With the release of Cixin Liu’s hotly anticipated The Three-Body Problem just around the corner, we thought we’d give you a preview of its sequel, The Dark Forest. Once again, Stephan Martinière has worked his magic with a high-concept style that nicely echoes the first book’s cover, while also evoking the novel’s themes. We’ll be spending the next few weeks sharing sample excerpts and essays about Liu’s groundbreaking series, in the meantime, enjoy the new cover and synopsis for The Dark Forest!
Spoiler warning: The synopsis for The Dark Forest could be considered a spoiler for The Three-Body Problem. Skip on past it to the full cover painting at the bottom of this post if you’d rather stay fresh on the series.
The full cover with type:
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The synopsis for The Dark Forest:
With the scope of Dune, and the rousing action of Independence Day, this near-future trilogy is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience this multiple award-winning phenomenon from China’s most beloved science fiction author.
In the second book in the series, Earth is reeling from the revelation of a coming alien invasion in just four centuries’ time. The aliens’ human collaborators may have been defeated, but the presence of the sophons, the subatomic particles that allow Trisolaris instant access to all human information, means that Earth’s defense plans are totally exposed to the enemy. Only the human mind remains a secret. This is the motivation for the Wallfacer Project, a daring plan that grants four men enormous resources to design secret strategies hidden through deceit and misdirection from Earth and Trisolaris alike. Three of the Wallfacers are influential statesmen and scientists, but the fourth is a total unknown. LuoJi, an unambitious Chinese astronomer and sociologist, is baffled by his new status. All he knows is that he’s the one Wallfacer that Trisolaris wants dead.
The full Stephan Martinière cover painting:
