The Redemption of Time by Baoshu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is definitely a case of wanting to like the concept and the tale more than actually enjoying it.

The Three-Body Problem series is one of my all-time favorite SFs and I was initially dismayed and then vaguely curious to hear that a lucky fan fiction that had come out days after the release of the third book had taken off so hard that it was later canonized with the originals. The author was quick to point out that that wasn't the intent, however, and it should be read in the spirit it was written: for fun.

So that's what I did. And in some ways, it exceeded many expectations. Think hardcore Stephen Baxter with a scope that not only spans the lifetime of the universe and beyond it, but even multiple iterations and re-dos with vast uber-intelligent entities playing out an ongoing story that attempts to settle the Dark Forest question at last.

I did enjoy the real physics talk and the exploration of living in different dimensions (not nearly as hokey as one might believe) that was explored in the originals. I also loved the grand scheme, the philosophical questions, and even in the inclusion of myths and old tales in the down-to-earth bits. (All irony included)

What I suppose I missed most, however, was the actual grounding of the novel. A love story is good, mind you, and so is an epic battle between very epic forces, but I got to the point where I didn't care EXCEPT for the high-concept bits.

The originals were much better for this.

However, there is quite a bit of good in here and I wouldn't automatically dismiss it. But please, whatever you do, read the originals first. This wouldn't make ANY sense whatsoever without them.

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