The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin (Remembrance of Earth's Past #2)
Translator: Joel Martinsen
Published: 2008
E-book, English edition, 512 pages
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
★★★★★
Blurb:
Earth is reeling from the revelation of a coming alien invasion — four centuries in the future. The aliens' human collaborators have been defeated but the presence of the sophons, the subatomic particles that allow Trisolaris instant access to all human information, means that Earth's defense plans are exposed to the enemy. Only the human mind remains a secret.
This is the motivation for the Wallfacer Project, a daring plan that grants four men enormous resources to design secret strategies hidden through deceit and misdirection from Earth and Trisolaris alike. Three of the Wallfacers are influential statesmen and scientists but the fourth is a total unknown. Luo Ji, an unambitious Chinese astronomer and sociologist, is baffled by his new status. All he knows is that he's the one Wallfacer that Trisolaris wants dead.
Ulasan:
Oh, wow... MINDBLOWING. Aku sendiri heran kok berhenti baca di tengah cukup lama sebelum aku bisa menyelesaikannya. Tapi setelah aku mencapai bagian tengahnya dengan susah payah, semangat baca untuk menyelesaikan bacaan ini langsung menyala-nyala.
Memang bahasa teknisnya sangat kompleks (ini memang sejenis hard scifi), sehingga perlu waktu cukup lama untuk memahaminya. Selain itu, deskripsi kejadiannya sangat panjang, jadi sering kali membuatku mengantuk, tidak sabar, dan atau kehilangan minat untuk melanjutkan. Tapi rasa penasaran mengalahkan itu semua.
Luo Ji: "I’m madly in love with a fictional person from a novel of my own creation. I’ve been with her, I’ve traveled with her, and I’ve even broken up with my real-life girlfriend over her. Is that nothing serious to you?"
Da Shi: "It’s because someone who’s perfect in your mind isn’t necessarily perfect in the minds of others."