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Producer of Netflix Three body problem found poisoned

variety.com

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Re: Producer of Netflix Three body problem found poisoned

#31

Post by koboll »

reedf1 wrote: post #8
AznHisoka wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you summarize what would make these books so sensitive/controversial?

A legitimate Chinese perspective on early Maoist China onward. It doesn't cover up the horror that took place. The first few chapters are especially difficult - with lynchings of academics (e.g. cultural revolution). It also covers how modern chinese people deal with that.

I'm glad a big-budget production is shining a light on that part of history. Extremely under-depicted and necessary to review and reflect on, especially right now

Re: Producer of Netflix Three body problem found poisoned

#32

Post by wfleming »

peteretep wrote: post #20
isoprophlex wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also don't get the cult status. The setup in the first book is pretty engaging, the trisolarians are compelling antagonists, and i loved the power plays resulting from Dark Forest theory... But the storytelling just falls flat in books 2 and 3, with the overlong story-within-a-story and the needless romance plot. The... relativistic stuff (lets call it that to avoid spoilers) at the end didn't do anything for me at…

With any luck this is the magic a bunch of professional TV producers will bring. GoT TV series was dramatically better than the books because so much of the bollocks was cut

... right up until the series had no books to adapt, at which point the consensus seems to be they took a steep dive in quality.

Re: Producer of Netflix Three body problem found poisoned

#33

Post by riffraff »

dwighttk wrote: post #10
reedf1 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A legitimate Chinese perspective on early Maoist China onward. It doesn't cover up the horror that took place. The first few chapters are especially difficult - with lynchings of academics (e.g. cultural revolution). It also covers how modern chinese people deal with that.

Odd. I remember some of that from the first book but Liu Cixin lives in China and doesn’t seem to suffer for it. He also wrote the source material for Wandering Earth which did very well in Chinese theatres and is pretty pro-China.

I mean the book literally shows a democratic "optimistic" society doesn't work and an authoritarian "pessimistic" one is the only workable outcome, I don't see why the PRC would have anything to object to that.

Re: Producer of Netflix Three body problem found poisoned

#34

Post by mattacular »

mellosouls wrote: post #11

I think it's a bit early to be assuming Chinese oppression tactics (though understandable). Incidentally, this book seems to have some sort of cult critical status; I personally found it very poorly written, despite the original ideas in the plot. I hope Netflix are able to turn it into something much better in their translation to the screen.

I've only read the first book (the English translation) and thought the writing was fine? I believe the translation was done by the author's brother. Really enjoyed the book but don't see how they'd turn it into a compelling tv show.

Re: Producer of Netflix Three body problem found poisoned

#35

Post by geertj »

mellosouls wrote: post #11

I think it's a bit early to be assuming Chinese oppression tactics (though understandable). Incidentally, this book seems to have some sort of cult critical status; I personally found it very poorly written, despite the original ideas in the plot. I hope Netflix are able to turn it into something much better in their translation to the screen.

I personally really enjoyed the writing. As others mentioned, TBP was written in Chinese by a Chinese author. I imagine most people here read the translation, as did I. After just a few pages it becomes immediately clear that you’re reading a work written from the perspective of a different culture. This gave it a genuine ring to me, and once I adjusted my perspective I really enjoyed it. The storytelling, historical setting, and assumed knowledge of world history all reinforce this. It would not have been possible to translate this book and turn it into something that appears to have been written by a western writer. I’m happy the translator didn’t even try and went for authentic instead.

Edit: be more concise

Re: Producer of Netflix Three body problem found poisoned

#36

Post by derwiki »

mattacular wrote: post #34
mellosouls wrote: post #11

I think it's a bit early to be assuming Chinese oppression tactics (though understandable). Incidentally, this book seems to have some sort of cult critical status; I personally found it very poorly written, despite the original ideas in the plot. I hope Netflix are able to turn it into something much better in their translation to the screen.

I've only read the first book (the English translation) and thought the writing was fine? I believe the translation was done by the author's brother. Really enjoyed the book but don't see how they'd turn it into a compelling tv show.

The translations are widely regarded as well done. I’ve heard this series described as a “philosophical fiction” (like Asimov’s Foundation series) where you don’t specifically follow characters and their development; but rather the characters just exist to advance the overall story. It’s offputting to many because it seems simple and lacking character development.

Re: Producer of Netflix Three body problem found poisoned

#37

Post by FreakyT »

isoprophlex wrote: post #17
mellosouls wrote: post #11

I think it's a bit early to be assuming Chinese oppression tactics (though understandable). Incidentally, this book seems to have some sort of cult critical status; I personally found it very poorly written, despite the original ideas in the plot. I hope Netflix are able to turn it into something much better in their translation to the screen.

I also don't get the cult status. The setup in the first book is pretty engaging, the trisolarians are compelling antagonists, and i loved the power plays resulting from Dark Forest theory... But the storytelling just falls flat in books 2 and 3, with the overlong story-within-a-story and the needless romance plot. The... relativistic stuff (lets call it that to avoid spoilers) at the end didn't do anything for me at…

Totally agree, that needless romance subplot was the most WTF part of book 2.

Re: Producer of Netflix Three body problem found poisoned

#38

Post by baybal2 »

QuesnayJr wrote: post #18
pjc50 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's about the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Revolution . Any kind of history outside the Party in China is inevitably going to be a bit dangerous. While there are direct references to the CR in the first few chapters, the real cleverness is the indirect approach and the (traditional) use of SF to critique the present society. In the book, advanced higher-dimensional aliens have invaded earth .. with a pair…

Wasn't Xi's family attacked during the CR? I would think that makes it a safer topic than most.

No, this is not how you think.

Xi puts the blame for his misfortunes on "wrong kind of dilettante communists," and being wronged, not that CR was wrong, it's just some poor pissants perpetrating it were wrong for taking on grand "true communist" personas who his family were.

So, the only wrong thing about it he sees is that the he wasn't at the helm back then, and not acknowledged as being worthy to join the purgers.

Re: Producer of Netflix Three body problem found poisoned

#39

Post by Jedd »

wfleming wrote: post #32
peteretep wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With any luck this is the magic a bunch of professional TV producers will bring. GoT TV series was dramatically better than the books because so much of the bollocks was cut

... right up until the series had no books to adapt, at which point the consensus seems to be they took a steep dive in quality.

Not convinced it's consensus, though I appreciate that people hoping for something better from the books that are unlikely to ever be written were disappointed by the TV screenplay that most definitely was were preemptively frustrated.

Some of our most popular fiction authors are frequently accused of not being able to write endings - there works are either drawn out way too long, or wrap up way too quickly.

It feels like there's few examples of consensus around what's 'just right' for how fast, and neatly, to wrap up many concurrent plot lines, especially in obnoxiously surreal universes.

Re: Producer of Netflix Three body problem found poisoned

#40

Post by yannikyeo »

mellosouls wrote: post #11

I think it's a bit early to be assuming Chinese oppression tactics (though understandable). Incidentally, this book seems to have some sort of cult critical status; I personally found it very poorly written, despite the original ideas in the plot. I hope Netflix are able to turn it into something much better in their translation to the screen.

The trilogy book are best-seller in China and the first book wins the Hugo Award in 2015. That's what get people in US interested.
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