The Three-Body Problem

The Three-Body Problem, the first volume of a science fiction trilogy by Liu Cixin, is both a strong sci-fi story and a provocative consideration of the nature of man. The books, published in 2006, were very popular in China, were translated into English in 2014 and, in 2015, the first volume won the very prestigious Hugo Award for best science fiction novel of the year.  (Thanks to Dan Lidral-Porter, via Lauren, for the recommendation!)

The book has a traditional sci-fi theme, communication and contact with an alien civilization,  but has several features that made it particularly fresh and interesting to me.   The story is set within the world of Chinese academics, especially physicists and materials scientists, starting during the Cultural Revolution and continuing into the years afterwards.  There’s a heavy dose of speculative physics, which I enjoyed, and some strong, memorable characters, including a savvy, outspoken and very funny cop.  The protagonist is Ye Wenjie, a very talented astrophysicist who sees her illustrious father beaten to death by Red Guards, and many years later happens to intercept a message from intelligent aliens, triggering much of the book’s action.  (Stephen Hawking:  “We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet”).  For me, this was an intriguing, thought-provoking and lively read. 

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UPDATE (Lauren's Additional Review):

I found The Three-Body Problem fascinating. It was recommended to me as being the most important sci-fi to come out in recent years, which seems a bit of a stretch perhaps, but it was certainly very original and thought-provoking. The theme that was most compelling to me was that of the people on Earth who had given up on their society and longed for an alien race to come take over and rule the planet instead. Some interesting connections to Childhood's End, in that respect. Like dad, I also really enjoyed the cop character, Shi Qiang (史强), nicknamed "Da Shi" (大史), ("Big Shi").