博客书评：英文版《死神永生》书评第一弹 [联合国媒体]

REVIEW: DEATH’S END BY CIXIN LIU

书评：刘慈欣的《死神永生》

By Rachel Cordasco



The Three-Body Problem drew me completely into the universe Cixin Liu created,in which humanity had to come to terms for the first time in history with theexistence of an alien species. The Dark Forest absorbed me in its nuanced,fascinating discussion of the nature of the universe and the potentialintelligent life within it. So you can imagine how much I was looking forwardto the last novel in the trilogy, Death’s End.

《三体》把我彻底地拉进了刘Cixin创造的宇宙里，人类破天荒地无奈接受了外星种群存在的事实。《黑暗森林》则将我吸引到其关于宇宙本质和潜在的智慧生命的微妙且着迷的探讨中。所以不难想象我有多期待三部曲的最后一部——《死神永生》。

Let’s just say, I was not disappointed.

这么说吧，没令我失望。

Not only does this last installment take the series to a whole new level; itraises even more important questions about humanity’s ultimate survival, thepotential realities of the Dark Forest that is our universe, and the limits oftechnology. Liu doesn’t hesitate to launch into complex discussions ofscientific theories and macro-level debates about 
how humans should approach encounters with hostile alien intelligences. He evenputs us in the mind of an alien who’s job it is to “cleanse” the universe ofworlds deemed potentially threatening.

不仅因为最后一部将本系列带到了全新的层面，还提出了关于人类终极存亡、宇宙中“黑暗森林”体系的可能性、科技的极限这些更重要的问题。大刘毫不犹豫地发起了关于科学理论和宏观世界的争论的探讨，人类到底如何应对有敌意的外星智慧。他甚至将一名专职“清理”宇宙潜在威胁的外星人的想法展现给我们。

Death’s End is not just one book, though, but two: the frame, which isinterspersed throughout the book and called “A Past Outside of Time;” and thestory proper, in whcih we follow the remarkable journey of Cheng Xin toward thelimits of the universe. The frame story, supposedly written by Cheng herself,is formal in tone, suggesting an academic paper akin to something that Chengmight have written as a student. This intermingling of stories (one by Cheng,the other about her), invites the reader to view the entire tale from a doubledperspective, in which we are always aware of perspectives outside of our own.In the world of this trilogy, humanity lives with the knowledge that it isn’talone in the universe for centuries before actually encountering arepresentative of Trisolaris (Sophon).

《死神永生》不仅仅是一本书，而是两本：一本是基本架构，即散布在全书的称之为“时光之外的往事”的内容；另一本是正文，是读者跟随程xin直到宇宙尽头的非凡之旅。而作为架构的故事内容，推测是由程 xin自己所写，语气正式，应该是她学生时代所写的学术论文。这两本故事内容（一本是由程xin所着，另一本是关于她的生平）的混搭，邀读者从双重视角一窥整 个故事的究竟，而我们始终意识到这超出我们自身的视角。在本系列里，人类在真正遇到三体人的代表(智子)之前的几百年，认识到了人类在宇宙中并不孤独。 【《时光之外的往事》是书中作者以程心的口吻和视角写的若干篇段落】

Recalling Arthur C. Clarke’s sweeping timeline for humanity in 2001: A SpaceOdyssey, Death’s End takes us from the “Common Era” (to 201 CE) through the“Crisis Era” (201-2208) and far beyond, ultimately to a “Timeline for Universe647: 18906416-….” In between, we witness humanity’s struggle to stay one stepahead of the Trisolarans and other potential threats- launching a human braintoward the Trisolaran fleet in the hopes that it can serve as a spy forhumanity; constructing massive space-cities that can hide behind Jupiter,Neptune, and Saturn in case aliens decide to destroy the Sun, etc. Cheng Xin isboth a witness and a driving force behind the events of the novel, filling therole Luo Ji played in The Dark Forest.

让人联想起阿瑟·C·克拉克在《2001太空漫游》里人类漫长的时间线，《死神永生》带领我们从“公元纪元”到“危机纪元”，再到很久之后，直到“647宇 宙的时间线：18906416-…”。期间，我们见证人类试图领先三体人和其他潜在威胁一步的挣扎：向三体舰队发送人类大脑期望它能为人类刺探情报；在木星、海王星、土星背后建设大规模的太空城，以防外星人摧毁太阳，等等。程Xin既是事件的目击者，又是事件的推动力，取代了罗Ji在《黑暗森林》的位置。

Death’s End never lets the reader’s mind rest, constantly urging us to thinkoutside of our comfort zone. One of the most brain-twisty elements of the storyis its focus on shifting dimensions and the fabric of the universe. We’re shownwhat a four-dimensional universe might look like, and then what happens when itcollapses into three dimensions, and then into two dimensions. If you’re notused to thinking in these terms, you might need to reread some sections tounderstand them, but it’s worth the time.

《死神永生》让读者的头脑一刻不停，持续逼迫我们跳出舒适区思考。书中最烧脑的元素之一是宇宙的维度变换和宇宙的构造，向我们展示了四维宇宙大概的样子，接着是四维向三维崩塌时发生的情况，接着是二维。如果你不曾思考过这些内容，或许得反复咀嚼才能理解，但花这些时间绝对值得。

As with the translation of The Three-Body Problem, Ken Liu brings Cixin Liu’sstory to life for those of us who cannot read the original Chinese. Translatingfrom Chinese into English is a complicated process itself, but making thescientific and theoretical elements understandable to a layperson like myselfis even more impressive. On every page, Ken Liu’s careful, nuanced, and eleganttranslation allows us to admire and wonder at the mind that can conceive ofsuch a story about humanity’s fate and its place in the universe.

身为《三体》的译者，刘Ken为不懂中文原着的读者将刘Cixin的故事娓娓道来。中译英本身就是个繁复的过程，但把科学和理论元素变得如我这般的外行都能理解那更是了不起。刘ken每一页信达雅的翻译得以让我们崇敬并憧憬这份头脑，竟能构想出如此关于人类命运及其在宇宙间位置的故事。

Even while I was nearing the end of the book, I knew that I’d have to circleback and read the series again, just in order to wrap my mind around CixinLiu’s conceptualization of humanity’s future. This trilogy is sweeping andbrilliant, and it forces us to reconsider if we really should be blasting out agreeting to space, calling all potential alien species to check out Earth. Dowe really want to expose ourselves to the unknowable, the unfathomable? Are wereally so arrogant as to think that we might be able to hold our own in a fightagainst a superior intelligence? These are questions we need to think seriouslyabout.

即使临近阅读的尾声，我知道还得返回去再读一遍整个系列，只为将我的思想融入刘Cixin对人类未来的概念化。整个三部曲高屋建瓴意义深远，迫使我们重新思考是否真的应该向太空发射问候，呼唤所有可能的外星种群逛一下地球；是否真的要把自己暴露在未知的深不可测的宇宙面前？我们真的如此自大竟以为能独自应对更高级的智慧？这些都是我们必须深思的问题。

No one should be surprised that this series has won awards both in China andthe U.S. And it is only right that Cixin Liu’s work has increased Americanreaders’ interest in Chinese science fiction. I look forward to reading more fromwriters like Cixin Liu, Chen Qiufan, and Hao Jingfang, thanks to Ken Liu andfellow translators.

不会有人惊讶本系列斩获了中美两国的殊荣，确切而言是刘Cixin的作品增强了美国读者对中国科幻的兴趣。很期待能接触更多如刘慈欣，陈楸帆，郝景芳的作家的作品，同时也感谢刘Ken及其他译者同僚。

Bottom line? Read all three books in this trilogy because you need them in yourlife and in your brain. Period.

最重要的部分？读完三部曲全文，因为你的人生你的头脑需要它们。以上。