I have Three Body Problem on my TBR pile, but haven't gotten to it yet.

When I first started book 1, I was very put off by the depiction of the violence in the Revolution’s opening days. I know a little about that time, but the writer makes it very impactful.

The early part of the book didn’t seem like SciFi at all, and being from a foreign language and culture, with unfamiliar family names, it took some effort to continue.

I was so glad I did

I've been reading East Asian literature for decades now (read Japanese at uni). In fact, I'm reading a Chinese novel right now.

Since around 2006, the vast majority of what I watch and listen to is East Asian. I'm not country-specific about it, either. Japan, Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong--if I'm watching a movie or TV show or listening to music, the chances are around 90% that it'll be from one of those countries.

So it's safe to say that I haven't batted an eye at the cultural/name differences since, oh, 2007.

As for the violence... Well, I read a great deal of mysteries. Some of them are quite graphic, so violence doesn't bother me, either.

I have Three Body Problem on my list to read next year, so it sounds like it will be right up my alley, in every imaginable way.

Thanks for the heads up.

… left unsaid was the unique and creative concepts the writer has dreamed up

As for Asian culture and their entertainment content…

We recently got hooked on Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Korean) and … iirc “Escapist Housewife” (Japanese), and really glad we tried them.

But I know some of the humor is going over our heads, as we lack the targeted audience’s cultural familiarity with the context and subject matter…

Cheers

Understanding the context/subject matter relies on solid familiarity with the history and some foundational works. Because their cultures are so old, about 75-80% of all Asian references for metaphors or humor will come from a tight core of 10-20 essential literary works, but that core is different with each country.

I read Japanese at uni, so of course their classical works were a huge part of the curriculum. Knowing the origins of nearly all of their humor and cultural references is probably one reason why things *don't* go over my head with their artistic works. In my estimation, the one essential book for understanding their culture is The Tale of Genji. You have to start there, or nothing else about Japan makes much sense. One instance where knowing the language matters is Naruto. When he does something stupid, a flock of birds flies over, and it sounds to Western ears like they're simply cawing at him. In reality, they're saying, "Aho! Aho!" In much of Japan that means "idiot," or "moron," and thus the scene becomes humorous. In some parts of Japan, though, "aho" means something similar, but much ruder, and cruder. So those people grudgingly accept the usage for a TV show, but I'd be careful who I said it to if I were over there, LOL.

China (and this includes Taiwan and Hong Kong) is a bit more difficult for most Westerners, but, really, if you read Confucius, Laozi, Mao, Cao Xueqin, the famous poets like Li Bi or Li Shangyin (plus as much Tang-era as you can manage), and a good history or two, you'll get most of the references. I strongly encourage reading a thorough history focusing on the Cultural Revolution, like Fractured Rebellion by Andrew Walder. That time period had a direct impact on so many modern Chinese writers and artists that few of them, or their intellectual descendants, can create works without referencing it, however indirectly. Modern Chinese humor can be quite cynical and macabre, and the Cultural Revolution is a big reason why. In fact, it's made a good deal of modern Chinese art forms cynical and macabre as well. From what I've seen of this Ciu Lixin novel/show, I'm getting a strong whiff of Cultural Revolution as an influence, but we'll see.

Korea is a more recent culture on my radar, and it'smore challenging than Japan or China for me to learn well, because not as many of their "classic" works are readily accessible in the West. That's changing, but it's taking a while. Until then, you'll probably need access to a university that has a well-established Korean/Asian Studies program, with an excellent collection of works to back it up at their library. Otherwise, it might be tough going.

Unless you have a Korean friend to explain it all to you. Which is also true of Japanese and Chinese cultures. Someone who's lived the culture is always a great resource.

That’s a lot of interesting info, and confirms my suspicions !

Sounds like an essential list of references too

Cheers

Thanks

March ’24

This is going to be one intense movie

Re: Netflix's 3-Body Problem series premiering 21MAR

( minor spoilers, but overall helpful imho - as one who's read the trilogy )

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/3-body-problem-review-netflix

It's interesting how they're already building the second and third books' plots into the first season.