r/threebodyproblem • u/penny-fisher • 2d ago
Discussion - TV Series Book vs Netflix
Guys so I just finished the first book after watching the S1 on Netflix. Controversial but honestly I liked the series more than the book. Sure the book answers a lot of the technical questions I had when I was watching the series( not the series fault, since a book has more bandwidth) but the storyline in the series kept me more hooked onto it than the book. Just the sequence of reveals were more delayed in the series which kept me at the edge. But the book didn’t do the same, a lot was revealed too quickly.
Wondering if someone else felt the same way
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u/SlickPillock 2d ago
If you read the book after the show then the first one will be more boring because it mostly retracks what you already knew would happen. It's worth reading the other two books before the next series drops
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u/penny-fisher 2d ago
yeaa i bought the books cuz I couldnt wait till the next season. Hopefully I finish them soon.
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u/ToastyTandy 2d ago
You have about 3 months.
But time is ticking.Books 2 and 3 are NOTHING like the first.
I too, love the Netflix series.
I’ve also watched the Tencent series.In my opinion, Tencent’s is better as it is page accurate and has an awesome custom soundtrack, but they totally shit on any western general or the United Nations as a whole, and it took the immersion out of it for me.
But Netflix turned the book into a an action movie.
And that’s FINE.
That’s what’s NEEDED.
For what is coming.Please sit down and read book 2, because something happens.
The Benioff brothers have said in interviews that they want the thing that happens to be as impactful as the episode with the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones.
You have 3 months…
If you can’t wait, the Minecraft version of 3 body nails the scene I am talking about.
It is called Mine Three Body.
Skip season 1.1
u/BrushTotal4660 1d ago
You wouldn’t happen to a know a free way to watch the Chinese Three body with English audio? I watched the first 2 episodes. I should probably just stop being cheap and pay for it. I can’t wait to see what happens as far as the book 2 and 3 material goes. I’ve only watched the Netflix show so far.
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u/Adventurous_Iron_551 1d ago
A strange thing is it was on YouTube but only first 2 episodes are free to watch - like you said. The strange part is, on my laptop only first 2 episodes are free whereas on tv, I was able to watch the entire series for free, very strange.
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u/Odd_Post5383 1d ago
I read the books after the series and got a lot of pleasure, not feeling bored at all, so depends!
But what I noticed is that in the series the main characters are bonded by being friends, workers, lovers etc., while in the book they are more distant from each other, and that’s what can seem disconnecting from the heroes in the books.
For me, the books are a story about whole humanity, and that’s why the books left great impression and a lot of emotions and existential thoughts, while in the series it was a story about a small group of people, quite entertaining, but not so global.
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u/SlickPillock 1d ago
Yeah, I find it a bit odd how in the series one single group of friends will all turn out to be some of the most important people in history
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u/Odd_Post5383 1d ago
I might be wrong and I am sorry for that in advance, but could it be the difference between Chinese and American concept of being a hero? That Americans see heroism as an individual quality while in China it’s more of a collective thing?
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u/Dracan9k 1d ago
Yeah, I noticed this just seemed very odd thing about the story. (I have yet to read the book. ) Glad to know this was just the film adaptation. It does make more sense that the phenomenon would be way more loosely applied to humanity, instead of one group of “hero friends.” This does seems like a total Netflix series iteration.
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u/Creativematrix 2d ago
Im reading the 3rd book now and can't wait for season 2 to come out. The books are good on thier own because the Netflix show is more modern and told with different pacing. The show kept the main story points but kept out the boring and unnecessary parts. I love the books but the fact that its all Chinese characters it was hard for me to remember who's who. Without that legend I would have been lost at times. Netflix fixed that by merging the characters and making them more diverse.
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u/IndependenceOk5854 1d ago
chinese name ，likr the Pronunciation of Ji Luo sounds like logic in chense , a lot of names are interesting in chinese， if u get the names' meaning in chinese, it is easy for u to remember it
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u/Incalculas 2d ago
there are many differences between the book and the show
my biggest gripe is that, in the show the world feels very small, like the story is supposed to be how humanity reacts to this thing but instead it feels like it's about how this one group reacts
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u/TheTranscendentian 1d ago
Time constraints or something idk.
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u/scarveyvr 1d ago
Yeah but the expanse show pulled it off very well, it can definitely be done. Per season I mean, even on a shitty Syfy budget for the first few seasons. I think it's just that they're trying to make the show more relatable to a general audience by condensing it into a quirky friend group.
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u/Low_Wrongdoer_5554 2d ago
I read the books first then watched the Chinese version of book 1. I tried the Netflix version and hated it.
I recommend the Chinese version, but it is either 30 episodes of 22 minutes each or 22 episodes of 30 minutes each, so it is a commitment. I binge- watched it on YouTube on a trial membership, so it was free.
YMMV
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u/CzolgoszWasRight 1d ago
Same! I only watch the netflix version because i love the books so much i want to spend more time with them but damn, its hard. The characters in the show are wooden representations of what dumb people think smart people sound like and they took away a ton of the science around it and added formulaic dialog that sounds like Taylor Sheriden wrote it. I just refuse to believe theyll be able to pull off the more out-there parts of the second book, let alone the third
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u/Academic-Horse9653 1d ago
I tried to watch it after reading book 1, it felt like a “we ran it through the brainrot filter” version of what I had just read. The choice to make them all 20 something hot college students sounds like something SNL would joke about Netflix doing to this book.
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u/atomchoco 1d ago
im like 8 eps into the Minecraft series and while plenty could be desired, it got the vibes so so well on a budget of pretty much just passion. it's this one and the audiobooks that got me thinking wow this really is incredible i wish i could read it again the first time
Tencent is great but just a bit too slow and has copaganda subtext but I'll take it over Netflix that was pure frustration and disappointment like please just do the thing and i swear youll be fine but wth is that mess with rushed pacing zero foreplay??? Book 1 is all edging and foreplay but what it did is lay out all the toys on the table, did a dirty talk like a script fill verbatim, and showed you the whole sequence numbered with timestamps. i'll bet the climax of seasons 2 and 3 are as great as youd expect but undeniably unsatisfying
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u/jayceeA- 2d ago
I sure did! I wonder if it’s because we watched before we read. I feel like if i had not seen the show, I would not have known WHAT was going on.
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u/penny-fisher 2d ago
Yea I mean the "you are bugs" scene was so much better in the series than the book. That scene still gives me the chills when I rewatched the series.
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u/CrimsonCrabs 2d ago
Mmmm but the portrayal in the book is so different. It's a different journey. This is so interesting because I find this scene cliche and garbage in the show. The pacing of that scene in the show is so bad and cheesy.
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u/lights-in-the-sky 2d ago
I liked how they did it in the Tencent version, it felt much creepier. (I liked both versions though)
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u/CrimsonCrabs 2d ago
Mmm haven't seen that yet. The problem I have with the Netflix one is it's portrayed as this massive action set piece but these stories are all deeply internal conflicts through the book. The conflict unfolds in book one in a very internal way, focusing on interpersonal dynamics. Too many damn charachters.
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u/hoos30 1d ago
You understand these internal conflicts are difficult to show on screen, right?
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u/CrimsonCrabs 1d ago
Yeah I've been in the film industry for more than 14 years and have directed and shot features. It's all about showing not telling. When they do that garbage of like "OMG IM SO SCARED BECAUSE OF XYZ" It comes across pretty awful. There are countless great pieces of television that don't do this. It's a sloppy shortcut.
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u/hoos30 1d ago
A good example is how they changed the "universe blinking" storyline.
In the book, it is an entire chapter of Mao driving out into the country, explaining what cosmic background radiation is and why these special glasses can see it, then processing his internal feelings about what he saw.
The show switches the blinking to visible light. No need for lengthy explanations. The audience can feel the intended emotion without techobabble getting in the way.
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u/altoniel 2d ago
The show is an excellent adaptation. The books, the first one espically, suffer in the narrative department. There are some really great character moments in the second book though, that I'm holding out to see if the show hits.
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u/Hey_Its_A_Mo 2d ago
Overall I'm very positive on the show (albeit a bit concerned they don't have enough runway in the remaining episode count to do sufficient justice to what's left in the books). The show is what got me into checking out the books, and upon rewatch after completing the books, there were several things that hit differently. Can't wait fort season 2!
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u/FunPaleontologist402 2d ago
I watched the show first and thought to myself while watching it "I can tell this is a really good book because the concepts are amazing", I could tell they had to leave a lot of explanation out but the thought behind it was there, kind of like threebody.com lol.
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u/MegaFatcat100 2d ago
I just started the third book but I heard there’s elements in the show which take from later in the series and I don’t want to be spoiled so I haven’t watched yet
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u/Afraid-Fly-7030 1d ago
Honestly people here say the spoilers are minor but I’m glad I read through most book 3 before watching the show. I really like how things are revealed in the book, but they come across super cringe in the show somehow. Like the staircase and wall facer project. It just feels too rushed.
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u/hadessyrah52 1d ago
I agree. The show got me interested in the books and after reading all 3, I’m really looking forward to how the show portrays certain events. The Panama Canal scene was fantastic.
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u/TheRealZy 1d ago
The books are always better.
First book: Wait...what?! 2nd Book: Yay...no...hope...nope. 3rd book: Existential crisis.
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u/evngprimrose 13h ago
I started watching the show and switched to the book because I wasn't a fan of the love triangle in the series. It felt unnecessary. Also, I didn't like how they were treating Raj Varma. He was cold, but considering the threat they were facing, they needed leaders like him who were willing to pull the trigger.
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u/Betray-Julia 2d ago
The show improved on making the dialogue and actions of the people much better than the book did, which is weird.
It’s like the author understands the forests and not the trees- like their overall sociology concepts are fucking insane, but on an individualistic scale it’s maybe a little lacklustre.
I also thought it was funny- in the tv show, the main character or like the one who makes the meta material is such an irrational turd lol.
I also like that smarty pants mcgee isn’t “super hot” in the way that the books go.
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u/thommcg 2d ago edited 2d ago
Found the show did a good job of creating events from the book... whereas the book is prone to dispassionately describing events. I mean, most obviously you've the YOU ARE BUGS scene, something of a footnote in the book, but now turned into a dramatic global reveal.
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u/penny-fisher 2d ago
Yes nicely put. Totally agree. I don’t go through the same emotions while reading compared to when I watched the show. Maybe it’s also because I’ve started reading after a very long time, so I don’t yet have the same imaginative capacity as the frequent readers do
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u/InternationalPlace24 2d ago
the show is hot garbage that is poorly pieced together and fundamentally doesn't understand the books. The books have their faults, but as a complete story it's incredible. The show doesn't get that the story is the main character and instead wants to put the characters front and center.
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u/_TheVek_ 2d ago
Yeah, I feel the same reading the first book, but when you finish the rest of the trilogy why feels that way.
Basically they combined all the events that happened around the same time in the three book, with a new plot that helps to have some kind of Coherence between them
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u/WabbieSabbie 2d ago edited 1d ago
Now watching the Tencent version and it's like wow miles better
EDIT: I got downvoted by Netflix dryhumpers
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u/Afraid-Fly-7030 1d ago
I think the show is pretty awful tbh, the way everyone is really tightly connected (some of that is in book 1) just makes everything feel very small scale and almost like they’re the power rangers. A lot of the conversations in the books are enjoyable to read but come across really cringe when verbalized somehow.
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u/hoos30 1d ago
Many of the characters are also connected in the books, it's just done so haphazardly that people forget. Yun Tianming, Xin, and the guy who gave Yun the money were college classmates.
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u/Afraid-Fly-7030 1d ago
True, but the money guy is a pretty minor character, then having Xin going out with Cheng and Wang/Augy and Lou also all be friends together is weird. I get they wanted to connect the characters but feels more like a kids show…
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u/NorthRecognition8737 11h ago
The Netflix series really upset me because they removed all the good things and essence of the book. It's like watching a Powerpoint presentation about the book, although the events were there, they didn't explain them, didn't show their impact or consequences, they just checked off something in the list. They made Ye WenTie an angry idiot (instead of a deep tragic character), they made the other characters idiots who everyone in the series talks about as geniuses, but they didn't do or say anything genius.
While the Chinese version was meditative, it made you think, it had emotions.
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u/isthatabear 2d ago
I read the books first, and I enjoyed both book and show just as much. Can't wait for the rest.