There Is No Algorithm

2026-08-23 BOOK-REVIEW

“Leave this puddle immediately. You are thin pictures. You’re fragile. If you stay in the puddle, you’ll turn into tombs in no time…”

— Cíxīn Liú, Death’s End

Death’s End is the grand conclusion to Cíxīn Liú’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy. At over 700 pages in length, it’s the heftiest volume in the series, and the reason is clear the moment one opens the book. On the second page, the reader is greeted with “Table of Eras” outlining a timeline extending from the present day to several million years in the future, foreshadowing the vast ambition of the story.

2026-08-02 BOOK-REVIEW

“The Wallfacers are undertaking the most difficult mission in human history. They will truly be on their own, their souls closed off to the world, to the entire universe. Their only communication partner and soul spiritual support will be themselves. Shouldering this great responsibility, they will pass through the long years alone, so let me speak for all humanity and offer them our deepest respect.”

— Cíxīn Liú, The Dark Forest

Fresh off of finishing The Three Body Problem, I dived straight into reading its sequel, The Dark Forest. The first novel was enjoyable, but gave me little that I hadn’t already experienced in season 01 of the Netflix series, and I was eager to experience the rest of the story.

2026-07-20 BOOK-REVIEW

“All the evidence points to a single conclusion: Physics has never existed, and will never exist.”

— Cíxīn Liú, The Three-Body Problem

A couple of years after the Netflix show, with no word about the second season, I decided that it’s time to tackle the Remembrance of Earth’s Past series by Cíxīn Liú. These books have received universal acclaim—this one specifically won a Hugo award for best novel—and I’ve been going through a bit of a sci-fi phase, so I was quite excited to dive in.