What would you do if you knew a possible world-ending alien invasion was coming?
Would you try to flee earth, fight back against the invaders, or hide and not do anything at all. All of these possibilities are addressed in the science-fiction novel The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu. Throughout the novel, readers gain a better understanding of the fight or flight response, and basic human survival instincts. He does a great job of conveying this very relevant message through fiction. It was originally written in Chinese and is part of a wave of translated books that are coming out. It is also the second book in the series by Cixin Liu called Remembrance of Earth’s Past, with the first book titled The Three Body Problem. It is very important that one reads the first book because it contains vital plot information that helps the reader understand the plot and characters of The Dark Forest.
At the start of the book, we learn that the UN is doing their best to set up pre-emptive defenses against the attack of the Trisolarin race. Their biggest challenge takes the form of a subatomic, artificial intelligence device known as a sophon. Soon after the sophons arrived on earth, the UN came up with a plan to get around them, this would be known as the Wallfacer plan. They chose four individuals to stop the invasion and not tell anyone about their plan, the book mainly focuses on Wallfacer Luo Ji. He was chosen due to his confusing and secretive nature.
While this program is in operation, a Chinese Navy officer by the name of Zhang Beihai, got appointed to the newly formed space force. He had a deep hatred for people who wanted to give up already and not fight back, known as defeatism. Another ideology that was banned was escapism, the idea of escaping into the universe rather than staying on earth. Eventually, Luo Ji went into hibernation so he didn’t have to wait for his plan to take action. 200 years later, he woke up along with many others. When all hope had seemed to have been lost, and earth was backed into a corner, Luo Ji’s plan had finally worked.
Cixin Liu uses amazing vivid imagery to make the reader feel like they are inside of the story. It feels like you are watching a movie and not reading a book, something that I think everyone should feel about a good book. Luo Ji has many dreams about the future and what life might be like, and all of these dreams feel like they are happening in your head.
There are a lot of small details and plot lines that can be difficult to pick up on, and I think that this is an area that could be improved. These plot lines also stem from the first book, so if you have not read The Three Body Problem, this book will be very hard to understand.
One thing that I loved about it was that Liu did a great job of attaching you to the characters. Sometimes making you hate them, and at other times you love them and are rooting for them to win. Another thing that I liked was the ending of the book. The author did an amazing job of tying everything together, and the very last sentence of the book directly relates to the first sentence
I believe that it is a great science-fiction novel with great character development, and its advanced plot it's one of its greatest strengths, but also weaknesses. If you are looking for an interesting, in-depth, and mind bending book that will keep you on your toes wanting more, then The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu is for you.
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