英文版《三体3：死神永生》Goodreads书评 [美国媒体]

Book Review of Death's End

《三体3：死神永生》




Mark Uhlar rated it it was amazing  Aug 23.2016

Mark Uhlar评为5星                   2016.08.23

Recommends it for: Science Fiction, Weird Fiction, Cosmic Horror Fans

推荐对象：科幻小说、志怪小说、宇宙怪谭的爱好者

Let me start by getting this part out of the way---this book is the real deal as they say---because after reading it, you will never look up at the night sky the same way again without thinking of some of the cognitively warping ideas delineated in this book.

请允许我不寻常的开场白，本作有如传闻一样货真价实，读完之后再也不能像往常一样仰望夜空而不去思索书中勾画的一些认知偏差的观点。

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this novel, and I must confess that the book Gods were indeed kind that day, because this is one fantastic and mind expanding book---the best so far in the series in my humble view. The translation is impeccably done by the fantastic Mr. Liu and the story itself by Mr. Cixin is beyond description, and cliched words like "epic" utterly fail to do it justice. Cixin has a wonderful ability to infuse the different styles of his literary predecessors into something exotically new, combining the old-school philosophical and sociological scifi of Wells and Stapledon, with the hard scifi sensibility of Clarke and Asimov, while simultaneously giving it a judicious dose of the paranoid fevered dreams found in the works of Philip K. Dick, Lovecraft, or Tim Powers.

很幸运能赢得本作的先行本，我必须承认那天书神显灵了，因为这是本令人大开眼界的奇妙作品，愚以为是系列里最出色的。神奇小刘翻译得毫无瑕疵，而大刘作品本身更是溢于言表，以“史诗”之类的陈词滥调去形容真正是有失公允。刘Cixin有种神奇力量，能将他的文学前辈们迥异的风格注入进新异的东西，把威尔斯和斯塔普雷顿的老派的思辨性社会学科幻，与克拉克和阿西莫夫的硬科幻感揉捏在一起，同时又谨慎地掺入了些许菲利普·狄克、洛夫克拉夫特、蒂姆·鲍尔斯的作品中常见的偏执狂热幻梦。
【赫伯特·乔治·威尔斯，上世纪着名科幻小说家，代表作有《时间机器》等，首创“时间旅行”“外星人入侵”“反乌托邦”等概念。奥拉夫·斯塔普雷顿，着名科幻小说家，代表作有《最后和最先的人》等，首创了“戴森球”等概念。阿瑟·C·克拉克，着名科幻小说家，代表作有《2001太空漫游》等。艾萨克·阿西莫夫，着名科幻小说家，代表作有《基地》等。菲利普·狄克，着名科幻小说家，代表作有《高堡奇人》《银翼杀手》等，首创“平行历史”概念。H. P. 洛夫克拉夫特，着名幻想小说家，代表作有《克苏鲁的呼唤》系列。蒂姆·鲍尔斯，着名幻想小说家，代表作有《阿努比斯之门》等。】

But what will really rock your metaphorical worldview though, is Cixin's beautiful and eerie depictions of alien life in the universe; one could make the argument that philosophically speaking, some of Cixin's speculations on the Fermi Paradox and the raison d'etre behind the unfolding strangeness of the Universe are spot on, and may actually provide theoretical answers to some the reasons why we haven't discovered intelligent life out there in the great beyond. 

但真正颠覆你的世界观的，是刘Cixin对宇宙中外星生命优美却又瘆人的描绘。可以思辨地论断，刘Cixin对宇宙神秘面纱后面的费米悖论和万物存在意义的部分揣测是正确的，也许在理论上能回答为什么我们仍未在无尽之上发现智慧生物。

As someone who is also a huge Weird Fiction/Cosmic Horror fan, there are some novel concepts and situations used by Cixin in this book that will send chills down your spine. Not only is it one of the top five best books I have read in 2016, but when also viewed holistically, it is easily one of the best scifi trilogies I have ever read. Rumor has it Ken Liu is also translating a spin off novel about the Three Body series, called "Three Body X", by another Chinese writer named Bao Shu. So I end this review with a warning, after reading the majestic Death's End you will probably want to cryogenically freeze yourself until that release date (of Three X), because you will hate waiting for it in real time, in this new 'Post-Three Body era'..... Just saying.... Oh, and btw, if this isn't nominated for a Hugo or something I would be absolutely SHOCKED. 

某人作为志怪小说/宇宙怪谭的资深爱好者，读到刘Cixin书中一些概念和场景，感到寒意沿着脊梁而下。本作不仅是我2016年读过的书排前五，通盘考虑，还是我有生以来读过的最佳科幻三部曲之一。小道消息称刘Ken还在翻译三体系列的一部衍生作，叫《三体X》，由另一个中国作家宝树所着。所以在结束评论之前预警一下，读完恢弘的《死神永生》后，你很有可能会想把自己冷冻到《三体X》的发行日，因为你会在“后-三体纪元”的现实时间里度日如年，随便一说哈，哦还有，如果这还没得雨果奖之类的提名我会彻底石化的。

Finally just a small rant (if I may be so bold and pedantic):
We as readers need more people like Ken Liu and Jeff/Ann Vandermeer etc., who are willing to sacrifice their time, energy, and money to do these wonderful translation projects. Therefore, go out and buy this book so publishers like Tor, etc, will publish more translations, and we more provincial readers can feel like we are living in an ideal Borgian world of a truly 'Universal Literature'--- a vitally important project in my view as maybe it can form a counterbalance to some of the more contentious rhetoric and debates unfolding within the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror communities; because as Cixin aptly reminds us, once we discover intelligent exterrestrial life, then 
humanity must face the consequences together, despite all our petty tribal biases. Otherwise our memorial on Pluto will read, "Human, all too human," but if we can transcend our lesser demons then books like Death's End remind us that the real show is only just now getting started. 

最后小声疾呼一下（请原谅我的鲁莽和迂腐）：
作为读者我们需要更多的小刘和范德米尔夫妇这样愿意牺牲时间精力金钱来创作这些美妙翻译作品的人。因此，出门买书吧，这样托尔出版社等机构才能出版更多译作。我们这些守旧的读者能感觉到我们正处在一个真正“文学大同”的百花齐放的理想世界，这点就我看来至关重要，或许能部分抵消科幻奇幻怪谭小说界的越来越富争议性的辞藻和观点的趋势。正如刘Cixin巧妙地提醒我们，一旦我们发现了地外智慧生命，那么人类就必须放下所有渺小的落后偏见，共同面对结果，不然就只能在冥王星留下“人性，太人性了”的墓志铭。但如果我们能超越自己的心魔，那么又如《死神永生》提醒我们的：好戏才刚开始呢。
【范德米尔夫妇分别是科幻小说家和科幻小说编辑，都曾获雨果奖等科幻大奖。】【语出尼采的作品《人性的，太人性的》】【《死神永生》有人类在冥王星留下纪念馆的剧情。】
 

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Barbara rated it it was amazing Aug 24.2016

Barbara 评为5星                   2016.08.24

After reading the first two books I couldn't imagine how the third could possibly be any better. The second book wrapped up the storyline quite nicely and any continuation seemed like it would have to create unnecessary drama for drama's sake. I am happy to report that I was completely mistaken.

读完前两本后，我很难想象第三本怎么可能会更好，第二本已经将整个故事线很圆满地结束了，任何续写似乎都是狗尾续貂。然而很高兴地向大家报告，我完全错了。

It's been a while since I've read the first two, but I would argue that this book is the best of the three. While all three books contain a compelling story, numerous mind-blowing concepts, and a great cast of characters, they each have a different "feel" to them, as if each was written with a different sub-genre in mind.

尽管看完前两本已有一阵子了，我还是觉得本作是三本里最好的。当然三本书都有引人入胜的内容，不计其数的拍案叫绝的想法，还有很好的角色阵容；三本书都有各自不同的感觉，好似每本都是以不同的风格写就。

The first book felt like a movie trailer, where the stage is set and we vaguely know what is going to happen, but we don't yet know how we're getting there. The conflict is clear, the villain has been sketched out, and the forces of good are rallying together. This book has all the makings of an epic fantasy, but Liu Cixin thankfully avoids the trap of having the story buckle under the weight of too many plot threads.

第一本像是电影的预告片，舞台就绪而我们隐隐知道将会上演什么，但不知道如何上演。戏剧冲突很明确，反方人物浮出水面，正方人物集结力量。本书拥有史诗奇幻的所有成分，谢天谢地刘Cixin避开了陷阱，没有因为太多剧情线索而让故事不堪重负。

The second book felt like an action movie. With the background in place, Cixin delivers one revelation after another, keeping his reader glued to the pages as their eyes race though the words in an effort to quicken their journey to the next revelation. This book fulfills on the promise of the "trailer", taking the reader on an exhilarating ride that eventually reaches the promised ending (yay humans!).

第二本像是动作片，当背景就位，一幕又一幕被揭示，让读者手不释卷目不暇接，力求尽悉下一段真相。本书如“预告片”所言般结束，将读者带上一段通往“应许之终”的振奋之旅。（人类好耶！）

The third book is completely unlike the first two. There is less of that frenetic energy to get somewhere. It takes on a more philosophical turn where it's not so much about how things end, but how we got there. It puts humanity in perspective, taking away its protagonist role and the presumption of victory. The timeline expands accordingly. Instead of focusing on events that span years or decades, the storyline in this book spans centuries and more. Through it all, the author successfully keeps the story grounded by skillfully intertwining the lives of several characters in a way that flows naturally. Finally, fairy tales, star-struck lovers, and tea ceremonies. Need I say more?

第三本与前两本完全不同，狂劲更少而思辨更多，更着重事物发展的过程而非结果。它正视人性，夺去其主角光环和必胜属性。时间线随之延伸，不是以年或十年为单位，而是百年甚至更长。自始至终，作者成功地把故事根植于几个主要人物顺理成章交织在一起的缘分。最后，童话故事、弹星爱人、还有茶道，还要我多透露点吗？

Bottom line. If you liked the first two books, definitely read the third. If you're not really a fan of science fiction, that's okay. Skip the first two books and read the third.

归根到底，如果你喜爱前两本，那绝对不要错过第三本；如果你算不上科幻粉，没关系，跳过前两本直接看第三本吧。
 

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Samuel Lubell rated it really liked it Sep 01.2016

Samuel Lubell评为4星                   2016.09.01

Death's End by the legendary Chinese author Cixin Liu is the third in the trilogy that began in the Hugo-winning The Three Body Problem and continued in The Dark Forrest. Like the first book, Death's End is translated by the Hugo-winning Ken Liu (no relation). Even more than the first two books, Death's End is complex, grand-scale science fiction. Parts of the book, especially near the end, resemble Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men in scope. The book is full of old fashioned sense of wonder with some truly awe-inspiring scenes. Unfortunately, it also has moments where a big idea is undermined, leaving the reader wondering why the author did this.

由大名鼎鼎的中国作家刘Cixin所着的《死神永生》是三部曲的第三部，前两部分别是获得雨果奖的《三体》及其续作《黑暗森林》。如同第一部一样，《死神永生》是由同样获得过雨果奖的刘Ken翻译，而这部科幻小说，复杂度规模度尤甚前两部。书中部分章节，尤其接近尾声处，有着与奥拉夫·斯塔普雷顿《最后和最先的人》相似的规模感。本作极富老派科幻小说的惊奇感，一些场景让人肃然起敬。可惜的是，同样有几处好点子写弱了，让读者摸不准作者的意图。

The early chapters of Death's End are set during the early years of The Dark Forest with Earth struggling to find some way of defeating the alien Trisolarans. At the start, Yun Tianming, dying of an incurable cancer, purchases the rights to a star (though the Stars Our Destination project) as a gift to Cheng Xin, the one girl in his life who was kind to him. His attempt at euthanasia is stopped by Cheng Xin who has become an important aide at the intelligence agency charged with finding out more about the Trisolarans. She has proposed a way to send a lightweight spacecraft, housing only a human brain, to spy on the Trisolarans. Since removing the brain would kill a person, the mission requires someone willing to be killed for the cause. At this appeal from the woman he loves, Tianming volunteers for the Staircase Program. His brain is sent into space while Cheng Xin is put in suspended animation to act as liaison in the future.

《死神永生》开场几章的背景是《黑暗森林》时间线的早期，地球上正百般尝试打败三体人的方法。故事一开始，罹患绝症的云Tianming买下了一颗恒星的所有权（通过“群星，我们的归宿”计划）作为礼物送给程Xin，究其一生只有这个姑娘曾善待过他。他试图安乐死，却被程Xin阻止。因为程Xin这时已是一个负责刺探三体情报的机构的重要助理，她提出个计划，发射一艘只容一个人类大脑的航天器，死间三体人。由于移除大脑等于死亡，这个任务要求有人为大义献身。在所爱之人的请求下，云Tianming自愿参加“阶梯计划”，他的大脑被送入太空，同时程xin也被冷冻作为将来同云Tianming的联络人。
【“群星，我们的归宿”计划，中文原版是“群星计划”，而译成“群星，我们的归宿”明显是向首位雨果长篇小说奖获奖者，着名科幻作家阿尔弗雷德·贝斯特所着《群星，我的归宿》致敬。不知是大刘创作的时候就有此意，还是二刘交流后的意向。】

In the book's second section, taking place after the events in The Dark Forest, Xin is revived because the UN wants to colonize the planets circulating her star. Luo Ji, the hero of The Dark Forest, has become the aging Swordholder, the person with control of the button that would announce the location of the Trisolaran's planet (and Earth) to a universe full of hostile lifeforms if the Trisolarans invade. This obvious analogy to the Cold War's Mutually Assured Destruction has ushered in the Deterrence Era. Concerned that Ji is aging, the UN chooses Xin as his replacement. Immediately after she replaces Ji, Trisolaran space probes attack, Xin has only minutes to decide if she can press the button to destroy two worlds.

书中第二部分，发生在《黑暗森林》事件之后，联合国复苏了程Xin，想要殖民一颗属于她的恒星的行星。《黑暗森林》里的主人公罗Ji成为了执剑人，一旦三体人入侵就按下按钮，向充满恶意生命体的宇宙宣布双方母星的位置。这段显然是冷战期间共同毁灭原则的参照，预示着进入了威慑纪元。之后联合国考虑到罗Ji已年迈，选择程Xin继任。就在她刚接任罗Ji之时，三体的太空探测器发动了进攻，程Xin只有几分钟时间决定是否按下毁灭两个世界的按钮。

The book is full of wonderful ideas and images. At one point, all of humanity is forced to relocate to Australia. At another, Tianming gets around Trisolaran censorship by telling Xin fairy tales that the greatest minds on Earth then try to decipher for hidden meanings. There's a horrifying scene of spaceships' lift-off blasts killing hundreds of people at a crowded spaceport. And the end of the book literally brings everything around to the end of time.

本作充满伟大的想法和画面。有一处是，所有人类被迫向澳洲重新安置。另一处是，云Tianming与三体人的审查机制周旋，通过给程Xin讲童话故事向地球最强大脑传递加密信息。还有一处是一艘太空飞船在人群拥挤的太空港强行升空，致几百人死的恐怖场景。书的结尾是字面意思上的将所有一起带向时间的尽头。

Unfortunately, the book has some flaws too. In several spots Liu seems to change his mind and retract a situation, restoring the previous status quo, essentially turning several chapters moot. His treatment of Xin sometimes seems sexist, implying she is weak because as a woman she is maternal. For instance, she has to turn over the management of her company to a man because she lacks "the skill or the will" to use the company to invent faster than light spaceships. There are also many places where the book talks at the reader, telling instead of showing what this future looks like. And, aside from Tianming and Xin, characterization is very superficial.

可惜的是，本作也有些瑕疵。有几处似乎刘Cixin改了主意，撤回了某些情形而恢复了之前的状态，直接将几章变得可有可无。他对程Xin的安排似乎有性别歧视的嫌疑，暗示她身为女性因母性而软弱。举例来说，她将其公司的管理权移交给一名男性是因为她欠缺“技能或意志”而未让公司发明超光速飞船。还有许多地方，是以直接告诉而非展示的方式向读者告知未来的情形。还有，除了云Tianming和程Xin以外，其他角色刻画流于表面。

Death's End, as the final book in a trilogy, does not stand alone and should only be read after the first two books.

作为三部曲最后一部的《死神永生》，不是独立成章的作品，必须在前两作之后阅读。

Death's End is the type of grand-scale science fiction that we rarely see these days. For most of the book, the fate of humanity is at stake and survival depends not on weapons or military tactics but on thinking, inventing, and interpreting clues. While some flaws exist, they are minimal when compared to so much that the book gets right. There is a reason why this trilogy is considered the best science fiction epic in China. We are fortunate that it has finally been translated for English readers.

《死神永生》是那种架构宏伟的科幻类型，近来已鲜见。书中大部分时候，人类命运危在旦夕，生死存亡并非取决于武器或是战术，而是取决于思考发明，解析线索。尽管存有瑕疵，但与书中大量优点相比，简直可以忽略不计。难怪该三部曲被认为是最佳中国科幻史诗。我们英语读者有幸能最终看到英译本的面世。