The Three-Body Problem trilogy
The Three-Body Problem trilogy by Liu Cixinby Liu Cixin
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 44 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Praised for original ideas and as some of the best sci-fi; the most common caveat is xenophobia at the societal level.
Praised for original ideas and as some of the best sci-fi; the most common caveat is xenophobia at the societal level.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Excellent, among the best sci-fi
“Some of the best scifi i've read in a looong time for sure.”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” “At it's peak, its some of the best sci-fi I've ever read.”
Comment from 20 Sep 2026 in “Singapore’s National Library Board offers micropayments to build reading habits” “the books are excellent, in my opinion #2 was the peak”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” Original, idea-packed, strong technical depth
“I liked technical aspects of the book a lot, but on societal level there was quite a bit xenophobia”
Comment from 2 Oct 2026 in “On social reality in China” “absolutely packed with fantastic and original ideas”
Comment from 5 Oct 2026 in “Blindsight (Watts Novel)” Rewards deeper reading and reflection
“it serves for a very interesting meditation on the concept of loss”
Comment from 10 Sep 2026 in “Show HN: What if the speed of light was 5 km/h?” “recommended if you enjoy deeper reading”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Xenophobia at the societal level
“I liked technical aspects of the book a lot, but on societal level there was quite a bit xenophobia”
Comment from 2 Oct 2026 in “On social reality in China”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| The Three-Body Problem trilogyby Liu CixinThis page | 11 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
What people said
9 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“absolutely packed with fantastic and original ideas”
“I liked technical aspects of the book a lot, but on societal level there was quite a bit xenophobia”
“At it's peak, its some of the best sci-fi I've ever read.”
“it serves for a very interesting meditation on the concept of loss”
“It was massive, heavy and honestly beautiful. I loved it.”
“Battle with a culture different than your own.”
“recommended if you enjoy deeper reading”
“the books are excellent, in my opinion #2 was the peak”
“Some of the best scifi i've read in a looong time for sure.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.