I’M READING AS FAST AS I CAN (OCTOBER 2021 EDITION)
Spent half the month in quarantine, and still only finished two books. Make of that what you will.
The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is the first book of Liu Cixin’s Remembrance Of Earth’s Past trilogy, and it’s my first time reading one of his novels, though I read two of his short stories via the Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation anthology (one of which also appears here in a slightly different form). There’s been so much hype about this novel (positive and negative) that I figured I had to give it a try eventually. The simplest way of describing it is an alien invasion story with a difference, but that’s perhaps too simple, given that it takes place partly during the Cultural Revolution and that it’s toploaded with physics - the title itself refers to the three-body problem of orbital mechanics.
In essence, the story follows two characters: (1) Ye Wenjie, who barely survives the Cultural Revolution because her talent for astrophysics lands her a job at a secret military facility that is attempting to contact alien life, and (2) Wang Miao, a modern-day nanotech professor who is enlisted in the investigation into the apparent suicides of several scientists. As part of the investigation, Wang discovers a VR game called The Three-Body Problem, in which a virtual world’s climate is being constantly (and unpredictably) altered by the three suns pulling at it. These two narratives come together when Wang discovers the virtual world is in fact an actual alien world that has already made contact with Earth - and is preparing to invade it.
The basic idea is interesting, as are the plot twists in terms of how aliens might respond to a message from Earth, and how they would go about invading us. And Liu’s portrayal of conducting scientific research during the Cultural Revolution is terrifyingly accurate (and occasionally hilarious). The main downside for me is that there are pages and pages of hard science written for a hard-science audience - which is great if you know a lot about particle physics, nanotech and orbital mechanics. For people like me, they’re the “parts people skip”, as Elmore Leonard put it. That is, of course, my problem, not Liu’s, and not yours if you like your SF superhard. Let’s just say that I generally liked the parts I understood and leave it at that.
Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life by James Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In which Jesuit priest James Martin SJ makes the case that Christianity is very much all about humor, joy and laughter, as opposed to the grim, solemn fire-and-brimstone/wipe-that-smile-off-your-face brand of Christianity that so many of us have likely encountered over the years. This speaks to me on several levels - partly because I like a joke, but also because the church I grew up in was helmed by a priest named Father John Sterling, who was one of the jolliest people I’ve ever met, and regularly peppered his sermons with jokes and Peanuts cartoons. Which seemed a lot more in the spirit of Jesus’ teachings than the stern preachers at other churches telling everyone they were doomed unless they behaved.
Anyway, Fr Martin starts off by exploring just why so many Christians (including priests and theologians) think that they’re supposed to be serious all the time, then turns to select saints, Thomas Merton and the Bible (particularly the gospels) for evidence that in fact Christians are allowed to be joyful and humorous - indeed, it’s a direct by-product of faith. Even Jesus had a sense of humor, and he frequently used it in his teachings (though this isn't always evident to us, as the humor is geared to a specific culture around 30-33 A.D.). The book concludes with tips for how to incorporate more joy and laughter into your spiritual life (including prayer time). As one would hope, there are also plenty of jokes and humorous anecdotes.
That said, the book makes some serious points (in a light-hearted way). For example, Fr Martin cautions that not all humor is necessarily in the Christian spirit - humor can hurt people if it’s mean-spirited (see: racist jokes, jokes about disabled people, insult comedy intended to humiliate, etc). Crucially, he makes it clear throughout the book that he isn't saying Christians should be jolly, happy stand-up comics all the time, oblivious to the horrors of the world around us - his point is that humor is what keeps us from being overwhelmed by it all and gives us hope, and we need that balance to live healthy spiritual lives. It’s also worth noting you don't need to be specifically Christian to get something out of this. Overall, the main point for everyone is this: lighten up and don’t take your faith (or yourself) too seriously.
View all my reviews
Lighten up,
This is dF
This entry was originally posted at https://defrog.dreamwidth.org/1662412.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is the first book of Liu Cixin’s Remembrance Of Earth’s Past trilogy, and it’s my first time reading one of his novels, though I read two of his short stories via the Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation anthology (one of which also appears here in a slightly different form). There’s been so much hype about this novel (positive and negative) that I figured I had to give it a try eventually. The simplest way of describing it is an alien invasion story with a difference, but that’s perhaps too simple, given that it takes place partly during the Cultural Revolution and that it’s toploaded with physics - the title itself refers to the three-body problem of orbital mechanics.
In essence, the story follows two characters: (1) Ye Wenjie, who barely survives the Cultural Revolution because her talent for astrophysics lands her a job at a secret military facility that is attempting to contact alien life, and (2) Wang Miao, a modern-day nanotech professor who is enlisted in the investigation into the apparent suicides of several scientists. As part of the investigation, Wang discovers a VR game called The Three-Body Problem, in which a virtual world’s climate is being constantly (and unpredictably) altered by the three suns pulling at it. These two narratives come together when Wang discovers the virtual world is in fact an actual alien world that has already made contact with Earth - and is preparing to invade it.
The basic idea is interesting, as are the plot twists in terms of how aliens might respond to a message from Earth, and how they would go about invading us. And Liu’s portrayal of conducting scientific research during the Cultural Revolution is terrifyingly accurate (and occasionally hilarious). The main downside for me is that there are pages and pages of hard science written for a hard-science audience - which is great if you know a lot about particle physics, nanotech and orbital mechanics. For people like me, they’re the “parts people skip”, as Elmore Leonard put it. That is, of course, my problem, not Liu’s, and not yours if you like your SF superhard. Let’s just say that I generally liked the parts I understood and leave it at that.
Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life by James Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In which Jesuit priest James Martin SJ makes the case that Christianity is very much all about humor, joy and laughter, as opposed to the grim, solemn fire-and-brimstone/wipe-that-smile-off-your-face brand of Christianity that so many of us have likely encountered over the years. This speaks to me on several levels - partly because I like a joke, but also because the church I grew up in was helmed by a priest named Father John Sterling, who was one of the jolliest people I’ve ever met, and regularly peppered his sermons with jokes and Peanuts cartoons. Which seemed a lot more in the spirit of Jesus’ teachings than the stern preachers at other churches telling everyone they were doomed unless they behaved.
Anyway, Fr Martin starts off by exploring just why so many Christians (including priests and theologians) think that they’re supposed to be serious all the time, then turns to select saints, Thomas Merton and the Bible (particularly the gospels) for evidence that in fact Christians are allowed to be joyful and humorous - indeed, it’s a direct by-product of faith. Even Jesus had a sense of humor, and he frequently used it in his teachings (though this isn't always evident to us, as the humor is geared to a specific culture around 30-33 A.D.). The book concludes with tips for how to incorporate more joy and laughter into your spiritual life (including prayer time). As one would hope, there are also plenty of jokes and humorous anecdotes.
That said, the book makes some serious points (in a light-hearted way). For example, Fr Martin cautions that not all humor is necessarily in the Christian spirit - humor can hurt people if it’s mean-spirited (see: racist jokes, jokes about disabled people, insult comedy intended to humiliate, etc). Crucially, he makes it clear throughout the book that he isn't saying Christians should be jolly, happy stand-up comics all the time, oblivious to the horrors of the world around us - his point is that humor is what keeps us from being overwhelmed by it all and gives us hope, and we need that balance to live healthy spiritual lives. It’s also worth noting you don't need to be specifically Christian to get something out of this. Overall, the main point for everyone is this: lighten up and don’t take your faith (or yourself) too seriously.
View all my reviews
Lighten up,
This is dF
This entry was originally posted at https://defrog.dreamwidth.org/1662412.html. Please comment there using OpenID.