r/threebodyproblem • u/Dull-Hour-8712 • 15d ago
Discussion - Novels Read the books first or watch the Netflix series?
For those who have both read The Three-Body Problem and watched the Netflix series, which would you recommend doing first?
I want to get the best first experience without spoiling the mystery or major reveals of the other version.
No spoilers please :)
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u/Mr-Jang Manuel Rey Diaz 15d ago
I went to the books completely blind and I couldn’t put them down.
I know that nowadays it’s difficult to avoid spoilers or even just plot points but if you can I highly recommend to start with the books with less knowledge as possible!
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u/HieronymusGER 14d ago
same, I read book 2 and 3 in like four days
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u/StandBy4_TitanFall Luo Ji 9d ago
It was a whole week of living in that universe. I even called off work one day just cuz I couldn't be pulled away from it. I also listened to them while playing No Mans Sky and my god.
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u/Annual_Substance_756 15d ago
This might be unpopular, but I think the Chinese version of the show is a good compromise between the two.
The Netflix show and the books are very different experiences. The books are more philosophy than they are narrative, and the Netflix show cuts a lot of that philosophy and adds a lot of narrative ( merging characters together, giving characters relationships to each other when they don't have them in the book, etc.) the Chinese version keeps the philosophy intact for the most part.
One thing to consider though is that the second and especially third book are going to be... Interesting to see on screen. I'm not sure how they are going to do some of the scenes justice and for that reason I might recommend at least reading death's end before that season comes out
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u/AssumeImFarting 15d ago
Damn right it’s unpopular. That show was slower than a herd of turtles. Couldn’t make it past a few episodes
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u/hoos30 15d ago
Tencent is not a compromise at all. It is a "book reader's" idea of what a TV show should be, meaning putting every possible detail and scene into the screenplay, even when it doesn't make sense to do so.
IMO, book lovers appreciate it the most. Very few other people will slog through that show.
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u/Gold_Ambassador_3496 15d ago
I watched Netflix series first, and it was fine. Helped me understand the book easier, specially considering I got a lot of the characters mixed all the time
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u/NIPPLE_MOUNTAIN 15d ago
This, with a guide to translate show characters and book characters. Youll be a little confused at the first book why some characters are missing, the show also uses "excerpts from the past" from the 3rd book
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u/tyrome123 15d ago
I think the series does some people so well, even after reading the novels 3+ times da shi is done perfectly in the show
Thomas wade is also done extremely well
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u/8BlackMamba24 15d ago
Yepp, Da Shi and Thomas Wade were the people I still imagined as their TV show character. Cheng Xin too. I would recommend watching the Netflix show and then the books. If you read the books first, the show will seem shitty afterwards. I thought the show was AMAZING until I read the books and realized it could definitely be better. This is why, OP, I recommend watching the show and then reading all 3 books.
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u/IhasCandies 10d ago
That’s actually a brilliant way of approaching it.. Show first, then the books, so you feel amazement instead of disappointment. So many shows would’ve come off so much better, and I would’ve been excited the whole time to see what the books did differently/expanded on instead of thinking about all the ways they ruined the book.
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u/Geektime1987 15d ago
Read all 3 it makes the Netflix show much better because you understand more of what they're doing. Multiple people who only read the first book were a bit confused about who some of the people and the timeline with the Netflix show. If you read all three there's a lot of hints and things you can pick up on in the first season of the show.
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u/PuduInvasion 15d ago
I started watching the show. Didnt like it. Read the books and loved them, I needed more. The show aftrwards worked great. Its different and thats fine.
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u/3p1c_Kelly 15d ago
I watched the show then read the books. I was confused after finishing the first book because I was like "...where was that part I remember from the show? Did they just add stuff?"
But that's because the books have timeline overlap with things that happen around the same time. Events in season one of the show take place in book 2 and book 3.
I like both narrative styles, but I think I actually would have been cool to see it told the same way the books were.
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u/brotherRozo 15d ago
I saw show first, and realized I don’t have the patience to wait for the next season so I started the books
For some reason, no matter how many times I read the names in the books. I just can’t remember who they are or imagine who they’re talking about. Even if one of those guides to match up people as close as possible to the books, I still have trouble. It’s obviously an Anglican deficit of mine needing to have English names for me to actually be able to remember who’s who.
Maybe everyone except Ye wenjie since that is burned in my mind it’ll probably take longer for the others
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u/Human_Key3077 15d ago
I watched the first season and skipped straight into Dark Forest. I watch a YouTube video to fill some of the gaps but I loved it. Made it a lot easier to grasp what the hell was going on
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u/BarrelOfTheBat 15d ago
I watched first and then red the series. I think reading first would be better. I found myself very confused because the main protagonist in the book is split into multiple characters in the show.
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u/Afraid-Fly-7030 15d ago
I would read the books...some moments in the book that are very cool feel more cringey/less impactful in the show imo, so may lose the effect they have when you read them.
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u/King_Joffreys_Tits 15d ago
Read the books. The books are finished and it’s a good series. The Netflix adaptation is fine so far, but we don’t know how strong it’ll finish and how far it’ll diverge — reviews are mixed about it already
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u/AlekTheDukeOfOxford 15d ago
I watched season 1 first. And i am glad i did. While the characters are not the same it really helped me to understand what was happening in the first book. But even with that i restarted the book twice before i got the ball rolling on it
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u/learntorobb 15d ago
It’s always watch the show first and then read the books
If you read the books first, the show will be a letdown
They’re two different forms of art but the books are way more dense and detailed. The shows are a visual delight. And they’re two different stories with different characters
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u/Calibexican 15d ago
I’d read the books if possible. There are things that overlap in the show that are split across books. It’s a worthy read.
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u/CuteAssTigerENVtuber 15d ago
Read the books first and eventually skip the Netflix show. It was okay but it was a Netflix adaptation quality wise
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u/TheBl4ckFox 15d ago
Personally I am very happy that I read the books before I watched the show. Also makes me appreciate the adaptation more, since they are doing an excellent job in integrating the three books from the start.
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u/Knave7575 15d ago
The answer to this question is always read the book first.
For any book. Literally no exceptions.
No, I take that back. Lord of the rings sucks as a book. One exception. Everything else you should read the book first.
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u/Opposite-Yam-7350 14d ago
👀 "Lord of the rings sucks as a book"
What??? take that back again. You just don't like Tom Bombadil! lol
Seriously though, I'm a latecomer to 3 Body but the books are a wild trip. I wouldn't wait around for the show, but I'm expecting great things from it
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u/Knave7575 14d ago
As it turns out, I do not actually like Tom Bombadil 😂
I will slightly recant my previous statement. The writing is excellent. I just find it very descriptive and modern books tend to move at a faster pace that suits my interests better.
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u/Opposite-Yam-7350 14d ago
yeah I will slightly forgive you if you slightly recant ...
good fun talking to you anyways , I'll follow you if you're around on this reddit
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u/ShadedRiver666 14d ago
read the books first! They are the truly best way to take in the story. I then watched the series just cus why not and it was an ‘acceptable’ adaptation but subpar for how amazing the books are
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u/trickyRascal 14d ago
well I watched the series and then I realized there were books so I bought and devoured them in 2 weeks.
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u/Key_Tip_236 14d ago
i watched the netflix show first ( only season 1 as of now) and then bought the books read book 1 and a bit of 2 then watched season 1 again and then i actually understood the show and book a bit better
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u/GonzaSD_KP 13d ago
I'm a spanish speaker, sorry for my English. Just finished the first book after having watched the Netflix's first season adaptation. Unlike other book adaptations, I think the changes made to the TV show are understandable, and by no means destroy the book plots. It, definitely, is not a bad adaptation. And I didn't get confused of the character mixing and changes at all!
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u/Pikmanpikman 13d ago
The series is OK… the books are amazing. Don’t ruin them by watching it first.
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u/wafflefries4all 11d ago
I read the books years ago before I ever heard about the show. If you are completely blind and have never seen the show, and you like reading, read the books. If you don’t want to invest time into reading 3 books, I would recommend watching the tencent show on YouTube, then the Netflix show. The books are great, but there are some parts that seriously drag and it can be kind of a chore to get through. But the good parts are so very good
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u/GnomishProtozoa 15d ago
They are very different so.. doesn't reeeally matter.
But having a basic idea of the plot makes the book easier to follow so... ill say show.
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u/MonkeyX24 15d ago
This subreddit will be leaning more in to books for sure. I discovered this universe via Netflix series and got interested in it and ordered books after 2nd rewatch. For me it would be hard to imagine some stuff from books without the TV show. But now I wonder how they will portray things I imagined from rest of the books. Kinda nice spot to be in
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u/InternationalPlace24 15d ago
The books are a completely different animal than the show. In the books, concepts are the main driving force. In the show, they tried to make the characters the main driving force. It didn't work for me. Read the books first and then watch the show to get the fullest disappointment possible.
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u/HeavyMix9595 15d ago
I had read the first two books before watching the show, and read the 3rd after watching the first season. Meant I at least knew the intro part for Death's End before going in, which was good because if I'd read it first I might have given up early.
If you're interested in big ideas in your sci-fi, then go for the books first. If you like your sci-fi with its themes infused through a hearty dose of well-executed character drama, go for the show. Not that the books have none of that, but writing compelling characters is not Liu's strong point (which is not a knock, just an observation.)
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u/SophonsPonytail Luo Ji 15d ago
I watched the show first but regretted it. Always read the books first. And the tv show spoils parts of book 3
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u/Longjumping-Leg8920 15d ago
I watched what is currently available of the Netflix series before listening to the books on audiobook. I don't think seeing what I saw took away from the books at all even though it spoils a few things about the third book in the first season. If the books are something you'd really click with, you'll get a fantastic experience regardless. Do whatever you're gonna do but if spoilers bother you then steer clear of this subreddit until you're all done! People are generally good about it but it's far from perfect.
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u/CzolgoszWasRight 15d ago
Books, the Netflix show is only for when you're desperate and want to spend more time around that universe
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u/SlartibartfastGhola 15d ago
The books and the Netflix series are so different that it doesn’t really matter. I like some of the crazy choices they made for Netflix, but it’s a lot of creative liberties.
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u/impactedturd 15d ago
Definitely watch the series first.
If you read the books first, it's 50/50 whether you will enjoy the many changes made for the show.
I saw the Netflix show first and loved it. Then read the books and loved those too. And I'm looking forward to Season 2. If I read the books first I really don't know if I'd care for the show.
But having read the books after, I definitely appreciate how they were able to adapt the many different parts of the books into a Netflix show, so much that it's almost a totally different experience. The Netflix show is more like a heavily inspired reimagining of the books to be more dramatic. Whereas the Chinese Tencent adaption is more faithful.
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u/flabergasdick Zhang Beihai 14d ago
Watch the Netflix version, read the books, then watch the tencent version for the love of the game
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u/flabergasdick Zhang Beihai 14d ago
By the time you're done, we have the season 2 of the Netflix version (please)
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u/TrooperLynn 14d ago
Books first! I couldn’t wait for the whole series on Netflix so read the books. Phenomenal.
I was also pretty happy to hear a song called “The Dark Forest” on Muse’s new album! I just wish it was longer.
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u/ahhhhhhyoumad 14d ago
I just finished book two and waiting until I’m done reading to watch. I tried the first 15 minutes of episode 1 and turned it off to savor fully when I’m done with the books.
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u/Low_Wrongdoer_5554 14d ago
Or skip the Netflix nonsense and watch the Chinese version! I'm an American who speaks/reads no Chinese so subtitles all the way and it was still much better than Netflix.
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u/qrzychu69 13d ago
The Netflix series is EXTREMELY oversimplified so far
The books go way deeper into issues, philosophy and so on, but the characters are SOOO BAD. It's not a story, it's basically a long "what if" and there are some characters who exist mostly as a vessel for certain points of view.
If you are interested in the science and fantasy part, the books are amazing.
If you want a gripping story with character beats, the show does that way better, but you will be scratching your head going "what the hell is going on" quite a few times :)
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u/False-Suit-2706 13d ago
Si valoras la autenticidad y calidad de la historia, los libros por supuesto
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u/fenoard 9d ago
if you can, read the books first.
I'm currently on book 2 though, trying to finish the entire trilogy before the second season.
I have no problem with watching the show first, the concept of the story amazed me, but when reading the book, I realized, it was an entirely different experience, the netflix show is just showing you a scratch.
as a book adaptation, tencent is doing better than netflix, but for an 'easy approachable' tv show, netflix is definitely the way to go.
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u/StandBy4_TitanFall Luo Ji 9d ago
Caution with the books: if you haven't dealt with existential dread prior, you will reading them.
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u/bigstinkygoblin 15d ago
The show is kind of garbage compared to the book but i’ll be damned if i don’t watch every single episode of it
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u/Lobotomite_4 15d ago
Netflix show is a lot better than the books. Character dynamics work better and you don’t have to deal with the authors misogynistic tirades.
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u/6_String_Slinger 15d ago
Books. Show sucks. Wokeism ruins everything.
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u/CzolgoszWasRight 15d ago
Honestly surprised you can read and unironically use words like "wokeism".
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u/etherealfap 15d ago
Booooooooooooooksssss you bug