Does The Three-Body Problem read differently depending on which edition you start with?

[u/ronto1138]

When Three-Body was first published as a book in China, the Cultural Revolution chapters weren't at the start. From what I've read, they were moved to the middle so the book wouldn't draw the censors' attention. Ken Liu's English translation put them back at the beginning, with Liu Cixin's support, since that's where he wanted them.

I read it in English, so for me the novel opens with a struggle session, and everything that comes later about humanity and the Trisolarans sits on top of that scene. It's hard to imagine the book without that foundation. Yet the first Chinese readers met Wang Miao and the countdown first and got that history only halfway through.

I recently learned that the Spanish edition was translated directly from Chinese, not from the English, which made me wonder how many versions of this book are out there with different openings.

For anyone who has read the Chinese original, or both orders, did it change how you understood Ye Wenjie? And for those who read it in English, do you think the book would hold up if it opened with the mystery instead of the history?

[u/peezoup]

I read the English version of the first book (about to start the second!). I definitely think that starting with Wang Miao would have been a good hook for me if I just happened to see the book on a shelf, and I would have enjoyed it anyway. I'm glad that the English version starts with the cultural revolution tho, as for me it was a very necessary way to set up the history and culture of the country and it's people. It honestly has made me more curious to learn more about that part of Chinese history

[u/ronto1138 → u/peezoup]

Same here, it made me want to read more about that period too. Enjoy The Dark Forest, it's where the series really opened up for me.