The Three-Body Problem, Volume 1 (of 10) by Liu Cixin with art by Xudong Cai (graphic novel review).
Cixin Liu’s novel, ’The Three-Body Problem, was published in China in 2008 and has since gone on to become a successful media franchise, including both Chinese and American TV adaptations. Notable for its non-linear storytelling, the novel is now presented here in a series of graphic novels spanning well over 1,900 pages in total.
As such, the first volume effectively drops us in media res, so to speak, with detective Shi Qiang investigating the apparent suicide of an eminent physicist. It turns out that a worryingly large number of physicists have killed themselves, leading some to conclude that these scientists have figured out an apocalypse is coming and are saving themselves from the suffering. Shi is an engaging character, a hard-boiled detective of the old school, butting up against the Chinese military and secret service in his desire to close the case. Meanwhile, a scientist by the name of Wang Miao has started to see numbers counting down in the most unexpected places, eventually even in his own vision.
What follows is part police procedural, part science fiction novel, but set in modern China. Frankly, this is a major part of what makes this graphic novel so engaging. It feels ‘noir’ for sure, what with the urban settings and cigarette smoke, but it has its own, distinctive flavour. That’s partly the names of the characters, of course, but there’s more to it than that. The modern Chinese setting, in particular, the way the military and police force interact, immediately sets the book apart from, say, Raymond Chandler-era America.
Since this is just the first volume in a series, the ending isn’t in any way conclusive, but the nature of the problem is at least clarified. The world does indeed seem to be heading towards destruction, and the existing rules of physics do seem to be falling apart. Whether this is a natural catastrophe or something else remains to be seen.
The artwork by Xudong Cai is absolutely first-rate. It’s moody and uses a limited colour palette very effectively, with much of the action happening at night or in dimly lit rooms. Where there are bright lights, they’re usually artificial, creating an oppressive atmosphere that accentuates the gravity of the storyline. In fact, almost the only daylight scenes come at the very end, when Wang and Shi reach something of an epiphany, albeit an unwelcome one.
As I say, this is only the first volume in the series, and how well the remainder of the book transfers into a graphic novel remains to be seen. But the first installment does the job it needs to, setting the scene and bringing to life some interesting characters.
Neale Monks
December 2024
(pub: Head of Zeus, 2024. 176 page graphic novel 10-volume set. Price: £100 (UK). ISBN: 978-103591-242-1)
check out website: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/discover/head-of-zeus/
