3 Body Problem (upcoming TV series)

[DennisN]

I just saw this trailer and got a bit excited .
It is an upcoming tv series based on a novel I had never heard about, and I have no idea about the plot.

But there is some Contact feeling in it, and it also seems there is a voiceover of Carl Sagan in the trailer.
According to the trailer the series is "from the creators of Games of Thrones".

3 Body Problem | Official Teaser | Netflix

 

[Bandersnatch]

From what I understand the source material is an extremely popular (but maybe also polarising, judging by the reviews I've seen) SF series. I've been meaning to read it for the longest time, but the one thing that made me hesitate was another adaptation of another book by the same author - the Wandering Earth (I think it's also on Netflix). Which has left such a cringe aftertaste I still can't force myself to invest the time in anything from the author. Even though I understand the film might have been only tangentially related to the book, the bad taste remains.
If anyone here has read the 3BP and can pen a honest recommendation/dispel my admittedly half-irrational aversion, I might finally get to reading the trilogy. Maybe even eventually watch the new series. Otherwise I'm not touching it with a ten foot pole.

 

[gmax137]

I read the first book. I'm sure there were a couple posts about it. I think it was in a "recommend me something new" thread.

It's a pretty weird plot, not sure how it would go over into a TV series or movie.

 

[BWV]

The Expanse is the only real SF book adaptation I can think of in the past decade, and 3BP is a much more interesting and original book. Nothing like Contact, it’s a hostile alien invasion story - but done without any of the typical tropes

 

[f95toli]

I've read the books. They are pretty good, but the plot is indeed at times very weird. I suspect they will need to alter the plot quite a bit for it to work as a TV-show.

One concern is that this is based on a Chinese sci-fi novel which means it has a somewhat different outlook and style of story-telling compared to your typical western novel; there is therefore -as always- a risk that something gets lost in an adaption primarily made for wester audiences.

 

[Haborix]

Definitely an interesting read. One benefit for an adaptation is the fact that the plot has some significant tectonic shifts, usually with new characters. Any series would have some natural cliffhangers. One other funny thing I recognized reading the books was that I had trouble keeping track of the characters because the names aren't culturally familiar to me.

 

[EventHorizon]

Yes, I have read both the Chinese and English versions of the novel (in chinese it's called 三体/Three Body). The series overall is pretty interesting as it incorporates many aspects of science into our daily lives and the characters themselves change quite a lot.
The first part was kind of confusing as I only have a little background info on the Cultural Revolution (文化大革命, literally The Big Revolution of Culture) but it was easier to keep up once you really get into the series.
I heard that the Chinese version of the Three-Body Problem movie has come out and the second is scheduled to come out soon as well as an English translation.