Xixin Liu's dark forest.
It is the second book of the Trilogy of the Three Bodies created by Cixin Liu. Its launch in Spanish was carried out by Editorial Penguin Random House during 2017 (nine years after its original appearance in China); under the Nova label, translated by Javier Altayó and Jianguo Feng. It was received with great interest due to the success of the first installment of the saga, The memory of the Earth's past.
By comparison, the sequel to The three-body problem it did not obtain such a favorable consensus of opinions. Some reviews even qualify this book as "boring, dense, flat ..." (David Olier de Cabal's Corner). However, for science fiction fans it means a very entertaining story that reflects a good evolution of the characters and leaves a huge expectation for the outcome of the entire series. Reminds a lot of Erich Von Däniken and his extraterrestrial mystery books.
About the Author
Liú Cíxīn was closely acquainted with the repression of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Born in 1963, he was forced to spend part of his childhood with his grandmother due to the turbulent political situation in the Asian giant. La Trilogy of the Three Bodies It turned out to be his consecrating work, worthy of world fame. Before becoming known as a writer, Cixin Liu worked as an engineer at the Yangquan (Shanxi) Power Station.
Synopsis of The Dark Forest
Continuation of The memory of the Earth's past
The start of The dark forest puts the reader in the same situation at the end of The memory of the Earth's past. That is, Humans must accept the inevitable: Trisolarians come to conquer the planet with their technology and superior knowledge. However, there are still four centuries to go for the arrival of this race of aliens, who have been in charge of spying very closely on earthlings thanks to the amazing subatomic "pits".
"The Fenced"
Despair and pessimism spread in all corners of the Earth. In the midst of the unleashed chaos, all the nations of the world decide to join forces in order to arm a common defense against the invaders. To that end, humanity creates "El Fenced", an organization whose purpose is to design an effective containment strategy in the last safe place from interstellar whistleblowers: their brains.
Luo Ji's role
Although the protagonism of The dark forest It is well distributed among several characters, without a doubt the most prominent is Luo Ji, an eager astronomer and sociologist, who goes from being a "nobody" to being in the focus of the most momentous operation in history of human civilization. El Vallado is completed by three other scientists considered eminences.
At that point, readers are very likely to empathize with Ji, as he is not very certain about his own activities within the organization while he has all the eyes of the world on him. He's also not quite sure about his role in the whole thing. Anyway, Luo persists; begins a journey of introspective exploration around his reason for being and the consequences of his actions.
The really important
Then, the dilemmas of the characters involved will lead them to reflect on the really important things, those worth sacrificing even their own lives. Because at that point - almost 400 years into a war for the survival of humanity - the most damaging threats are embodied by staunch humans to Trisolarians, who do everything possible to interfere with the El Vallado mission.
Sensitive subjects in controlled environments
The analogies between the people faithful to the extraterrestrial invaders (folded to power) and the members of El Vallado, represent an unequivocal reference to the officials of the oppressive governments and those who oppose totalitarianism. In addition, Cixin Liu takes advantage of the narration to make clear her position on issues (sensitive to openly deal with in China) such as human rights and freedom of information.
An ending that leaves asking for the outcome
The author subtly points out that even in the most unjust conflicts, the oppressed can resort to an inalienable quality, inherent only to the human being: their creativity; in addition, it is your most effective weapon. Finally, the end of The dark forest it only increases the curiosity of the reader to know the resolution of the entire trilogy.