“It’s A Wonder To Be Alive. If You Don’t Understand That, How Can You Search For Anything Deeper?” 

Poo dat said they gon beat them ain'ts!

We discussed the science fiction novel Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, the English translation (by Ken Liu) was released on November 11th. First half is spoiler free/minimal, second half of the discussion contains major plot spoilers. All of the liveshow participants were fortunate enough to receive ARCs from the publisher, Tor.

Participants:

Michael from Bitten by a Radioactive Book: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaqri6yb-dGzmfw8SHMo0yw

Elizabeth from Books and Pieces: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXifXYnZ5fVrlhpuhDjZOGg

Kaitlin from Kitty G: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCubeiIJVCyYgn5bqfD0jl0w

Brock from Let’s Read: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMGoaqXQ6d6Z3Vr-I3JIy6A

Bri from Stories from the Shelf: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmTKGq0LnoybKSMk0PYCF-g

Three Body Problem 

“There’s a strange contradiction revealed by the naïveté and kindness demonstrated by humanity when faced with the universe: On Earth, humankind can step onto another continent, and without a thought, destroy the kindred civilizations found there through warfare and disease. But when they gaze up at the stars, they turn sentimental and believe that if extraterrestrial intelligences exist, they must be civilizations bound by universal, noble, moral constraints, as if cherishing and loving different forms of life are parts of a self-evident universal code of conduct.

I think it should be precisely the opposite: Let’s turn the kindness we show toward the stars to members of the human race on Earth and build up the trust and understanding between the different peoples and civilizations that make up humanity. But for the universe outside the solar system, we should be ever vigilant, and be ready to attribute the worst of intentions to any Others that might exist in space. For a fragile civilization like ours, this is without a doubt the most responsible path.”

Cixin Liu, Author’s Postscript to the American Edition of ‘The Three Body Problem’.

Read Selections from Cixin Liu’s Death’s End on Tor.com.

These two I imagine as Zhang Behiai and Wang Miao. 

Infernal Affairs (2002) - dir. Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. 無間道/无间道

People Are Decorating Christmas Trees with Flowers as a Gorgeous Alternative to Traditional Trimmings

Unfortunately, I cannot see the Milky Way from my backyard because of light pollution.

________🌟________

我点燃了火，却控制不了它。

I started the fire, but I couldn’t control how it burnt.