3 Body problem is the novel that made me go from reading one sci Fi novel every couple years to ferociously reading multiple per year for a while trying to recapture the feeling I had reading it. Have read some good ones after but nothing so far that captured me in the same way.

The 3 Body Problem love reminded me of someone who's never read Lovecraft, reading Lovecraft for the first time.

I.e.: mind blown, best book ever.

Instead of: interesting in some ways, weak in a lot of others, and ultimately on par with similar other books.

I'd put any of the Culture series up against 3BP any day.

Again this is subjective. I think 3BP is better than the Culture novels, and I like the Culture novels and have read 6 of them.

same, and I have read far more Culture novels than I have read Cixin Liu. 3BP was refreshing in a way very few books are.

Refreshing is perhaps the best word to describe the book. Excellent out of not, it’s barely good, but quite different from western sf, which earns it extra credit.

> which earns it extra credit

Does it?

Maybe this is what bifurcates opinions on it!

I'd agree it's different: I just don't think it's different and good. And difference alone doesn't bump it past similar but better-written books, imho.

The protein unfolding technobabbel in the end just killed any interest in reading the sequel for me.