Review of "The Three-Body Problem: Remembrance of Earth's Past #1" by Cixin LIu

This is the first book of a trilogy.

Note: I initially read a hard copy of this book and recently listened to the audiobook, which became available on Netgalley. I especially appreciated hearing the pronunciation of Chinese names and words. The book is narrated by Rosalind Chao, who does a fine job.

The story begins during the early years of China's 'Cultural Revolution.' Ye Wenjie, a young astrophysicist, sees her father - a physics professor - tortured and murdered by a group of young Red Guards.



Like many educated citizens Ye Wenjie is labeled a 'counter-revolutionary' and sent to cut trees for the Construction Corps before being recruited to work at a secret facility called Red Coast Base.

At first Ye Wenjie has limited access to the base's surreptitious activities but in time her abilities and intelligence give her wide access to the installation. Over time Ye Wenjie makes some startling discoveries and engages in some questionable behavior. (To say more would lead to spoiler territory.)



Some years later, when the Cultural Revolution wanes, Ye Wenjie is allowed to return home and become a university professor.



In current times an applied physicist named Wang Miao - who's developed a very strong nanomaterial - is recruited by a committee composed of military officers/police. They ask Wang to help investigate a rash of physicist suicides.



Wang reluctantly agrees and is assisted by a suspended cop called Da Shi - a disheveled, abrasive, pushy, off-putting guy.

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As things turn out though, Da Shi's ability to think outside the box is useful and his common sense is comforting....so I developed quite a liking for the fellow.

While Wang Miao is looking into the physicist suicides he develops peculiar/frightening 'vision problems' and starts to play an immersive computer game called "Three Body."



The game is set on Trisolaris, a distant planet inhabited by extraterrestrials. Trisolaris has a very unstable environment. During 'chaotic periods' (extremely hot or cold) most Trisolarans are dehydrated, rolled up, and stored in dehydratories. During 'stable periods' (mild weather) the Trisolarans are rehydrated and go about their business. Still, there are frequent 'crashes' when the entire Trisolaran civilization is destroyed and has to start over.



The shifts between chaotic and stable periods on Trisolaris are completely random and abrupt. Thus the player's goal is to discover why they happen and to predict long-term stable periods. Wang determines that the chaos occurs because the planet has three suns....thus the 'three-body problem.' [Note: On the internet the three-body problem is defined as follows: "the problem of taking an initial set of data that specifies the positions, masses and velocities of three bodies for some particular point in time and then determining the motions of the three bodies, in accordance with Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation."] In essence it's almost impossible to accurately predict the motion of Trisolaris' three suns.....but Wang Miao thinks he can do it.

As the story continues to unfold it turns out that Ye Wenjie's experiences at Red Coast Base, the physicist suicides, Wang Miao's nanomaterial research, and the three-body game are all connected. And they have something to do with the fact that humans have managed to contact an alien civilization. (Again, more information would be a spoiler.)



The story addresses an interesting topic: how would people react if they knew there were other intelligent beings in the universe? And what would happen if the other beings were on their way here? (I've always thought extraterrestrials - if they found out about Earth - might come here, wipe us out, and move in. But maybe that's just me....LOL)

There's a lot of physics jargon in the book and some fancy shenanigans with protons that stretch suspension of disbelief to the max...even for sci-fi.



In the end, though, I enjoyed the book very much. China provides a great (and unusual) background for a science fiction book and the story is riveting, with interesting characters. Highly recommended to fans of science fiction.

I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

The story is being adapted for a series on Netflix.



Thanks to Netgalley, Cixin Liu, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the audiobook.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review of "The Maid's Secret: A Maid Mystery Novel" by Nita Prose

Molly Gray is proud to be the Head Maid & Special Events Manager at the opulent five-star Regency Grand hotel, which is 'a timeless treasure, a five-star Art Deco jewel.'





Molly is engaged to Juan Manuel, the head pastry chef at the Regency Grand, and the betrothed couple are happily planning a small wedding at city hall - which is all they can afford on their modest salaries.



Today, though, Molly has other things on her mind. The hit TV show 'Hidden Treasures' - where celebrity appraisers Brown and Beagle assess items brought in by the general public - is filming an episode in the Grand Tearoom of the Regency Grand.



Molly is in charge of the tearoom, and when it's full of guests, Molly will ring the bell and 'a tuxedo-clad army of waiters will march in carrying triple-tier tea trays replete will all manner of delicacies.'



In addition, the hotel staff has been invited to bring collectibles for Brown and Beagle to appraise before the show starts. Molly has a curio cabinet filled with her late Gran's 'treasures', and she packs up souvenir spoons, a vintage teacup, a Swarovski swan, an old key, and a bejeweled ornamental egg on a golden pedestal that Molly thinks is 'a worthless trinket'. As it turns out, Beagle assesses the egg as a one-of-a kind Fabergé treasure, worth at least five million dollars.



Molly immediately becomes a public and internet sensation, with people chasing her down for autographs and selfies. This is awful for Molly, who just wants to go about her 'Molly the maid' job, 'returning the hotel rooms to a state of perfection.'



Brown and Beagle convince Molly to let them auction off the Fabergé egg, which will make Molly rich AND quell the public attention. When the egg is sold for ten million dollars, it starts a string of trouble that involves Molly, her friends, her grandfather, and Police Detective Stark.

The brouhaha about the Fabergé egg is interspersed with entries from the diary of Molly's deceased Gran, a maid who raised Molly on her sparse salary.



Molly and Gran's apartment was small with threadbare furniture, but it was always sparkling clean and filled with warmth. Gran had been a quiet, affable woman who taught life lessons with sayings like:

To err once is human. To err twice is idiotic.

If you choose the right job, you'll never work a day in your life.

A life without love is not worth living.

Molly thought Gran had struggled all her life, so Gran's diary comes as an astounding revelation. Gran's journal reveals her name was Flora Gray, and she was 'born into a life of unimaginable wealth and privilege.' Flora's parents were entitled snobs who taught their daughter to look down on anyone below their social class, and Flora wholeheartedly embraced the snobbery and pretension. Gran's diary goes on and on in this vein, detailing her arrogant behavior (which is REALLY horrible), and leading to the unfortunate events that caused her downfall.



By the end of the book, things settle down, and Molly and Manuel get married and make plans for their future.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. On the one hand, it's fun to visit with the recurring characters, including;

Angela - a hotel bartender who's Molly's best friend;



Mr. Preston - Molly's recently discovered gran-dad;



Mr. Snow - the manager of the Regency Grand Hotel;



Cheryl - a petty thief and the worst maid in the world;



Police Detective Stark - who's investigated several cases at the Regency Grand; and more.



Conversely, the 'mystery' in the story is rather mundane and Gran's diary is completely unbelievable. It's impossible to reconcile the sweet caring Gran detailed in previous books with the mean pretentious Flora Gray described in Gran's journal. In addition, Flora's 'love interests' are straight out of generic romance novels. In my view, Gran's diary is filler for a thin story.

Nevertheless, I'm a fan of 'Molly the Maid', and it was entertaining to follow her adventures in this tale.

Thanks to Netgalley, Nita Prose, and Ballantine Books for a copy of the book.

 Rating: 3 stars

Review of "The Exterminators: Assassin Bug #2" by Bill Fitzhugh

This book is the sequel to Pest Control, a comic novel about an environmentally conscious bug exterminator named Bob Dillon, who works in New York City.



In Pest Control, Bob Dillon eschews the use of chemical pesticides and is experimenting with 'assassin bugs', which are natural predators of termites, roaches. etc.



To advertise his pest control business, Bob wears a cap emblazoned 'Exterminator', and is mistaken for a professional assassin.



This leads to all sorts of trouble, and a Bolivian drug lord named Miguel DeJesus Riviera puts out a $10 million hit on the exterminator.



A bevy of killers arrive in NYC to murder Bob, and - along the way - Bob becomes friends with a gunman named Klaus Muller. Together, Bob and Klaus fake Bob's death.



With the $10 million bounty from Miguel DeJesus Riviera, Klaus, Bob - and Bob's wife Mary and daughter Katy - move to Oregon, and the men continue their research on assassin bugs.



Their plan is to use gene splicing to make the bugs more aggressive and deadly.



The $10 million won't cover all the research costs though, so Bob and Klaus readily accept when they're offered unlimited funds by Joshua Treadwell from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).



To get the money, Bob and Klaus have to set up shop in a DOD facility in Los Angeles, which will be overseen by Treadwell. The research project expands into the use of pheromones to attract the gene-spliced assassin bugs to their prey. The plan is to induce the bugs to attack ANYTHING sprayed with the pheromones.....including terrorists.



Unknown to Bob and Klaus, there's a secret agenda at play here, promulgated by religious zealots who have an animus against the sinful denizens of Hollywood.



In the meantime, Miguel DeJesus Riviera learns that Bob Dillon is alive, and - furious about being duped - Riviera puts out a $20 million hit on Bob and Klaus. This results in a priest and a professional assassin going after the researchers. While in Hollywood, the assassin catches show business fever and pens a screenplay about....wait for it....an assassin!



All sorts of hilarity results, as well as some REALLY GRUESOME DEATHS....and not of cockroaches and termites.



If you need a few laughs - and have a strong stomach - I recommend this humorous novel.

Rating: 3.5 stars