Score: 5

Yeah, a little.

Be sure to check out my Scoring Scale to see what the score means.

The Dark Forest is the follow up to and it’s definitely the same story line, but nothing like the first book in the series. And just like with Three Body Problem I had a harder time (and probably the most fun) trying to wrap my head around the way the characters think than with the actual science fiction. It also dealt with one of the most fascinating things in the book was how it deals with time and the vastness of space. For that, it was an entertaining read for sure. With that in mind, it was almost completely disconnected from the first book in the series in terms of plot. Definitely need to read the first if you want to make any sense of this one.

What I liked the best:

• space travel takes a ton of time
• the story is based around philosophical concepts more than plot or characters. It reminded me of old school, pre-1970 scifi in that regard.

Things I didn’t like:

• it was pretty boring for a lot of the story
• I had a really hard time relating to the characters. Really, any of them.
• there is a motif of the “secret genius hero” that is kind of getting annoying.
• da shur becomes kind of an emotional wimp compared to the first book.
• It feels like the series is over. If he’s going to resume with the same conflict it’s going to be obnoxious. I really hope the next one goes a different direction and that the trisolaran thing is over.

Recommendation: Probably not for everyone, but fun for those looking for a weird, almost quirky read.

Ben McCary

I'm Ben. I work in Seattle, but live outside of it...I commute a lot. Basically, that means that I only get a few hours a day at home and have no time for life. Like most people like me, I listen to audiobooks. Over the years, I've come to love them. So much so I can't get anyone to listen to me talk about them. So, I'm making a blog to talk about them so other commuters can find some good things to waste away in traffic to!