American science fiction publishing company Tor Books has recently confirmed the release date of the first part of "The Three-Body Problem" in North America.
Hitting bookstores in the United States on Nov. 11, Tuesday, "The Three-Body Problem" is the first Chinese sci-fi novel series ever to be translated into English, according to China.org.cn.
"The Three-Body Problem" was written by Liu Cixin. It tells a story of a race called Trisolarans, who are coerced to adjust to life in a triple star system.
In 2008, it has already sold more than 1 million copies in China since its publication. Having sparked a sci-fi new wave of fever in the country, the trilogy was recognized by top honor for science fiction, the Galaxy Award, and is considered Chinese sci-fi readers' bible.
In October, Youzu.com confirmed that it has been authorized to make a film adaptation of the novel into a movie. The game company will also develop games based on the novels.
"I've sold the copyright to a film-production company and another investment company is coming in. The first phase of preparation is now under way," Liu told the Wall Street Journal about the upcoming film adaptation of his novel.
Ken Liu, the American-Chinese writer who translated "The Three-Body Problem" into English, was recently recognized by the 2014 Xingyun (Nebula) Award for Global Chinese Science Fiction for translating Chinese science fiction works.
In the afterword of the English version of the novel, the translator noted that he tried to keep his version as close to the original Chinese version as possible, although he thought Western audiences would not appreciate the style and references he had to retain, AV Club has learned.
The story of the first book of "The Three-Body Problem" revolves around a woman named Ye Wenjie who has witnessed the injustices of the Cultural Revolution. Disgusted by humanity, she hijacks a government program designed to contact aliens and encourages extra-terrestrials to conquer Earth.