Death’s End brings to a close the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy. The opening volume, The Three-Body Problem, introduced the central premise of the series: the not-so-imminent arrival of a technically advanced alien race—the Trisolarians—who plan to abandon their dying home world and take control of Earth, a compatible planet. Their journey to Earth will take hundreds of years, but the threat, however distant, remains real, and its effects will be felt everywhere on Earth.

The second volume, The Dark Forest, spans centuries as the citizens of Earth struggle to mount a defense against the coming invaders. Scientists develop a plan called The Wallfacer Project, which may hold the key to human survival in the dark forest of the universe.

In Death’s End, the narrative comes to its end. The protagonist is Cheng Xin, a 21st century scientist awakened from hibernation into a world she can no longer recognize, a world that exists in an uneasy détente with the Trisolarians. An ordinary, unassuming woman, Cheng brings with her knowledge of 21st century technology, and she will play a crucial role in the unfolding of the narrative. Cheng’s story is one thread in the narrative that Death’s End encompasses. The book contains multiple realities and stories within stories.