The Dark Forest

Darkness. Before the darkness there was nothing but nothingness, and the nothingness was without color. Nothing was in the nothingness. Darkness at least meant that there was space.

“What do you think I should think about now?”
“In my experience, any thinking is liable to go off the rails. You should just go to sleep

to inquire after Say’s mother and the UN’s mother, to inquire after the mothers of all of the delegates at the special session and on the PDC, to inquire after the mothers of the entire human race, and finally to inquire after the nonexistent mothers of the Trisolarans.

said, “Why is it that everyone gets so sensitive at the mention of thought control? From commercial advertising to Hollywood culture, thought control is everywhere in modern society. You are, to use a Chinese phrase, mocking people for retreating a hundred paces when you’ve retreated fifty yourselves.”

there’s another possibility: Those great figures of yours might be no more than swimmers in history’s river. They may have left their names in history because of the world records they set and the praise and renown they won, but they had no effect on the river’s flow

Sure. For the majority of people, what they love exists only in the imagination. The object of their love is not the man or woman of reality, but what he or she is like in their imagination.

Part I: The Wallfacers

Year 3, Crisis Era

Part II: The Spell

Year 8, Crisis Era

Year 12, Crisis Era

Year 20, Crisis Era

Part III: The Dark Forest

Year 205, Crisis Era

Year 208, Crisis Era

disturbed earth stood

he saw clothing hanging outside to dry and even some potted flowers on the windowsills

stems of a bundle of flowers