Five years after their goal-line fumble of the massively popular HBO series Game of Thrones, writer-producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are finally back in business, once again adapting a dense, ambitious, and celebrated work of genre fiction. 3 Body Problem is a Netflix series based on a trilogy of novels by Cixin Liu, the first author from Asia to capture the coveted Hugo Award for Best Novel. It’s considered groundbreaking in the world of sci-fi literature, but compared to the violent and horny world of Westeros, Liu’s work isn’t exactly sexy, nor is it a natural fit for television. It’s slow, it’s heady, and like so much sci-fi lit, it assumes a deep interest in physics and engineering that most people do not share. However, by taking some serious liberties with the source text, Benioff, Weiss, and their new collaborator Alexander Woo have successfully adapted 3 Body Problem into a binge-worthy sci-fi thriller and a surprisingly warm character drama. It won’t be setting the internet ablaze or launching a massive merchandising empire, but it should, at least, help to clear the stench of Benioff and Weiss’s public failures.

Thank you for signing up!........

© Observer