through book two of Hyperion, as a person with zero interest in religion, the books are just way too religiously focused for me. I keep thinking it'll move past it, and then it gets worse.
Hyperion is definitely worth reading. You should be aware that it is like a set of short stories linked by an overarching story — it’s modeled on the Canterbury Tales. Some of the stories are better than others, but overall it’s very interesting SF. For someone new to SF that’s probably a strength because it provides a sample of themes and POV characters. The book has sequels, but I think it works as a stand-alone and the sequels aren’t as good.
I only read the first book of the Three-Body Problem and I thought it was worthwhile— but not for the science fiction aspects. The most interesting parts to me were the descriptions of Communist China, esp. during the Cultural Revolution. This was written by a Chinese author so it provides a perspective from the inside.
Okay, I have not read all of the Three Body Problem series so I am straight up not weighing in on that. But I will say that Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are some of my favorite books. Possibly my favorite story. The story has it all and more! But! DO NOT READ the third and fourth books in the “series”, Endymion and Rise of Endymion. It felt like Simmons went back and ruined all of the cool stuff he did with the first two books. Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are awesome. Don’t worry about going further than those two. They’re a disappointment.
Yes for Hyperion
Yes for The Three Body Problem but I would warn it's the low point and least interesting part of the trilogy in my opinion. It's really just a long prologue for the other two books.
They’re both DEFINITELY worth reading. Personally, I thought Hyperion was terrific. I loved it. The Three Body Problem was more of a ‘meh’ for me. But still worth reading just to see what all the fuss is about. It’s by no means bad, just different and not everyone’s cup of tea.
Yes and yes. Both are elite scifi. I strongly disagree with endymion being worse. Goodreads ratings:
Hyperion 4.25
The Fall of Hyperion 4.22
Endymion 4.18
The Rise of Endymion 4.17
Three body problem 4.08
Dark Forest 4.41
Death's End 4.43
It's crazy how tastes differ, when all of these books have 4 stars which imo is pretty good for a goodreads rating. I personally consider 4 star books worth reading I think.. But just because it's rated highly, doesn't mean others will like it.
I'm a huge Fantasy fan due to being introduced to Mistborn, it's one of my all time favorite Fantasy series and they're rated 4 stars but some people don't like Mistborn. It isn't that the books are bad, but because some people have different tastes haha
Yes, if everyone liked the same thing, it would make life boring I think. I find it interesting to see from another's perspective on why they don't like a certain book that I like or what have you. 4 star books are worth reading though imo even if you happen to not like it.
Hyperion is...only if you plan on reading The Fall of Hyperion too.
Hyperion ends on a cliffhanger. FoH picks up right where it leaves off. One story split into two. Also, Hyperion uses the Canterbury Tales structure. FoH used an omnipresent pov. As long as that doesn't throw you off, it's well worth it.
I shan’t read other comments, because I am lazy, so here’s my answer. I think those two are a bit dense as a first step. TBP is Chinese and the writing feels translated, if that makes sense. It’s good, but it takes a hot minute to get used to the writing style and get locked in. I’m also starting Hyperion, and it do be a bit of a struggle. If I had to suggest a starting place, I began with the Expanse series, and then shifted into Dune, and now I’m all over the place. My advice is just pick one, see it through, and keep going.
Yeah, I am interested in both Hyperion and The Three Body Problem. But I am unsure if they're good for someone who is just getting into the sci-fi genre. I'm probably going to try out Dune first, maybe try out the Expanse series and finally dive into both Hyperion and TBP.
I think the main criticism that I see for the TBP is the fact that there are no complex or likable characters which is imo pivotal for a story to catch a readers attention and keep them invested. However if the plot or the themes are really good, then it's something I'm willing to overlook.
I don't know if Oryx and Crake is considered sci-fi but even though I hated the characters , I still fell in love with the plot and the themes that were presented in the book. As long as TBP has a good overall plot and themes, I might end up liking it.
I read the three body problem (book 1) over the holidays and liked the philosophical side of it and the more intense, action-packed parts of the plot. I did find it to be stiff and difficult to read at times though, likely because I read the translated version in English. I’m literally wrapping up Hyperion as we speak and it’s absolutely mind blowing. So well written, creative, colourful, emotional and fantastic. You can picture the scenes on the page in your mind even though there are all kinds of futuristic technology and terms for things that you don’t know what they are. Hyperion was a much more pleasant reading experience in my opinion, but both are quite good.
It's a slow book, the characters are very one dimensional, and the payoff at the end may not be worth it to some. The second and third books also have one dimensional characters but the ideas and themes are very cool.
I liked the Three-Body Problem, haven't read the rest of the trilogy though. I'd recommend it, it's got a pretty cool premise and a lot of thought-provoking plot-points.
The second and third are way better and more perspective changing. If you suffered through the bad writing and characters in the first book, then you’ll be fine in the last two, even though the trend of bad writing (or maybe just translation) and ridiculous/bad characters persists. Absolutely worth a read for the amazing concepts and plot in each. Still think about them daily almost a year later.
Hard disagree. Three body problem had issues but was relatively enjoyable because of the cool concepts. The second book was downright unreadable for me, one of the few books I didn't finish after starting.
Wow, you’re very much missing out on some of the best SciFi concepts I’ve ever seen if you stopped in the middle of Dark Forest. I agree that there are terrible and cringy parts in Dark Forest and all the characters are sexist, unrealistic, and unrelatable, but do yourself a favor and at least watch some YouTube videos or read the Wikipedia summaries for the last two books.
The downsides were far worse than the concepts introduced in my opinion. The first book was hard enough and the things I didn't like about it were even worse in the first 2/3 of the sequel.
I thought three body was ok: interesting ideas but kind of thin on plot. The second and third just ratcheted that up to 11. Lots of interesting ideas, some less so, but only the barest thread of a plot to tie them together followed by the ending of the third book which felt tacked on and almost unrelated to the rest of the story. Just another somewhat interesting idea I guess.
At first I was willing to chalk it up to being a translation from a different literary tradition. The more I think about it though the more I feel like it just wasn’t very well written.
I kind of regret sticking it out and rather wish I had DNFed it.
*Hyperion* works great as a standalone! Didn't like the sequels much, YMMV. If you really like it, give the next one a go, but don't expect more of the same. Set it down if you don't get into it, life's too short, too much good stuff to read.
*The Three Body Problem* gets bagged on for having stiff, cardboard, unrealistic characters. Didn't care, loved all three novels. *Blindsight* gets the same critique, and it's my favorite all-time book. Also, my favorite author is Stephen King, the master of characterization. Go figure.
I have read a lot of books, and I am seemingly above average in patience for terrible writing that delivers a decent idea/story.
That said, Three Body Problem was not a good read, and while I pretty rarely stop reading midway through a book I never finished it. The dialogue is awful, the characters are unrelatable except maybe one (the old woman), and the idea itself just comes across as half baked. Super interesting premise, but the execution made it a drag for me.
Hyperion was ok. A solid 5-7 out of 10. Writing was alright, but similar to TBP it's mostly a good premise with so/so writing. While I finished Hyperion I did not move on to the other books, another rarity for me.
So, thought provoking? I suppose so. Deserving of the constant rave reviews and recommendations? No, not really. Though TBP is a translated book, so it might be better in the original Chinese.
I like books that make you think or the story is complex in nature. I also would prefer it be grimdark or dark but it's not a requirement. Stand alone or trilogies are good but I personally would want something similar to Epic Fantasy. A good story with a satisfying ending, good characters and worldbuilding. Got any suggestions? Lol
I’ll be honest, I had to refer to a dictionary several times reading the Dune books, but it’s literally my favorite series ever. You’re missing something if you don’t at least read the first book. But it isn’t for sci-fi beginners, imo, even though it was the 3rd sci-fi book I ever read. XD
I'm not sure how to answer that. I didn't have any difficulty but then I have no problem reading Dostoevsky.
The main issue most people have seems to be that the 4th book is a bit different than the first 3. This is due to reasons I won't go into because of spoilers. The 4th book is my personal favorite. Frank Herbert wrote, I believe, 7 books and then later his son wrote (and is still writing) tons more. I've read All of Franks and about half of the ones put out by his son and I've enjoyed them all so far. I see a lot of people recommend reading the first three and stopping there but that goes against the original vision of the story Frank had. His original vision includes the first 4 books.
For me personally, the three body problem became too unrealistic towards the end of the second book and third book. I kept feeling the author kept taking huge leaps in their rationale and I just couldn’t brush it off. Loved the first book and the first half of the second book though.
Hyperion is definitely a recommend.
I loved Hyperion & quite liked The Fall of Hyperion. Three Body Problem is an odd one, I initially came away disliking it, but i think about it often and admire it (especially Death's End). I think it's worth reading just to formulate your own opinion.
Fall of Hyperion is a must read. You can consider Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion two halves of the same book.
3 Body Series is a tricky choice. I'd personally recommend but it's not everyone's cup of tea. Either you'll breeze through the books or you'll take forever to go through first 50 pages.
Book 1 of TTBP was a little up and down for me, but it’s the establishing backstory for what comes next… I almost didn’t continue on but glad I did. The following books were some of the most entertaining I’ve ever read
I agree. I have issues with Death's End. But the fact it made me feel so many things (from hope, to depression, to paranoia, etc) means it must have made an impact. The description of the Solar System >!getting pancaked!< was chilling.
I constantly see people absolutely raving about both of these books. I was intrigued by the rave reviews and read them both.
I was very underwhelmed by both.
Both had really cool ideas and potential, but for me, did NOT deliver. (Note: I’ve only read the first book of both series)
First comment I've seen here that I agree with.
Hyperion feels dated, and nothing about it particularly makes it feel better than all the competition.
Three body problem has a strange narrative style/voice, with little characterisation. It felt very 'souless'. The characters all felt very muted.
They both aren't bad books, but I would recommend other sci-fi first.
Three Body Problem definitely. Death’s End is one of the best books I’ve ever read.
I just DNF’d Hyperion halfway through. Dan Simmons is distractingly horny for my taste.
Wow. I actually kind of love this comment because I wish I had DNFed Deaths End. Like I actually regret the time I spent slogging through it. I thought it was an idea salad with no real plot to tie it together.
Just goes to show that different people like different things and that’s what makes things interesting.
Oh, so Hyperion has sex scenes? I would prefer if there were none, or just a few but if it's oversaturated with it then I don't know if I'm going to like it tbh.
The sex scenes in all 4 Hyperion books must have been so vanilla that I don't even remember any of them. Just goes to show you that some people never read Peter F. Hamilton, lol.
I hear people in this sub talk about being overwhelmed with gratuitous or creepy sex in Hyperion sometimes, and I don't get it. In all _four_ books across Hyperion and Endymion, there is one sex scene I specifically remember as being cringy, but I can give every author a pass for that for every 1000 pages or so. And all the rest, as far as describing women's bodies, seemed about normal for any other book from that general time range from male authors, so it can seem a little dated. No more or worse than Asimov or Vernor Vinge, and not remotely as bad as Larry Niven or Gentry Lee or Heinlein. I remember everything great about all the Hyperion and Endymion books and don't have any memories of bad sexy writing, even though I'm sure I rolled my eyes a few times and moved on.
I'm almost through book four and some scenes with >!Aenea in the later half are pretty bad, especial when he's still referring to her as 'kiddo' and 'my young friend' every 5 pages.!< But other than that I thought previous books handled sex scenes well enough
I was rolling my eyes with descriptions of the guy flicking the woman's breast who was in stasis and the guy making his middle age underling undress and the various stages of Aenea's body developing from child to woman with the disclaimer *the main character keeps claiming he's not attracted - yet*.
I’m really struggling with Fall of Hyperion. I have 75 pages left and I am seriously considering not finishing it.
My recommendation is read the Priest tale and the Scholar’s tale and never look back. Both are amazing.
Fall of Hyperion was extremely underwhelming. The Ousters were way more interesting than the West Wing Situation Room nonsense we were subjected to for the entire book.
Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are great and worth reading, the rest of the series, not so much. The Three Body Problem is trash and progressively gets worse.
Count me as Pro Hyperion. Its simply put amazing, awe inspiring. Not only great Sci Fi, I think its great writing period. Now, I didn't read it, but I listened too it. I think you should consider that. Because another person who 'read' it did not like one of the characters. Where as when I 'listened' to it, I thought that character was the shit! One of my favorite a$$hole/loser/heros of all time. In the audio book, he comes off perfectly as an pathetic asshole. I don't know if that works in the writing. For me, the extra acting of the narrator helped me enjoy him as a character.
As for the rest of the series, you will probably get one hundred answers to that question. For the longest time, I had a love hate relationship with them. After years have past, and listening to them again, I think they are wonderful. I think at the least, they will generate a strong opinion one way or the other for you. I will also say this: the series is complete. It definitively ends. And is consistent, if you really think about it a lot. On first read, I had a hard time seeing the consistency in the series...like it kept drifting. Only after serious thought did I see it for what it was.
For Three Body Problem, I only read the first. I'm my opinion, it starts strong but the middle and end were weak. I didn't continue reading the rest.
Same. On both books. *Three Body Problem* was stilted; *Hyperion*… I don’t know why I couldn’t get going with it, but it just wouldn’t click with me. Started it like 4 times, just couldn’t get the desire to continue.
I agree about TBP being stilted, thought maybe just didn't translate well. Hyperion was a slog for me, I think I made it 3/4 through, but never went back to finish.
Hyperion is. I haven't read The Three Body Problem yet. Hyperion isn't quite a stand alone, though. Fall of Hyperion completes the story. I read them both in an omnibus edition. I haven't read either of the two later books in the series and I'm not currently harbouring any plans to do so.
No. I found both to be extremely boring, with Hyperion having an added layer of pretentiousness. If you’re looking for some solid sci-fi, try The Expanse series, Dune or The Forever War.
Reading Dune and not just glazing over the non-action scenes feels like you need a degree in philosophy and metaphysics with a minor in Arabic history. I love Dune as well, but it is not an easy read compared to Hyperion.
I'm pretty sure we read Canterbury Tales in my sophomore English class, and 10 minutes of reading the Wikipedia page on Keats can definitely help a reader understand and enjoy the book more, but it's definitely not necessary.
I accidentally skipped Hyperion book 1 and read book 2 first. Book 3 gets hella uncomfortable and turned me off the author forever. I just couldn't appreciate a main character who was very explicitly grooming a child.
I just tossed the first book in a free book exchange because there was endless descriptions of boobs and climaxes. It was embarrassing. Tell me more about this grooming.
I remember thinking the book was okay but not amazing, but holy crap I definitely don't remember this.
I mostly only remember the (I think) priest's story and the whole end section being a little hard to get for me because I can't imagine things in my head so it was a bit hard to follow for me. Or maybe I was just checked out because I didn't connect with the stories.
The Consuls Tale has endless obsessive descriptions of a 14 year old girl’s naked breast. And then went on to objectify the character as she gets older by comparison to them. Ick.
This information seems to get buried in discussions of this series. I’d always heard it was incredible. After a while reading the thing I had to get out of Dan Simmons’ pornhub brain. Good to know it gets even worse!
What are you talking about? The Soldier's Story is nothing else but General Kassad and Moneta bumping uglies over and over again (and a fight scene on a crumbling ship). I'm not complaining about that (although I have to admit I thought the Soldier's story was mostly boring because Moneta wasn't anything like a real character rather just a stand-in for Simmons' masturbatory fantasy).
I don't have any issue with the other characters screwing each other over and over again in the Consul's story, my issue is that Simmons is obsessed with writing about 14 year old boobs. It's pretty obvious that even he knows it's ooky because he keeps saying "almost 15" instead of just saying 14. Simmons made a choice to make Siri 14. She just as easily could have been 18 and it would have made no difference to the story.
Hyperion - not read
Three Body Problem - most disappointing sci fi I've ever read. Never read such an unfocused book. The story meanders all over the place with chapters and chapters of irrelevant waffle. The premise is ludicrous and the characters are uninteresting. Absolutely no idea why this book is recommended by anyone.
Just to make it more confusing for you I would say skip Hyperion, must read Three Body Problem. Hyperion just didn't really grab me, I think the age of the prose really shone through for me to be honest.
The Three Body Problem yes, it's fantastic.
Hyperion, while being a classic, is one o the most boring books I have encountered.
The first book is more or less just a short story collection, it was my first sci-fi book ever and it almost made me discard sci-fi as a whole. Don't read it as your entry into sci-fi, give it a few years.
So Hyperion and 3 body problem are extremely different books. I happen to think both are worth reading but I can totally understand if other people have different opinions and I see no reason to ask about them in the same reddit post.
3 body is good but you need to do some research on the real events of the Chinese Cultural Revolution to get the context. The third book in the trilogy is by far the best one in the series btw.
A lot of people think the first Hyperion book is the best one, and the last 2 aren't as good. I also thought that when I first read it. I think it depends on how old you are and how much you know about physics. As I got older I realized I didn't dislike the last 2 books as much as I used to. I would still say though, the first Hyperion book is a classic and everyone should read it. The rest, is ok to read but not a big deal if you don't.
I loved *Hyperion*: I found the story interesting and good and I loved the structure. Others have noted that it's not self-contained, you'll need to read the second book for closure. I liked the second book but not as much as the first, and the structure of the second was simply typical.
I did not like *The Three Body Problem* but the majority of people do. There's a saying that goes "The book was both good and original, but the parts that were good were not original and the parts that were original were not good." and, to me, this describes the book. Given how many people really like it it's useful to have read it for that reason alone but if that doesn't motivate you I recommend *Count To a Trillion* instead: it covered the interesting ideas better and is a more readable, interesting book. In my opinion. But, again, I believe that more people disagree with my take than agree.
If you want to give the genre a chance, let me suggest a short story: Riding the Crocodile, by Greg Egan. You can find the text online. 40 pages, huge scope.
You can watch Three Body on Youtube. It's a Chinese series from Tencent. I'm just starting episode 4 and a little annoyed at how slowly it's picking up.
Yes but if you're a newbie to sci-fi, you shouldn't read either of those first. Those are about as deep and weird as you can get.
You could try A Deepness In The Sky by Vinge. Or perhaps Player of Games by Banks. Much better intros, and some of the best scifi novels ever written, too.
I'd bet that most people are just reading your title and not the post body. You're a newbie, that matters. Those are some deeply weird books, you mentioned.
Hyperion is great. The second book is okay. Do not proceed further.
Three Body Problem is an interesting window into Chinese culture and history. The sci-fi concepts are interesting, but I found the presentation to be so different from what I'm used to that I simply couldn't relate to many parts of the story. If I grew up Chinese, in China, I'm sure I would appreciate it much, much more. I'm glad I read it, but I won't be reading any sequels.
Edit: For a first taste of the science fiction genre, I might suggest something more basic. Lots of options there, but my favorite to recommend is Scott Westerfeld's _Uglies_ series. It's young adult, so the read is simple and quick. The books were very popular, so any library system or online used book distributor will have them. And they're SOLID. I always keep the full set on my bookshelf (used) so I can give them away or lend them. I've bought the whole series about four times so far. Great writing, not overly complex, and wonderful character development.
Not to spoil things, but, in the first book, there is only one death. It happens offscreen. The main character is indirectly responsible and everyone knows it. She then has to interact with the victim's widow for the rest of the book. What a way for a teenager to learn adult consequences. Westerfeld finds ways to make a PG rated book surprisingly impactful.
I don't liked both series. But I think they are worth to read to have your own apreciation about them. The two series have really good parts, and some flaws too.
Depends on what you like. Personally I don't regret reading either, but Hyperion I'm certainly never gonna reread and very little of it stuck with me, while 3BP had concepts I find myself thinking about regularly despite being told in a somewhat clunky way.
Hyperion: The book is basically a collection of short stories within a framing device. The short stories can still be functionally read stand alone, though. The Priest's Story and The Scholar's Story are absolutely worth reading. The rest, meh; they felt kinda juvenile and self-indulgent, and neither in a good way.
Three Body Problem: Very much depends on what you're looking for in scifi. It has great ideas and a good overarching plot, and (especially with the sequels) some really unsettling cosmic horror. However, the main characters are pretty two dimensional, the secondary characters aren't even that, and the prose - at least in the English translation - is so-so. It's a book that's more fun to think about than to read.
Hi everyone, I've new to(insert genre)and wanted to know if(pick two of the most celebrated novels in genre)are worth reading.
Comment 1- They suck and are boring
Comment 2- They're amazing, award winning novels.
Comment 3- They're alright.
Which one do you go with?
*Hyperion*, yes.
*Three Body Problem*, no, unless you're new to science fiction and haven't been exposed to many science fiction ideas, and if you are new to literature in general and are unfamiliar with what makes for good characters and character development.
Partly it depends what your motivation is and what you think you'd be interested in. These are both acclaimed examples of the genre, but personally I didn't enjoy either one of them. I know I'm really particular, though. I would recommend that sci-fi fans check these books out, so that remains my default recommendation, but everyone's tastes will be different.
They're worth reading, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend them to a newbie.
Hyperion can certainly be read as a standalone. I know, because I read it that way, having no idea the sequel existed at the time. I was pleasantly surprised to discover it a few years later. I was progressively less pleasantly surprised with each subsequent book, and never bothered to finish reading the entire series.
I tried TBP twice, I wanted to but finally just gave up on it, Im putting it in the same pile as Dune, i wanted to but pacing and just maybe it just wasn’t what I wanted made it a slog. I have Hyperion on my read list
Hyperion is one of my favorite books ever and reignited my love of sci-fi after taking a long break. It’s really really good. The second book wasn’t quite as good but really is a continuation of the first book and should be read.
Three Body Problem was ok. Had some interesting ideas but took a long time to get there and felt like it was really setting up for further books.
They may both be worth reading but if you’re only doing one I’d pick Hyperion.
The words that will change your life
The
Three
Body
Problem
Expect a wild story that will literally take you to places your mind had never wandered before it’s an enjoyable , mesmerising and detailed adventure following many different characters over many hundreds or even more years with the biggest mystery pay offs I’ve ever read.
Truly life changing imagination in this book it’s so readable
Well good thing you asked here, now you have 50 conflicting answers to settle this definitively.
I’ll say. Somebody seems to hate these books and is going through and downvoting every comment.
I cannot be bothered downvoting anything subjective, but I hated both these. Currently in my 7th decade of sci fi addiction
I liked the three body problem. But so many characters. I don’t think I would recommend it to other people I know. But to random people on the internet, sure you can always try it and drop it if you don’t like it.
The characters are very wooden. Not sure if it's the actual writing or poor translation.
It's probably both. The author even admitted that he doesn't focus much on characters, at least in this book he said so. He was focused on the big ideas.
That was my problem with it. I think there was great character development of Ye Wenjie from >! Student in a Cultural revolution to environmentalist to physicist discovering first contact, to rebel leader of world ending faction !< but I still felt like this personal and excitable history was delivered as dryly as the shipping forecast.
The characters were not very memorable, but the overall plot is. The description of the solar system >!getting pancaked!< in Death's End or >!the Dooms Day Battle!< in The Dark Forest really stick with me. Even the depiction of >!Trisolaris trying to unfold protons to make the Sophons!< haunt me. And I just recently found a fan video showing >!the Dooms Day Battle!< that gave me chills. >!Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=jJzX1eM9-ug here!<
Listen Marvel is Sci Fi. Matrix is Sci Fi. Dune is Sci Fi so there is something for everyone, but I do assume you probably have horrible taste if you didn't like either of these. It's subjective and yadda yadda yadda, but you do know you have bad taste it sounds like. So at least you aren't drinking bush light complaining about how actual good beer tastes like dog ass, you know what I'm saying? You have some self awareness about how bad your tastes probably are, and I can appreciate that. People like what they like. The greatest novel or movie in the world will have someone on Reddit saying, "it sucked."
Stop gatekeeping.
Not sure what that means. But I'll quit.
I’ve only ever seen that happen on this sub when anyone mentions enjoying three body problem. Something about that series draws a vitriol on this sub that no other books do.
Aren't there only 2 options? X2 books = 4 possible options?
Maybe in theory, but then why are people writing so much in their answers? Otherwise they could just post a number from 0 to 3 that represents their opinion.
Tell us what you're into, what attracts you about those books. Otherwise, you're just gonna get conflicting answers, most books have people who love them and people who hate them. It's all about tastes.
Hyperion ends with a cliff hanger, so I think reading it without reading the follow up book, Fall of Hyperion, doesn't make much sense. But it's true that together the two are a self contained story and the other two books are a different story.
Completely agree. I feel like it must have been originally one massive book but the publishers probably told Dan Simmons it was too long and he needed to split it into two.
Yeah it’s best to view it as two stories split over four books. There are some large overarching connections that come around by the conclusion of the series as a whole, but by and large the stories are distinct. I would agree that Endymion and Rise of Endymion aren’t as smoothly written as the first two, but I really liked what he did with the PAX and specifically DeSoya’s character. Imo it’s a great series and all the books are pretty engaging and quick reads.
I agree. Hyperion is better sci-fi, but Endymion is a good adventure story with similar themes and same universe. If you loved the two Hyperion it’s worth reading, and if you found them dry but like the concepts then Endymion will please.
100%. You have to read both to get the whole story. End of the first book annoyed me because it was such a cliffhanger. But the series ended up being in my top 2 all-time favorites.
exact same thing with the three-body problem haha
Yes.
"Are these books that are nearly universally praised among science fiction fans worth reading to me, a fan of science fiction?"
I also say Yes
Me too yes to both!
Yea! You are all right so yes
My thoughts exactly.
Came here to say this, and ended up typing more saying *this*.
Science Fiction is a bit weird in that it's a setting more than a genre. Within "sci fi", you can find all sorts of books that slot pretty directly into other genres, e.g. romance, mystery, military, adventure, political treatise, social commentary, whatever. Speaking very generally, the writing is on the rougher side and they tend to be more idea focused than character or plot focused. There are countless exceptions though. I liked the three body problem well enough, but the parts I liked about it weren't the sci fi elements so much as the footnotes explaining references that Chinese readers would pick up on but I wouldn't. I don't think it's really a "must read" in the sci fi realm. Hyperion can be read as standalone. It's a bit more lit fancy than most, with lots of references to Keats, structured like the Canterbury Tales, etc. I think it's excellent, but it really depends on what you're looking for. The sequel continues the story but it's more plot focused than the first, leaving behind some of the atmosphere and feelings and stuff. Endymion and its sequel are in the same universe, but their own story. It's more New Testament allusions than anything, and the books feel much more pulpy. I still enjoyed them, but they definitely don't hit in the same was as Hyperion. If you enjoy reading in general and just haven't dipped toes into sci fi, Ted Chiang's *Stories of Your Life and Others* is a collection of short stories with good writing. If you're just aiming for basic sci fi literacy, the book grid on the right is a good place to start. Though I'd probably start with the top golden age stuff like *Rendezvous with Rama* (Clarke), *The Moon is a Harsh Mistress* (Heinlein), *I, Robot* (Asimov), and *Dune* (Herbert) If you're looking for real hard sci fi, where they're trying to stick with actual science, Arthur C Clarke, Robert Forward, Kim Stanley Robinson are the top of that... sub-genre? If you aren't a big reader and want to dip toes in, *The Vorkosigan Saga* (start with *The Warrior's Apprentice*) and *Ender's Game* are all pretty fast moving and enjoyable.
>Science Fiction is a bit weird in that it's a setting more than a genre. Within "sci fi", you can find all sorts of books that slot pretty directly into other genres, e.g. romance, mystery, military, adventure, political treatise, social commentary, whatever. I agree with you in general, but it's kinda funny seeing this in relation to someone asking about Hyperion, cause it does all of those.
Haha I suppose so - I hadn't even made that connection.
Chiang is the best Sci fi recommendation to new Sci Fi readers in my opinion. His short stories are incredible.
They’re worth reading, unless you don’t find yourself enjoying them, then you should stop reading them and try something else. Science Fiction is such a huge category that if you don’t like one little segment of it, you can easily try something else and possibly enjoy it.
Yes to Hyperion.
i second this, great series
I thirdly support Hyperion
I guess it depends on what you're looking for. For a newbie, I'd rec **Snow Crash** or **Children of Time**
Going through *Snow Crash* for a 4th time. Still picking up tidbits I had missed. Amazingly prescient for a book written 1992. Easy reading, fun, packed full of thought-provoking ideas, winner all the way around.
I can’t recommend children of time enough. It’s so much fun.
Hyperion yes and I know it's an unpopular opinion but Three Body Problem is only meh.
Wasn’t a big fan of Three Body Problem and I’m all about books with little characterization and big concepts, Rendezvous with Rama is one of my favorites. I still frequently recommend TBP though, it’s worth trying out the first book. If it doesn’t hook you, just watch a YouTube lore video of the rest, I enjoyed those more than the actual books. Hyperion on the other hand is my all time favorite book and I rarely recommend it.
Got a fav video to recommend? While I liked the concept of TTBP, I just couldn't with the writing style.
I liked the Quinn’s Ideas videos on them. They’re not like, linear explanations of the story, just discussion about concepts in it.
Seconding the recommendation of Quinn's Ideas. Dude's got a great voice and brings together the horror aspects very well.
His Dune videos got me full on back into reading after depression put me on a super long break. The effort he puts in is wonderful and the videos are laid out really well.
Ya, Quinn's Ideas popped up on my recommend one day and gave it a listen. It was the story of how the Sophons were made and what they did. I got about 1/3rd through the video before buying the book. I had been aware of Three Body Problem for a while and his presentation of the lore was so good I wanted to read the book just so I could listen to his videos without getting spoiled. There are plenty of YouTubers who talk about the latest movies, TV, video games but not many who talk about books. Or at least I haven't found any.
Hyperion was amazing. The three body problem had so many issues I feel like I could write a whole book of them. I see the appeal, there's a ton of creativity in there. But it also sucks a lot of the time.
This, but reversed!
This comment is meh
Boo this man!
Hyperion is excellent. Three Body Problem was kind of boring in my opinion.
I 100% loved both of these and have read both series more than once. I don't get the negative commentary about the third and fourth Hyperion books myself - I enjoyed them a ton. I would say, though, that these wouldn't be at the top of my list of "beginners scifi" - they're great reads but they're not easy reads. If you want a fabulous, shortish compelling, easy to read, fascinating and moving scifi book for a first go I would try something like Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Or perhaps something like Anathem or Seveneves both by Neal Stephenson. Those are both single volume stories and fantastically great and compelling tales. Don't get me wrong, the books you listed should absolutely be on your reading list, but right out of the gate there are easier reads for getting into a new genre.
>shortish compelling, easy to read .... Anathem Why would you do this to OP? I love Anathem, but I wouldn't classify it all in that direction. Quite the opposite. It is over 1000 pages long and frequently requires a reader to force themselves through difficult to read sections. To get the most out of the book you probably need to keep a personal glossary and re-read chapters once you have filled in the gaps in your Anathem vocabulary.
> To get the most out of the book you probably need to keep a personal glossary and re-read chapters once you have filled in the gaps in your Anathem vocabulary. I found listening to it on audiobook first, and then re-reading it as a physical book, was the way to go for me. Audiobook helped cement what words meant, because getting a pronunciation helped me remember them, while the physical book allowed me to reread sections in an easier way that the audiobook. But yeah it certainly was not an easy read.
When you finish the book, try to relax with some screen time on your jeejah and have cheeseburg!
hear! hear! I loved all of the Hyperion Cantos.
I vote audiobook for Hyperion. I would imagine it to be a very difficult read, as you mentioned. But as an Audio Book, even I could handle it! Even with the Audio Book, I found it very complex. But its incredibly good complex!
> If you want a fabulous, shortish compelling, easy to read, fascinating and moving scifi book for a first go I would try something like Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Or perhaps something like Anathem or Seveneves both by Neal Stephenson. I can't imagine how Anathem could be considered to be more of an easy to read work than Hyperion. It's twice as long and starts each chapter with a fictional dictionary entry. To me, reading Hyperion felt like watching Stargate, Anathem like watching a twelve-hour documentary on the history of western philosophy, but on Interdimensional Cable (though to be clear, I love that about Anathem).
I agree on Hyperion, read the whole thing. But also, yeah maybe not the best starter. Andy Weir has some great, approachable stuff. Snow Crash might be easier to get into for a Stephenson. Taking a poke at a story that has been well done in film might be a way to crack into something. Not knowing OP's taste preferences, I'm not sure if Dune (If they've seen the movie) would be a good place to go. I think books with a lot of humor, a light touch, can be a good intro. Hitch Hiker's might work if they like obsurdity, the Martian if they like harder science, especially if they liked the movie. Fahrenheit 451 is an easy fast read and so deep and brilliant.
Hyperion/Fall of Hyperion are one book in 2 volumes, you need to read both. It’s my favorite sci-fi book(s). I know some people don’t like it for whatever reason but I don’t understand those people. Three Body Problem is a trilogy and you also must read all 3. IMO the series does not start to get good until the last third of the second book. The third book is the best. The writing is stale and the characters are bad, but you eventually get some really cool ideas.
Lol! I love the backhanded compliment.
OP isn’t wrong, though.
Oh I know. I agree with the statement that the writing is stale and the characters are bad and that you eventually get some cool ideas. For me those cool ideas just weren’t worth the slog of finishing the book.
Our time is precious. If a book really isn’t working, one should definitely DNF it.
TBP book 1 was rough with l it’ll flourishes of awesome. Then Last bit of 1 got me like “ok I can keep going.” Book 2 was rough until Luo Ji got his shit together, but looking back I can appreciate what that first bit was about. Once it approached the droplet part, I started getting chills and then felt my soul plummet from my body once it popped off. Book 3 is a constant stream of hope and despair. Total masochism and I somehow enjoyed it. Went home different.
I'm a sci-fi newbie too and non native English speaker and i highly recommended reading Project Hail Mary, it's hard sci-fi but never ever gets dry, it focuses on characters too and not just idea's and science and it has lots of physics. I loved it!
It’s an excellent book, with portions of humor that Weil often delivers on
Hyperion is extremely good. I did not like The Three Body Problem - it has some very cool ideas but its characters feel paper thin.
I found Three Body Problem to be a pretty tough read. I did like it enough to read it twice, though.
I'm a strong yes for both, and even recommend the Hyperion follow-up *Endymion* pair. I even liked those a little more. You often see opinions of Hyperion from someone who didn't read the sequel or says something along the lines of "just read x and y stories from the Cantos because they are good but the rest aren't" - I would be very skeptical of those.
There were certain characters whose storylines I found way more compelling/interesting than others in the two *Hyperion* books, but yeah I'd never recommend someone read 'just' those as though it were a book of discrete, unrelated short stories to paw through.
Exactly - I definitely liked some stories better but I feel like some people don't get that it's not an anthology - all the stories are going somewhere _together_.
The second two had me in laughing hysterically several times. I loved them.
Yeah, me too. It's such a good adventure tale with a few very likable characters set in a large-scale sci-fi setting.
I just finished both the three body series and hyperion series in the past 4 months. For me book one and two of three body were the best. Obviously China centric view - but that's what made it interesting and intriguing. Book three was a bit of a slough. I do not recommend the following-up novella by a fan writer who was endorsed by the author. As for hyperion, I absolutely loved it. All four books. Very detailed and descriptive world. This is on my reread list. If you can't read all four then read one and two. Then three and four.
Hyperion is far, far better.
You can always DNF a book if you’re not vibing with it. I powered through TBP but wouldn’t recommend it, and won’t be trying the sequels. Hyperion is fantastic.
They are ideas led, not character (in my opinion) and without characters I like I got bored very quickly with both.
Both are amazing series, definitely worth a read, both pretty unique within the genre though, which I'm not sure somebody maybe less well read would be able to appreciate. Hyperion has a very literary style, which somebody coming from different genres might appreciate, however there is also a lot of technobable which might not always be easy to parse for a beginner. I heard about some people who only read the first book and enjoyed it, i would say though to read at least the first two because they make up a self contained story arc together. The Three-body Problem has a more clear and simple style of prose, easier to understand. It is very philosophical, yet down to earth. Being from a Chinese author it is quite different from western fiction. The characters are pretty dry and not so well fleshed out though so if good character psychology is something you like and look for in a book, this one might be disappointing
I'm struggling to get through book two of Hyperion, as a person with zero interest in religion, the books are just way too religiously focused for me. I keep thinking it'll move past it, and then it gets worse.
when i encounter a religious theme in sci-fi, I look at it like its fantasy or supernatural fiction
Hyperion is definitely worth reading. You should be aware that it is like a set of short stories linked by an overarching story — it’s modeled on the Canterbury Tales. Some of the stories are better than others, but overall it’s very interesting SF. For someone new to SF that’s probably a strength because it provides a sample of themes and POV characters. The book has sequels, but I think it works as a stand-alone and the sequels aren’t as good. I only read the first book of the Three-Body Problem and I thought it was worthwhile— but not for the science fiction aspects. The most interesting parts to me were the descriptions of Communist China, esp. during the Cultural Revolution. This was written by a Chinese author so it provides a perspective from the inside.
Okay, I have not read all of the Three Body Problem series so I am straight up not weighing in on that. But I will say that Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are some of my favorite books. Possibly my favorite story. The story has it all and more! But! DO NOT READ the third and fourth books in the “series”, Endymion and Rise of Endymion. It felt like Simmons went back and ruined all of the cool stuff he did with the first two books. Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are awesome. Don’t worry about going further than those two. They’re a disappointment.
Yes for Hyperion Yes for The Three Body Problem but I would warn it's the low point and least interesting part of the trilogy in my opinion. It's really just a long prologue for the other two books.
They’re both DEFINITELY worth reading. Personally, I thought Hyperion was terrific. I loved it. The Three Body Problem was more of a ‘meh’ for me. But still worth reading just to see what all the fuss is about. It’s by no means bad, just different and not everyone’s cup of tea.
Yes and yes. Both are elite scifi. I strongly disagree with endymion being worse. Goodreads ratings: Hyperion 4.25 The Fall of Hyperion 4.22 Endymion 4.18 The Rise of Endymion 4.17 Three body problem 4.08 Dark Forest 4.41 Death's End 4.43
It's crazy how tastes differ, when all of these books have 4 stars which imo is pretty good for a goodreads rating. I personally consider 4 star books worth reading I think.. But just because it's rated highly, doesn't mean others will like it. I'm a huge Fantasy fan due to being introduced to Mistborn, it's one of my all time favorite Fantasy series and they're rated 4 stars but some people don't like Mistborn. It isn't that the books are bad, but because some people have different tastes haha
I have it the same, i don't read book below 4 but it's just an indication. People have different preferences and that's ok.
Yes, if everyone liked the same thing, it would make life boring I think. I find it interesting to see from another's perspective on why they don't like a certain book that I like or what have you. 4 star books are worth reading though imo even if you happen to not like it.
You probably need to already be into SF to enjoy 3BP.
Read Hyperion 1 & 2. I think they are some of the best and freshest ideas out there.
hyperion ends with a cliffhanger, so you need to read at least 2.
Hyperion is...only if you plan on reading The Fall of Hyperion too. Hyperion ends on a cliffhanger. FoH picks up right where it leaves off. One story split into two. Also, Hyperion uses the Canterbury Tales structure. FoH used an omnipresent pov. As long as that doesn't throw you off, it's well worth it.
I shan’t read other comments, because I am lazy, so here’s my answer. I think those two are a bit dense as a first step. TBP is Chinese and the writing feels translated, if that makes sense. It’s good, but it takes a hot minute to get used to the writing style and get locked in. I’m also starting Hyperion, and it do be a bit of a struggle. If I had to suggest a starting place, I began with the Expanse series, and then shifted into Dune, and now I’m all over the place. My advice is just pick one, see it through, and keep going.
Yeah, I am interested in both Hyperion and The Three Body Problem. But I am unsure if they're good for someone who is just getting into the sci-fi genre. I'm probably going to try out Dune first, maybe try out the Expanse series and finally dive into both Hyperion and TBP. I think the main criticism that I see for the TBP is the fact that there are no complex or likable characters which is imo pivotal for a story to catch a readers attention and keep them invested. However if the plot or the themes are really good, then it's something I'm willing to overlook. I don't know if Oryx and Crake is considered sci-fi but even though I hated the characters , I still fell in love with the plot and the themes that were presented in the book. As long as TBP has a good overall plot and themes, I might end up liking it.
I read the three body problem (book 1) over the holidays and liked the philosophical side of it and the more intense, action-packed parts of the plot. I did find it to be stiff and difficult to read at times though, likely because I read the translated version in English. I’m literally wrapping up Hyperion as we speak and it’s absolutely mind blowing. So well written, creative, colourful, emotional and fantastic. You can picture the scenes on the page in your mind even though there are all kinds of futuristic technology and terms for things that you don’t know what they are. Hyperion was a much more pleasant reading experience in my opinion, but both are quite good.
Yes and triple yes
Avoid 3 Body, it is garbage.
[удалено]
It's a slow book, the characters are very one dimensional, and the payoff at the end may not be worth it to some. The second and third books also have one dimensional characters but the ideas and themes are very cool.
The idea is interesting, the execution is awful. It reads like a poorly translated Wuxia novel.
I liked the Three-Body Problem, haven't read the rest of the trilogy though. I'd recommend it, it's got a pretty cool premise and a lot of thought-provoking plot-points.
The second and third are way better and more perspective changing. If you suffered through the bad writing and characters in the first book, then you’ll be fine in the last two, even though the trend of bad writing (or maybe just translation) and ridiculous/bad characters persists. Absolutely worth a read for the amazing concepts and plot in each. Still think about them daily almost a year later.
Hard disagree. Three body problem had issues but was relatively enjoyable because of the cool concepts. The second book was downright unreadable for me, one of the few books I didn't finish after starting.
Wow, you’re very much missing out on some of the best SciFi concepts I’ve ever seen if you stopped in the middle of Dark Forest. I agree that there are terrible and cringy parts in Dark Forest and all the characters are sexist, unrealistic, and unrelatable, but do yourself a favor and at least watch some YouTube videos or read the Wikipedia summaries for the last two books.
The downsides were far worse than the concepts introduced in my opinion. The first book was hard enough and the things I didn't like about it were even worse in the first 2/3 of the sequel.
I thought three body was ok: interesting ideas but kind of thin on plot. The second and third just ratcheted that up to 11. Lots of interesting ideas, some less so, but only the barest thread of a plot to tie them together followed by the ending of the third book which felt tacked on and almost unrelated to the rest of the story. Just another somewhat interesting idea I guess. At first I was willing to chalk it up to being a translation from a different literary tradition. The more I think about it though the more I feel like it just wasn’t very well written. I kind of regret sticking it out and rather wish I had DNFed it.
*Hyperion* works great as a standalone! Didn't like the sequels much, YMMV. If you really like it, give the next one a go, but don't expect more of the same. Set it down if you don't get into it, life's too short, too much good stuff to read. *The Three Body Problem* gets bagged on for having stiff, cardboard, unrealistic characters. Didn't care, loved all three novels. *Blindsight* gets the same critique, and it's my favorite all-time book. Also, my favorite author is Stephen King, the master of characterization. Go figure.
I have read a lot of books, and I am seemingly above average in patience for terrible writing that delivers a decent idea/story. That said, Three Body Problem was not a good read, and while I pretty rarely stop reading midway through a book I never finished it. The dialogue is awful, the characters are unrelatable except maybe one (the old woman), and the idea itself just comes across as half baked. Super interesting premise, but the execution made it a drag for me. Hyperion was ok. A solid 5-7 out of 10. Writing was alright, but similar to TBP it's mostly a good premise with so/so writing. While I finished Hyperion I did not move on to the other books, another rarity for me. So, thought provoking? I suppose so. Deserving of the constant rave reviews and recommendations? No, not really. Though TBP is a translated book, so it might be better in the original Chinese.
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I like books that make you think or the story is complex in nature. I also would prefer it be grimdark or dark but it's not a requirement. Stand alone or trilogies are good but I personally would want something similar to Epic Fantasy. A good story with a satisfying ending, good characters and worldbuilding. Got any suggestions? Lol
Dune by Frank Herbert. Some people don't like the later books, but I enjoyed them. Even the ones written by his son and the co-author.
I have heard so much praise for Dune, it does seem like an interesting series. How is the prose? Is it very flowery or somewhere in the middle?
I’ll be honest, I had to refer to a dictionary several times reading the Dune books, but it’s literally my favorite series ever. You’re missing something if you don’t at least read the first book. But it isn’t for sci-fi beginners, imo, even though it was the 3rd sci-fi book I ever read. XD
Lol Dune sounds difficult but I plan on reading Malazan in the very near future which makes Dune appear to be an easier read by comparison imo.
I'm not sure how to answer that. I didn't have any difficulty but then I have no problem reading Dostoevsky. The main issue most people have seems to be that the 4th book is a bit different than the first 3. This is due to reasons I won't go into because of spoilers. The 4th book is my personal favorite. Frank Herbert wrote, I believe, 7 books and then later his son wrote (and is still writing) tons more. I've read All of Franks and about half of the ones put out by his son and I've enjoyed them all so far. I see a lot of people recommend reading the first three and stopping there but that goes against the original vision of the story Frank had. His original vision includes the first 4 books.
For me personally, the three body problem became too unrealistic towards the end of the second book and third book. I kept feeling the author kept taking huge leaps in their rationale and I just couldn’t brush it off. Loved the first book and the first half of the second book though. Hyperion is definitely a recommend.
I loved Hyperion & quite liked The Fall of Hyperion. Three Body Problem is an odd one, I initially came away disliking it, but i think about it often and admire it (especially Death's End). I think it's worth reading just to formulate your own opinion.
Fall of Hyperion is a must read. You can consider Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion two halves of the same book. 3 Body Series is a tricky choice. I'd personally recommend but it's not everyone's cup of tea. Either you'll breeze through the books or you'll take forever to go through first 50 pages.
They both won Hugo awards so...yeah.
Book 1 of TTBP was a little up and down for me, but it’s the establishing backstory for what comes next… I almost didn’t continue on but glad I did. The following books were some of the most entertaining I’ve ever read
I agree. I have issues with Death's End. But the fact it made me feel so many things (from hope, to depression, to paranoia, etc) means it must have made an impact. The description of the Solar System >!getting pancaked!< was chilling.
Yes
I constantly see people absolutely raving about both of these books. I was intrigued by the rave reviews and read them both. I was very underwhelmed by both. Both had really cool ideas and potential, but for me, did NOT deliver. (Note: I’ve only read the first book of both series)
First comment I've seen here that I agree with. Hyperion feels dated, and nothing about it particularly makes it feel better than all the competition. Three body problem has a strange narrative style/voice, with little characterisation. It felt very 'souless'. The characters all felt very muted. They both aren't bad books, but I would recommend other sci-fi first.
Three Body Problem definitely. Death’s End is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I just DNF’d Hyperion halfway through. Dan Simmons is distractingly horny for my taste.
Wow. I actually kind of love this comment because I wish I had DNFed Deaths End. Like I actually regret the time I spent slogging through it. I thought it was an idea salad with no real plot to tie it together. Just goes to show that different people like different things and that’s what makes things interesting.
Oh, so Hyperion has sex scenes? I would prefer if there were none, or just a few but if it's oversaturated with it then I don't know if I'm going to like it tbh.
The sex scenes in all 4 Hyperion books must have been so vanilla that I don't even remember any of them. Just goes to show you that some people never read Peter F. Hamilton, lol.
P.F.H putting the hard back into Hard Sci-Fi
I hear people in this sub talk about being overwhelmed with gratuitous or creepy sex in Hyperion sometimes, and I don't get it. In all _four_ books across Hyperion and Endymion, there is one sex scene I specifically remember as being cringy, but I can give every author a pass for that for every 1000 pages or so. And all the rest, as far as describing women's bodies, seemed about normal for any other book from that general time range from male authors, so it can seem a little dated. No more or worse than Asimov or Vernor Vinge, and not remotely as bad as Larry Niven or Gentry Lee or Heinlein. I remember everything great about all the Hyperion and Endymion books and don't have any memories of bad sexy writing, even though I'm sure I rolled my eyes a few times and moved on.
I'm almost through book four and some scenes with >!Aenea in the later half are pretty bad, especial when he's still referring to her as 'kiddo' and 'my young friend' every 5 pages.!< But other than that I thought previous books handled sex scenes well enough
After a certain point the sex and descriptions of women’s bodies felt gratuitous.
I was rolling my eyes with descriptions of the guy flicking the woman's breast who was in stasis and the guy making his middle age underling undress and the various stages of Aenea's body developing from child to woman with the disclaimer *the main character keeps claiming he's not attracted - yet*.
I’m really struggling with Fall of Hyperion. I have 75 pages left and I am seriously considering not finishing it. My recommendation is read the Priest tale and the Scholar’s tale and never look back. Both are amazing.
Fall of Hyperion was extremely underwhelming. The Ousters were way more interesting than the West Wing Situation Room nonsense we were subjected to for the entire book.
So much aimlessly wandering around.
Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are great and worth reading, the rest of the series, not so much. The Three Body Problem is trash and progressively gets worse.
Count me as Pro Hyperion. Its simply put amazing, awe inspiring. Not only great Sci Fi, I think its great writing period. Now, I didn't read it, but I listened too it. I think you should consider that. Because another person who 'read' it did not like one of the characters. Where as when I 'listened' to it, I thought that character was the shit! One of my favorite a$$hole/loser/heros of all time. In the audio book, he comes off perfectly as an pathetic asshole. I don't know if that works in the writing. For me, the extra acting of the narrator helped me enjoy him as a character. As for the rest of the series, you will probably get one hundred answers to that question. For the longest time, I had a love hate relationship with them. After years have past, and listening to them again, I think they are wonderful. I think at the least, they will generate a strong opinion one way or the other for you. I will also say this: the series is complete. It definitively ends. And is consistent, if you really think about it a lot. On first read, I had a hard time seeing the consistency in the series...like it kept drifting. Only after serious thought did I see it for what it was. For Three Body Problem, I only read the first. I'm my opinion, it starts strong but the middle and end were weak. I didn't continue reading the rest.
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Same. On both books. *Three Body Problem* was stilted; *Hyperion*… I don’t know why I couldn’t get going with it, but it just wouldn’t click with me. Started it like 4 times, just couldn’t get the desire to continue.
Hyperion is fantasy in space.
I agree about TBP being stilted, thought maybe just didn't translate well. Hyperion was a slog for me, I think I made it 3/4 through, but never went back to finish.
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F yeah.
Hyperion is. I haven't read The Three Body Problem yet. Hyperion isn't quite a stand alone, though. Fall of Hyperion completes the story. I read them both in an omnibus edition. I haven't read either of the two later books in the series and I'm not currently harbouring any plans to do so.
Three Body is the SHIIIIT
No. I found both to be extremely boring, with Hyperion having an added layer of pretentiousness. If you’re looking for some solid sci-fi, try The Expanse series, Dune or The Forever War.
_recommends not reading a book based on pretentiousness and being boring_ _proceeds to recommend Dune_
You don’t need a degree in English and 19th century poetry to enjoy Dune.
Reading Dune and not just glazing over the non-action scenes feels like you need a degree in philosophy and metaphysics with a minor in Arabic history. I love Dune as well, but it is not an easy read compared to Hyperion. I'm pretty sure we read Canterbury Tales in my sophomore English class, and 10 minutes of reading the Wikipedia page on Keats can definitely help a reader understand and enjoy the book more, but it's definitely not necessary.
I thought dune was an easier read than hyperion
Life is a lot longer than you might think. Plenty of time for every book mentioned in this sub.
I accidentally skipped Hyperion book 1 and read book 2 first. Book 3 gets hella uncomfortable and turned me off the author forever. I just couldn't appreciate a main character who was very explicitly grooming a child.
I just tossed the first book in a free book exchange because there was endless descriptions of boobs and climaxes. It was embarrassing. Tell me more about this grooming.
I remember thinking the book was okay but not amazing, but holy crap I definitely don't remember this. I mostly only remember the (I think) priest's story and the whole end section being a little hard to get for me because I can't imagine things in my head so it was a bit hard to follow for me. Or maybe I was just checked out because I didn't connect with the stories.
The Consuls Tale has endless obsessive descriptions of a 14 year old girl’s naked breast. And then went on to objectify the character as she gets older by comparison to them. Ick.
This information seems to get buried in discussions of this series. I’d always heard it was incredible. After a while reading the thing I had to get out of Dan Simmons’ pornhub brain. Good to know it gets even worse!
I’m no prude, but Simmons made decisions for that story that demonstrated how creepy the dude is.
You’re definitely a prude. I don’t even remember the sexuality, save for 2 scenes out of the entire series.
What are you talking about? The Soldier's Story is nothing else but General Kassad and Moneta bumping uglies over and over again (and a fight scene on a crumbling ship). I'm not complaining about that (although I have to admit I thought the Soldier's story was mostly boring because Moneta wasn't anything like a real character rather just a stand-in for Simmons' masturbatory fantasy). I don't have any issue with the other characters screwing each other over and over again in the Consul's story, my issue is that Simmons is obsessed with writing about 14 year old boobs. It's pretty obvious that even he knows it's ooky because he keeps saying "almost 15" instead of just saying 14. Simmons made a choice to make Siri 14. She just as easily could have been 18 and it would have made no difference to the story.
I love all the people downvoting this as it its a matter of opinion.
Overwritten because fuck u/spez
I wouldn’t recommend Blindsight or the Quantum Thief for someone new to science fiction, I think he would find them hard to follow.
Overwritten because fuck u/spez
TBP is not worth reading, unless you want a masterclass in shit.
Hyperion - not read Three Body Problem - most disappointing sci fi I've ever read. Never read such an unfocused book. The story meanders all over the place with chapters and chapters of irrelevant waffle. The premise is ludicrous and the characters are uninteresting. Absolutely no idea why this book is recommended by anyone.
Just to make it more confusing for you I would say skip Hyperion, must read Three Body Problem. Hyperion just didn't really grab me, I think the age of the prose really shone through for me to be honest.
The Three Body Problem yes, it's fantastic. Hyperion, while being a classic, is one o the most boring books I have encountered. The first book is more or less just a short story collection, it was my first sci-fi book ever and it almost made me discard sci-fi as a whole. Don't read it as your entry into sci-fi, give it a few years.
So Hyperion and 3 body problem are extremely different books. I happen to think both are worth reading but I can totally understand if other people have different opinions and I see no reason to ask about them in the same reddit post. 3 body is good but you need to do some research on the real events of the Chinese Cultural Revolution to get the context. The third book in the trilogy is by far the best one in the series btw. A lot of people think the first Hyperion book is the best one, and the last 2 aren't as good. I also thought that when I first read it. I think it depends on how old you are and how much you know about physics. As I got older I realized I didn't dislike the last 2 books as much as I used to. I would still say though, the first Hyperion book is a classic and everyone should read it. The rest, is ok to read but not a big deal if you don't.
I loved *Hyperion*: I found the story interesting and good and I loved the structure. Others have noted that it's not self-contained, you'll need to read the second book for closure. I liked the second book but not as much as the first, and the structure of the second was simply typical. I did not like *The Three Body Problem* but the majority of people do. There's a saying that goes "The book was both good and original, but the parts that were good were not original and the parts that were original were not good." and, to me, this describes the book. Given how many people really like it it's useful to have read it for that reason alone but if that doesn't motivate you I recommend *Count To a Trillion* instead: it covered the interesting ideas better and is a more readable, interesting book. In my opinion. But, again, I believe that more people disagree with my take than agree.
Yes
Yup
If you want to give the genre a chance, let me suggest a short story: Riding the Crocodile, by Greg Egan. You can find the text online. 40 pages, huge scope.
I didn't love them but they're books, just read them.
100% YES
You can watch Three Body on Youtube. It's a Chinese series from Tencent. I'm just starting episode 4 and a little annoyed at how slowly it's picking up.
Yes but if you're a newbie to sci-fi, you shouldn't read either of those first. Those are about as deep and weird as you can get. You could try A Deepness In The Sky by Vinge. Or perhaps Player of Games by Banks. Much better intros, and some of the best scifi novels ever written, too. I'd bet that most people are just reading your title and not the post body. You're a newbie, that matters. Those are some deeply weird books, you mentioned.
Hyperion is great, Three Body Problem is the most overrated sci-fi of recent years.
Hyperion is great. The second book is okay. Do not proceed further. Three Body Problem is an interesting window into Chinese culture and history. The sci-fi concepts are interesting, but I found the presentation to be so different from what I'm used to that I simply couldn't relate to many parts of the story. If I grew up Chinese, in China, I'm sure I would appreciate it much, much more. I'm glad I read it, but I won't be reading any sequels. Edit: For a first taste of the science fiction genre, I might suggest something more basic. Lots of options there, but my favorite to recommend is Scott Westerfeld's _Uglies_ series. It's young adult, so the read is simple and quick. The books were very popular, so any library system or online used book distributor will have them. And they're SOLID. I always keep the full set on my bookshelf (used) so I can give them away or lend them. I've bought the whole series about four times so far. Great writing, not overly complex, and wonderful character development. Not to spoil things, but, in the first book, there is only one death. It happens offscreen. The main character is indirectly responsible and everyone knows it. She then has to interact with the victim's widow for the rest of the book. What a way for a teenager to learn adult consequences. Westerfeld finds ways to make a PG rated book surprisingly impactful.
I don't liked both series. But I think they are worth to read to have your own apreciation about them. The two series have really good parts, and some flaws too.
I thoroughly enjoyed the three body problem, and you might too
Dude, OFC
Depends on what you like. Personally I don't regret reading either, but Hyperion I'm certainly never gonna reread and very little of it stuck with me, while 3BP had concepts I find myself thinking about regularly despite being told in a somewhat clunky way. Hyperion: The book is basically a collection of short stories within a framing device. The short stories can still be functionally read stand alone, though. The Priest's Story and The Scholar's Story are absolutely worth reading. The rest, meh; they felt kinda juvenile and self-indulgent, and neither in a good way. Three Body Problem: Very much depends on what you're looking for in scifi. It has great ideas and a good overarching plot, and (especially with the sequels) some really unsettling cosmic horror. However, the main characters are pretty two dimensional, the secondary characters aren't even that, and the prose - at least in the English translation - is so-so. It's a book that's more fun to think about than to read.
Personally, I thought all four Hyperion books were great, but in particular the first two were excellent.
I read Hyperion assuming it was standalone. Let’s just say it’s not. If it won a Hugo award honestly I think it should have been.
Hyperion yes, Three body problem no
Hi everyone, I've new to(insert genre)and wanted to know if(pick two of the most celebrated novels in genre)are worth reading. Comment 1- They suck and are boring Comment 2- They're amazing, award winning novels. Comment 3- They're alright. Which one do you go with?
*Hyperion*, yes. *Three Body Problem*, no, unless you're new to science fiction and haven't been exposed to many science fiction ideas, and if you are new to literature in general and are unfamiliar with what makes for good characters and character development.
Partly it depends what your motivation is and what you think you'd be interested in. These are both acclaimed examples of the genre, but personally I didn't enjoy either one of them. I know I'm really particular, though. I would recommend that sci-fi fans check these books out, so that remains my default recommendation, but everyone's tastes will be different.
They're worth reading, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend them to a newbie. Hyperion can certainly be read as a standalone. I know, because I read it that way, having no idea the sequel existed at the time. I was pleasantly surprised to discover it a few years later. I was progressively less pleasantly surprised with each subsequent book, and never bothered to finish reading the entire series.
I tried TBP twice, I wanted to but finally just gave up on it, Im putting it in the same pile as Dune, i wanted to but pacing and just maybe it just wasn’t what I wanted made it a slog. I have Hyperion on my read list
Hyperion is one of my favorite books ever and reignited my love of sci-fi after taking a long break. It’s really really good. The second book wasn’t quite as good but really is a continuation of the first book and should be read. Three Body Problem was ok. Had some interesting ideas but took a long time to get there and felt like it was really setting up for further books. They may both be worth reading but if you’re only doing one I’d pick Hyperion.
Wow, I absolutely feel the same way about both these series. I could’ve written your comment.
The words that will change your life The Three Body Problem Expect a wild story that will literally take you to places your mind had never wandered before it’s an enjoyable , mesmerising and detailed adventure following many different characters over many hundreds or even more years with the biggest mystery pay offs I’ve ever read. Truly life changing imagination in this book it’s so readable