#baoshu

[gffa]

Baoshu’s introduction to his fan-novel The Redemption of Time has me feeling everything right along with him, the anxiety of being a fan author to a much loved series and having the author’s approval to do so versus that not everyone is going to like it and that’s okay, but you want them to know it’s okay, that you want to stand proud of your work but understand that you have respect and love for a universe that’s not your own, you’re a guest here, as well as the joy of why fanfiction and shared universes--that desire for the universe to last just a little while longer. Whether or not I end up liking this story in particular, I know I already vibe tremendously with the author.  High five for the anxiety and the joy, good sir!

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The Redemption of Time | Author: Baoshu | Publisher: Head of Zeus (2019)

[awidevastdominion]

Just started this one-- because I like feeling the existential dread of living in a dark forest universe I guess eloh el.

P.S. BUT this is funny:

"My dear sex-one entity, this humble sex-two entity wishes to join our bodies. " The imploring Trisolaran would wave its feelers in a gesture of desire. (Like humans, the Trisolarans are also divided into two sexes, though they are entirely different from human sexes. )

"Get away from me, you ugly thing ! The very sight of you makes me wish to expel fecal matter!" The other Trisolaran would release thought waves that indicated extreme disgust.

[ocdhuacheng]

Pov you’re a trisolaran coming in direct contact with humans for the first time

[smentarzysko]

le sigh .. three body trilogy is so so so cool but i literally cant get over the conservative gender roles. almost ALL women in here are feminine, timid, caring, maternal and weak. men are allowed to be more diverse but this general idea that liu has of how male and female people have some inherent immutable personalities is fucking grating.

that being said, ye wenjie best character. lets gooo! doom humanity !!

[mindduckbookspodcast]

You have asked for it, we have hesitated, Cixin Liu has approved it. The fourth book in the Redemption of Earth's Past trilogy that started as fan fiction and then developed into a full forth book in the series. Join us on a journey through recounting events, retconning, internet culture references and a crazy adventure of universal proportions. We're talking the Redemption of Time by Baoshu ( Li Jun ) Moreover, we also discuss the TV adaptation of the Three body problem recently released by Tencent. --- Check out our episodes 4, 5, 6 and 7 for the Redemption of Earth's past trilogy.  --- 00:00 intro 02:56 TV show adaptation 12:23 Redemption of time impressions 17:36 Baoshu 20:41 Would we recommend it? 24:06 Spoliers and plot #redemption #time #of #earth #past #baoshu #three #body #adaptation #tv #series #tencent #cixin #liu #fanfiction by Mind Duck Books Podcast

[mykingdomforapen]

time travel recommendations for link clickers!

Good time travel stories are inherent to the genre of science fiction as a whole. I also find that in Chinese/Chinese-American sci-fi, time travel appears significantly. I think perhaps because so much Asian storytelling muses on the loss of tradition/past to an unfamiliar modernity, or overwhelming history being unresolved to this day. Other times I think simply put, time travel is about love and family and what artist doesn’t like to ponder that? Anyway, some Chinese/Chinese-American stories about time travel that I would love to recommend…

The Man Who Ended History by Ken Liu

This story is not for the faint hearted. It deals heavily with Japanese war crimes against the Chinese during WWII, but it does remind me a little of Cheng Xiaoshi’s abilities because the story muses on a hypothetical technology that can enable people to intimately experience historical events only once, to devastating effect. Truly, this story is haunting (the kind that leaves you in a funk), but feels eerily reminiscent of Cheng Xiaoshi's timehopping potential. It is also serving as some inspiration for a potential CXS-centric fic idea I have brewing so if that does come to life I gotta give credit where it’s due.

What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear by Baoshu

This isn’t strictly speaking time travel as it is a speculative and unconventional travel through time, which in some ways imagines China’s modern history to have happened backwards. If you’re familiar with Chinese modern history, it is honestly pretty devastating to read, especially because in some ways one can see how it is reflecting reality despite being somewhat opposite of history. While I can’t find a copy of it online, it’s available in English in the anthology of Chinese sci-fi Broken Stars.

Memories of my Mother by Ken Liu

okay this post is low key a Ken Liu works appreciation post in disguise but if anyone has read my fic spinning silk , this is the short story whose pages imagine in which Cheng Xiaoshi would keep his mother’s photograph. if you know of any more that you would recommend please share!!

[booksandchainmail]

Hugo Best Short Story Finalists 2024

I'm not fully settled on my rankings yet, the first three could be in any order, as could the last two. I'm also registering a predication for when voting breakdowns are published that my first and last ranked stories will be polarizing

Answerless Journey, by Han Song I keep rotating this one in my brain, which to me is the mark of a good short story. I have some quibbles with aspects of it (it seems very arbitrary what the main character can and cannot remember), but overall I think it hangs together well. A good use of the ambiguity of paranoia. Sort of reminds me of Piranesi meets The Darkness Outside Us. And above all, I have to respect the chutzpah of how much it lives up to its title

Better Living Through Algorithms, by Naomi Kritzer I really enjoyed this one, it is exactly the kind of worldbuilding that I think Kritzer is doing better than basically anyone else, set ~twenty minutes into the future~ exploring technical advances from a social standpoint. It seems very realistic! I will say that about halfway through, when the app starts micromanaging the protagonist's life in ways that improve it, my first thought was of fanfic about unrealistically perfect dommes.

Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times, by Baoshu This is a story in three parts, and I think the third was the weakest, which is a shame because the first two were nicely chilling vignettes. I liked the horror in the first one, the way it just cuts at the moment of realization. I like the righteous disgust in the second one. In the third one, the first two come together, and there's a very nice beat of how little the horror mattered, but then the final sci-fi concept fell flat for me.

How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub, by P. Djeli Clark I enjoyed this story, it hasn't prompted any deep thinking but it was very satisfying to read. I do appreciate a Jules Verne adaptation.

The Mausoleum's Children, by Aliette de Bodard Once again de Bodard's work just doesn't click for me. I think it might be that her worldbuilding always takes too long for me to grasp, so the plot gets confusing and the characters opaque?

The Sound of Children Screaming, by Rachael K. Jones I feel like a hypocrite since I loved last year's Rabbit Test, but the degree to which this was a stylized story about a Contemporary Issue felt, hmm, artificial? I didn't like the stylizing, the fantasy plotline didn't work for me, and I found the school shooting framing overwrought and borderline in bad taste

[bambamramfan]

- from “What Has Passed Shall In Kinder Light Appear” by Baoshu (via @with-a-martyr-complex​ )

[with-a-martyr-complex]

With A Martyr Complex: Reading List 2023

Adapted from the annual list from @balioc​, a list of books (primarily audiobooks) consumed this year. This list excludes several podcasts, but includes dramatizations and college lecture series from The Great Courses, which I consume like a parrot emotionally dependent on access to lecturers.

The Birth of Tragedy Out Of The Spirit of Music byFriedrich Nietzsche (Translated by Ian Johnston)

Death in Venice by Thomas Mann (Translated by Michael Henry Heim, Introduction by Michael Cunningham)

Financial Literacy: Finding Your Way in the Financial Markets by Connel Fullenkamp, from The Great Courses

The Dispossessed: A Novel by Ursula K. Le Guin

License to Travel: A Cultural History of the Passport by Patrick Bixby

Making History: How Great Historians Interpret the Past by Allen C. Guelzo, from The Great Courses

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai (Translated by Donald Keene)

Cyteen by C. J. Cherryh

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave by Frederick Douglass

Understanding Japan: A Cultural History by Mark J. Ravina, from The Great Courses

The Mountains of Mourning by Lois McMaster Bujold

What Has Passed Shall In Kinder Light Appear by Baoshu (Translated by Ken Liu)

The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World by Robert Garland from The Great Courses

The Just City by Jo Walton

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Understanding Imperial China: Dynasties, Life, and Culture by Andrew R. Wilson, from The Great Courses

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang (Contains: Tower of Babylon, Understand, Division By Zero, Story of Your Life, Seventy-Two Letters, The Evolution of Human Science, Hell is the Absence of God, and Liking What You See.)

Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition by Grant Hardy, from The Great Courses

By The Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions by Richard Cohen

War in Japan: 1467-1615 by Stephen Turnbull

Yūrei: The Japanese Ghost by Zack Davisson

Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny

The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu (Translated by Dennis Washburn)

Buddhism by Malcolm David Eckel, from The Great Courses

The Rise of Modern Japan by Mark Ravina, from The Great Courses

The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps: The Bloody Battles and Intrigues of the Shinsengumi by Romulus Hillsborough

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, (Translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori)

Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima (Translated by Michael Gallagher)

Child of God by Cormac McCarthy

The Rise of Communism: From Marx to Lenin by Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, from The Great Courses

Communism in Power: From Stalin to Mao by Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, from The Great Courses

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo (Translated by Isabel F. Hapgood)

Cycles of American Political Thought by Joseph F. Kobylka, from The Great Courses

Docile by K. M. Szpara

Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques by James Hynes, from The Great Courses

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

Hart's Hope by Orson Scott Card

Real Service by Raven Kaldera and Joshua Tenpenny

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alhigieri (Translated by Clive James)

Dante's Divine Comedy by William R. Cook and Ronald B. Herzman from The Great Courses

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

Secrets of The Occult by Richard B. Spence (From the Great Courses, possibly?)

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

American Monsters by Adam Jortner from The Great Courses

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

Praetorian: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Imperial Bodyguard byGuy de la Bédoyère

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

Great World Religions: Hinduism by Mark W. Muesse, from The Great Courses

At The Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H. P. Lovecraft

The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H. P. Lovecraft

The Dunwich Horror by H. P. Lovecraft

The Shadow Out of Time by H. P. Lovecraft

The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H. P. Lovecraft

The Whisperer in Darkness by H. P. Lovecraft

The Complete Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft by H. P. Lovecraft (Collected by The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society, contains: The Alchemist, At the Mountains of Madness, Azathoth, The Best in the Cave, Beyond the Wall of Sleep, The Book, The Call of Cthulhu, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, The Cats of Ulthar, Celephais, The Colour out of Space, Cool Air, Dagon, The Descendent, Discarded Draft of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," The Doom that Came to Sarnath, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Dreams in the Witch House, The Dunwich Horror, The Evil Clergyman, Ex Oblivione, Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family, The Festival, From Beyond, The Haunter of the Dark, He, Herbert West-Reanimator, History of the Necronomicon, The Horror at Red Hook, TheHound, Hypnos, Ibid, In the Vault, The Little Glass Bottle, The Lurking Fear, Memory, The Moon-Bog, The Music of Erich Zann, The Mysterious Ship (Long and Short Versions), The Mystery of the Grave-Yard, The Nameless City, Nyarlathotep, Old Bugs, The Other Gods, The Outsider, Pickman's Model, The Picture in the House, Polaris, The Quest of Iranon, The Rats in the Walls, A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson, The Secret Cave, The Shadow out of Time, The Shadow Over Innsmouth, The Shunned House, The Silver Key, The Statement of Randolph Carter, The Strange High House in the Mist, The Street, Sweet Ermengarde, The Temple, The Terrible Old Man, The Thing on the Doorstep, Through the Gates of the Silver KeyThe Tomb, The Transition of Juan Romero, The Tree, Under the Pyramids, The Unnamable, The Very Old Folk, What the Moon Brings, The Whisperer in Darkness, The White Ship)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Patton: The Man Behind The Legend, 1885-1945 by Martin Blumenson

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger by Matt Yglesias

Red: A History of the Redhead by Jacky Colliss Harvey

The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo (Translated by Isabel Florence Hapgood)

The Rape of the Mind: The Psychology of Thought Control, Menticide, and Brainwashing by Joost A. M. Meerloo

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

Legacies of Great Economists by Timothy Taylor from The Great Courses

Incomplete books: Trouble on Triton, Comparative Hell: Arts of Asian Underworlds, Dark Archives, The History of the World: Map by Maps, The Iliad (Emily Wilson Translation), Christina Queen of Sweden: The Restless Life of a European Eccentric, The Three Musketeers, The Only Plane in the Sky, Myth in Human History, The Dragon: Fear and Power

---

Great Courses consumed: 17?

Non-Great Courses Nonfiction consumed: 13

---

Works consumed by women: 13

Works consumed by men: 53

Works consumed by men and women: 0

Works that can plausibly be considered of real relevance to foreign policy (including appropriate histories): 7

---

With A Martyr Complex’s Choice Award, fiction division: Convenience Store Woman

>>>> Honorable mention: Hart's Hope, Ancillary Justice, Child of God, No Longer Human, Piranesi, the first 1/3 of Cyteen, What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear

With A Martyr Complex’s Choice Award, nonfiction division: By The Sword

>>>> Honorable mention: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps, Praetorian, The Birth of Tragedy most of the Great Courses stuff I got to this year

>>>> Great Courses Division: Buddhism

The Annual “An Essential Work of Surpassing Beauty that Isn’t Fair to Compare To Everything Else” Award: The Divine Comedy

>>>> Honorable mention: Julius Caesar, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Shadow Out of Time, Pride and Prejudice, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Man Who Laughs, The Dispossessed

The “Reading This Book Will Give You Great Insight Into The Way I See The World” Award: What Has Passed Shall In Kinder Light Appear

>>>> Honorable mention: Hell is the Absence of God (from Stories of Your Life and Others)

The "My Mind is Thoroughly Exhausted By Reading Through All This But It Was Worth It In The End" Award: The Tale of Genji

Book Most in Need of A Single Extra Chapter: The Man Who Laughs

Best Dude: Darcy from Pride and Prejudice

---

This is the first year where I didn't struggle to reach my 52 book goal at all, only some of which is thanks to the Lovecraft marathon. I also read a ton of short sci-fi stories early in the year for an online class I took (which is also why there are so many sci-fi novels in the beginning of the year) and feel much more knowledgeable in the genre even though I'm still not very well read in it. I will be taking a fantasy course next year to what I assume will be similar effect.

It's still hard to read non-audiobooks, made worse this year by a promotion at work that means I have much less free time overall but still a fair deal of time for audiobooks while working with my hands. My (I don't post it) movie list suffered similarly, with this being the first year in a while I didn't hit my movie target. Not discussed: I read various comics this year! Standouts: Chainsaw Man Part 1, the first volume of Pluto, Fun Home, the fifth volume of Phoenix, Look Back

Goals for next year: more foreign policy reading, more literary fiction, write something of my own, ohgodthesearethesamegoalsaslastyearpleasetellmeI'mnotstagnating

[gffa]

Almost finished with The Redemption of Time and woof.  There’s a lot I like about the book, but the author’s favoritism for Tianming is wearing pretty thin.  I enjoyed the depth given to the character when he was interacting with AA, when he was still relatively relatable, it was fun.  But then he’s launched into the next part of the story, and he gets several powerups and outsmarts super advanced god-like beings, which I was already feeling like the plot stuff was heading too far into the fantastical for my tastes, but then all of it gets piled onto Tianming’s character to make him the most special ever. And then he has some interactions with Cheng Xin and her character is warped around him to suddenly be pining for him and she’s borderline punished for not choosing him before, the book amplifies all the sexism in the original trilogy and makes it so much worse. There’s promise here and I appreciate that Baoshu notes that he’s a fic writer, so I take this as fic rather than a genuine continuation, but how this fic was liked enough to get picked up for an official English translation/publication, I don’t know.  I’m going to power through the last hour and a half of this audiobook, since I’m so close to done, but oof.

[solidrain]

favorite things i read - february and march 2023

short stories:

“Calf Cleaving in the Benthic Black” by Isabel J. Kim - incredibly haunting and descriptive story about two space scavengers coming across a cryogenically frozen child and a moral conundrum

“What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear” by Baoshu, translated by Ken Liu (from Broken Stars) - such an interesting and fresh premise if you have even a decent knowledge of modern chinese history, explores the nature of time and history

“The Brain Box” by Regina Kanyu Wang, translated by Ken Liu (from Broken Stars) - a sharp and incisive story about the narratives we tell ourselves about our own identities and relationships explored through maybe the creepiest surveillance technology imaginable

“You’ll Understand When You’re a Mom Someday” by Isabel J. Kim - a possibly demonic creature possesses a woman’s body and navigates the trials and tribulations of marriage, motherhood, and contract law

“Bloodchild” by Octavia Butler (from Bloodchild and Other Stories) - this one is probably a classic of science fiction at this point, but here i am as another person to reiterate that this is very well-crafted and intriguing

essays:

“The Idea of Children” by Madeline Lane-McKinley - a critical analysis of the political position of the child

“Book of Lamentations” by Sam Kriss - a satirical review of the DSM-5 as if it were a dystopian novel

books:

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata - very dark and graphic in some parts, but i really liked it. the narrative really pushes the protagonist to the edge of what a reader may find sympathetic, but it’s an incredibly well-crafted journey from childhood abuse and trauma to alienation in modern society to the gruesome end. lots of content warnings for abuse, rape, incest, murder, and cannibalism.

combining february and march cuz uh i can’t believe it’s already april?? anyways, lots of short stories read (although i think i’m gonna take a break from reading short fiction for a while) and a few books, of which earthlings was the only one i really liked. gonna try to pick up some more novels and poetry in the coming months.

[mineofilms]

Non-Spoiler Review of Remembrance of Earth's Past

Remembrance of Earth's Past or known as (The Three-Body Trilogy) by Liu Cixin • Book 1: The Three-Body Problem • Book 2: The Dark Forest • Book 3: Death's End • Book 4: The Redemption of Time (written by Baoshu) (Optional)

The opinion by many out in the world is that the “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” is the greatest science fiction series every written. Written by Liu Cixin, a Chinese computer engineer and science fiction writer. Liu Cixin is a nine-time winner of China's Galaxy Award. In 2015 Liu Cixin won the Hugo Award for his novel “The Three-Body Problem” as well as the 2017 Locus Award for “Death's End.” Liu Cixin also won the Chinese Nebula Award. In English translations of his works, his name is given as Cixin Liu. He is a member of China Science Writers Association and the vice president of Shanxi Writers Association. He is sometimes called "Da Liu" (Big Liu) by his fellow science fiction writers in China.

The “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” is the first Science Fiction series to hit the national spotlight in China’s history. It is so popular China holds the series in high regard as a National Treasure. The book series was published from 2006-2011 and translated into English by Ken Liu starting in 2014 to 2019. American audiences are only now discovering this masterpiece of Science Fiction and Existential Horror. Netflix has a show planned for 2024 for “The Three-Body Problem,” the first book. It is uncertain if all the books will be converted for the show or if they are only doing the first book. The main trilogy take place over a few hundred years starting in and around the aftermath of World War 2 and go up to the year 2400+ to another 18 million years into humanity’s future. The optional 4th book which isn’t officially part of the canon but has the permission from Liu Cixin. I personally count the fourth book as part of the canon, but it is also ignored by other readers of the series. It is totally optional and to me does not hurt the story, plot or characters. It just gives the series a proper end rather than the ambiguous ending left at the end of “Death’s End.”

This BLOG serves as a NON-Spoiler introduction to the series. Here we are just going to describe the basic plots of the four books and some thoughts about them. The hope is I grab your interest enough so that you all go and either read these books or listen to them on audiobook. The audiobooks were very well produced and have that radio/theater quality and style to them. Very few science fiction novels actually change how I think. This series absolutely did that with its concepts of first contact, the dark forest theory, game theory, nihilism, time, relativity, relativistic time, reality possibly being an infinitely long loop, love, death, infinity, multiple-dimensional realities, macro and micro quantum reality, religion not being real and existentialism.

The Three-Body Problem (Book 1):

“Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, the greatest scientists around the world start to commit suicide, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion.” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem#?ref=nav_brws

The Dark Forest (Book 2):

“Earth is reeling from the revelation of a coming alien invasion — four centuries in the future. The aliens' human collaborators have been defeated, but the presence of the sophons, supercomputers printed on protons. These subatomic particles allow the Trisolarans instant access to all human information in real time. They have the ability to disrupt Earth’s ability to create technologies greater than the Trisolarans. This all means that Earth's defense plans are exposed to the enemy. Only the human mind remains a secret. This is the motivation for the Wallfacer Project, a daring plan that grants four men enormous resources to design secret strategies hidden through deceit and misdirection from Earth and Trisolaris alike. Three of the Wallfacers are influential statesmen and scientists but the fourth is a total unknown. Luo Ji, an unambitious Chinese astronomer and sociologist, is baffled by his new status. All he knows is that he's the one Wallfacer that Trisolaris wants dead.” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23168817-the-dark-forest

Death's End (Book 3):

“Half a century after the Doomsday Battle, the uneasy balance of Dark Forest Deterrence keeps the Trisolaran invaders at bay. Earth enjoys unprecedented prosperity due to the infusion of Trisolaran knowledge. With human science advancing daily and the Trisolarans adopting Earth culture, it seems that the two civilizations will soon be able to co-exist peacefully as equals without the terrible threat of mutually assured annihilation. But the peace has also made humanity complacent. Cheng Xin, an aerospace engineer from the early 21st century, awakens from hibernation in this new age. She brings with her knowledge of a long-forgotten program, “yhe Staircase Program,” dating from the beginning of the Trisolar Crisis, and her very presence may upset the delicate balance between two worlds. Will humanity reach for the stars or die in its cradle?” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25451264-death-s-end

The Redemption of Time (written by Baoshu, Book 4):

“Set in the universe of “Three-Body Problem trilogy,” “The Redemption of Time” continues the events from the end of “Death’s End.” This original story by Baoshu―published with Liu’s support―envisions the aftermath of the conflict between humanity and the extraterrestrial Trisolarans. In the midst of an interstellar war, Yun Tianming found himself on the front lines. Riddled with cancer, he chose to end his life by entering “the Staircase Program,” only to find himself flash frozen and launched into space where the Trisolaran First Fleet awaited. Captured and tortured beyond endurance for decades, Yun eventually succumbed to helping the aliens subjugate humanity in order to save Earth from complete destruction. Granted a healthy clone body by the Trisolarans, Yun has spent his very long life in exile as a traitor to the human race. Nearing the end of his existence at last, he suddenly receives another reprieve―and another regeneration. A consciousness calling itself “The Spirit,” later, “The Master,” has recruited him to wage war against an entity that threatens the existence of the entire universe, “the Lurker.” However, Yun refuses to be a pawn again and makes his own plans to save humanity’s future…” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36262251-the-redemption-of-time

My Opinion:

I will do a bigger BLOG-breakdown of the series with heavy spoilers at some point in the future. This BLOG is for people who have not read or listened to the series and have seen my posts using quotes from all four novels for the past three months. I tend to post quotes from the book I am listening to when I do my workouts, nature walks or treadmill atmospheres. This book series is nothing but brilliant. It’s no wonder China has been trying to adapt this to visual media. As of the writing of this BLOG there are five listings for this on IMDB.com for different kinds of visual media for this property. The only one I think I will have access to, that I can actually watch, will be the 2024 Netflix show on the “Three-Body Problem.” Depending on if you read the optional fourth book, “The Redemption of Time,” the meaning of these novels take on their own meaning.

• What Is Real? • Is Reality Real? • Do We Even Know The Difference If Any of “This” Is Real? • Does Anything At All Have Actual Meaning? • Does Anything Actually “Matter?”

The phrase "This has all happened before, and it will all happen again" is a line from the reimagined science fiction series "Battlestar Galactica." In the context of the show, it reflects the idea of cyclical history and the recurrence of events. The idea is that history repeats itself, and the same patterns and conflicts reoccur throughout time. This is a theme over the course of the four novels that is heavily explored.

This series is sometimes referred to as “existential horror.” This isn’t to imply horror in the traditional sense. Like, say, the existential horror of aliens invading Earth, like in, “Independence Day,” a monster on the ship “Alien,” or the everyday reality we live in not being real at all, “the Matrix.” It is more existentially terrifying from concepts it raises and how those concepts are dealt from the different perspective of these ideas coming from the different cultural perspective of a computer engineer in China rather than our standard Western way of telling a story, dealing with characters and the existential themes of the nature of our Universe. How this series deals with these questions in our everyday society. An example I will pull from, that really isn’t a spoiler, but how love between two people is dealt with here. China handles these things much differently, culturally and artistically, than say, how American writers tend to write about love in a fictional story. Once you get used to how the information is being displayed in the confines of the story and characters; the easier you get lost in the existential terror of the events as they unfold. To me, listening to these books was like how I saw “The Matrix” for the first time or “Alien” for the first time. That it was more than just a monster movie or insane visual action. You get lost in the concept of “what if” this could all be at play in some point in Humanity’s near or perhaps distant future. That “what if” this is all some sort of simulation or video game where the plot is so fixed that any choice you make has no impact, imprint or evidence on the outcome of the game. That no matter what you do in the game; you end up at the same boss fight at the end, with the same life, the same weapons, the same everything. It's these types of environments where the lack of realism is felt and where we eventually realize that something is not right with said reality. Human beings possess a kind of intuitive alarm in our minds. We hear a voice that isn’t a voice. It is a thought, but we describe to others as a voice. Others do not hear what you heard. They only know of it because you described it to them. However, they do not actually know for themselves. An example would be; we trust when we look up at the Moon that it is there, but you, I, most, have never been there to touch, see, step foot on it to know it if is actually there or not. Granted, we do know that it is there. We see it from Earth, we see its impact on the tides. We feel its gravity. Our mind alerts us when something doesn't feel real. That is usually how we know we are in a dream. Some things seem real, some seem normal and then you see a giant spider in the sky where the Sun should be. Eventually the brain will tell you what is real and what is not real. It is when our realities are flipped upside down and inside out, like a tesseract, that feelings on reality become existential horror. If we were in a simulation of reality and everything was so perfect that we’d began to perceive the artificiality of our surroundings.

Reality is never perfect in the concept of what we humans think of as perfection. In reality perfection and infinity are one-in-the-same. That; “on a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero. It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything. You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking khakis. You are not a unique snowflake. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world...” ― Chuck Palahniuk, “FIGHT CLUB.” Granted this is not the Universe of “Fight Club.” However, it could be. Some of the quotes in Palahniuk’s “Fight Club” and “Choke” speak to me in a way that his characters tend to live in a reality-bubble where the main character is always questioning whether or not the reality they are in is a real one. “The ability to let that which does not matter truly slide. Self-improvement is masturbation. Maybe self-destruction is the answer.” ― Chuck Palahniuk, “FIGHT CLUB”

If reality seems too good to be true or too erratic to be natural it can lead to dissatisfaction and rejection of that reality. That is why I say if you do not want your reality shattered. If you do not want to think of humanity, you, us, everything, every moment, every lover, every taste, touch, smell, sight seen or idea in your mind as just another grain of sand on an infinite beach and that grain having no effect whatsoever, no impact, imprint or evidence on the outcome of the collective sand on that infinite beach. That no matter what you do as a grain of sand on the beach you end up with the same life, the same job, the same woes, the same loves, tastes, fixations, disappointments, depressions, disappointments; the same everything. Then do not read these books. If you believe in God. You might not anymore at the end of these books. If you believe all life is precious you also may not believe that anymore. That is how impactful this series can be. However, if you are just a science fiction junky, like myself, and want your mind blown by an amazing story, I implore you to read or listen to these.

The Three-Body Series explores the grandeur and mysteries of the universe. It underscores the contrast between human mythologies and the scientific understanding of the cosmos. The vastness of space, the insignificance of humanity in the face of cosmic forces, and the pursuit of knowledge and scientific truth. The series invites readers to contemplate the Universe's enormity and complexity, highlighting the importance of scientific exploration. Liu Cixin's work combines science, philosophy, and storytelling to convey a sense of wonder about the Universe, which forced me to question our place in the cosmos. This series will intersect with science, philosophy, and human existence, making it a compelling read for those who appreciate profound intellectual exploration in science fiction literature.This series not only offers a riveting science fiction story, but also encourages readers to contemplate the nature of knowledge, the mysteries of the universe, time, and the implications of our place within it. It's a compelling invitation to embrace the wonders of science and the unknown, making it a must-read for those who appreciate both intellectual depth and an engaging narrative.

“The creation myths of the various peoples and religions of the world pale when compared to the glory of the big bang.” Liu Cixin, “The Three-Body Problem”

Non-Spoiler Review of Remembrance of Earth's Past Also known as "The Three-Body Trilogy" by David-Angelo Mineo 10/25/2023 2,514 Words

[mindduckbookspodcast]

37 - The Redemption of Time (ROEP 4) by Baoshu

http://bit.ly/3lPASzK

You have asked for it, we have hesitated, Cixin Liu has approved it. The fourth book in the Redemption of Earth's Past trilogy that started as fan fiction and then developed into a full forth book in the series.

Join us on a journey through recounting events, retconning, internet culture references and a crazy adventure of universal proportions. We're talking the Redemption of Time by Baoshu ( Li Jun )

Moreover, we also discuss the TV adaptation of the Three body problem recently released by Tencent.

>> Check out our episodes 4, 5, 6 and 7 for the Redemption of Earth's past trilogy.  <<

00:00 intro 02:56 TV show adaptation 12:23 Redemption of time impressions 17:36 Baoshu 20:41 Would we recommend it? 24:06 Spoliers and plot

[silkpunk]

In this age, survival was the only goal, and conscience was a luxury few could afford.

Baoshu, “What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear”, Broken Stars (edited and translated by Ken Liu)