I could not agree more. I don't mind hand wavy "technological breakthroughs" as long as the main point of the story is "when confronted with new crazy thing X,

I could not agree more. I don't mind hand wavy "technological breakthroughs" as long as the main point of the story is "when confronted with new crazy thing X, here's how humanity deals with it" and there's some clever thought put in. Maybe some interesting insights from the author. But the Three Body Problem.... ugh. So bad. - As you say, the plot is terrible. Kerouac had a more coherent narrative. What story there was strained believability even for pulp sci fi. - The characters are utterly devoid of humanity. I don't even know who's who half the time, and there is no continuity throughout the series. - There are no clever "ah ha" moments where the author has thought of something "profound" in relation to the scenario they've crafted. It's tropes and painful lurches from one thing to another. I don't get it. I finished it and I couldn't believe all the people telling me how great it was.