Remembrance of Earth's Past

Cover of UK digital book cover.

**Remembrance of Earth's Past** (地球往事 *Dìqiú Wǎngshì*), or more colloquially known as **The Three-Body Problem** (三体 *Sān Tǐ*) series from the title of the first book, is a trilogy of hard science fiction novels written by Liu Cixin. The series has been translated into English by Ken Liu and Joel Martinsen, and has been translated to over 26 languages worldwide.

## Plot

During the Cultural Revolution, Ye Wenjie, an astrophysics graduate from Tsinghua University, witnesses her father get beaten to death during a struggle session by Red Guards from Tsinghua High School, who were supported by Ye's mother and younger sister. Ye is officially branded a traitor and is forced to join a labor brigade in Inner Mongolia, where she befriends a government journalist who enlists Ye's help in transcribing a letter to the government. The letter details policy suggestions based on the book Silent Spring, which Ye read. However, the journalist betrays Ye, who is sentenced to prison after the letter is viewed as seditious by the government. In prison, Ye is recruited by Yang Weining and Lei Zhicheng, two military physicists working under Red Coast, a secret Chinese initiative to use high-powered radio waves to damage spy satellites.

Four decades later, Beijing police ask nanotech engineer Wang Miao, along with cunning detective Shi Qiang, to infiltrate a secretive cabal of scientists after a spate of inexplicable suicides, including Ye Wenjie's daughter Yang Dong. Wang's investigation lead to a mysterious online game and immerse him in a virtual world ruled by the intractable and unpredictable interaction of its three suns. While at the same time, they start to notice that the world's governments are communicating closely with each other and have put aside their traditional rivalries to prepare for war.

## Books

### Main books

1. **The Three-Body Problem** (三体) was first published in January 2008 by Chongqing Press. An English translation, translated by Ken Liu, was released by Tor Books in November 2014 in the US and later in March of the following year in the UK by Head of Zeus.
2. **The Dark Forest** (黑暗森林) was published in May 2008 by Chongqing Press. An English translation, translated by Joel Martinsen, was released in August 2015 in the US by Tor Books and later in July of the following year in the UK by Head of Zeus.
3. **Death's End** (死神永生) was published in November 2010 by Chongqing Press. An English translation, translated by Ken Liu, was released in September 2016 in the US by Tor Books and later in September of the following year in the UK by Head of Zeus.

### Extended book

* **The Redemption of Time** (观想之宙), originally a fan-fiction web-novel written in 2010, is written by Baoshu and was officially published by Chongqing Press in 2011 with permission from Liu Cixin. An English translation, translated by Ken Liu, was released in July 2019 by Tor Books and Head of Zeus simultaneously.

## Adaptations

* **The Three-Body Problem** (film) is an unreleased Chinese 3D film directed by Zhang Fanfan with screenplay by Chunyu Song, and starring Feng Shaofeng and Zhang Jingchu. Although it was originally scheduled to be released in 2017, the project was postponed indefinitely due to the company's internal shuffling and the rumored 'bad quality' of the film's first cut.
* **The Three-Body Problem** (TV) is an upcoming Chinese television series directed by Lei Yang with Liu Cixin credited as the screenplay writer. Starring Luyi Zhang and Jin Chen, the series is scheduled to release in 2023.
* **The Three-Body Problem** (stream TV) is an upcoming stream television series produced and written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss with Alexander Woo as co-writer. Starring Benedict Wong and Eiza González, the series is expected to premiere on Netflix in 2023.