The Three-Body Problem trilogy began when word reached Earth that an alien civilization—the Trisolarans—had decided to depart their damaged planet and make Earth, a compatible planet, their new home. The Trisolaran invasion was the opening movement in a galaxy spanning adventure that would alter both the human future and the future of the universe itself.

The Redemption of Time by Baoshu is an authorized addition to the original series that takes place in the aftermath of Death’s End. The protagonist is Yun Tianming, an unwilling participant in the Trisolaran’s plans. Yun has lived for several hundred years, in and out of hibernation. He has been sent into space as a disembodied brain, been made to serve as a spy and traitor to humanity and has been systematically tortured by his Trisolaran captors. As the book begins, he and his wife are living solitary lives on a private world known only as the Blue Planet. Following the death of his wife, Yun himself prepares to die, but is thwarted by a mysterious entity known only as the Spirit. This Spirit has one last task for Yun: to find and destroy a malignant, omnipotent force called the Lurker, a force capable of completing the destruction of all human—and non-human—life.

Yun agrees to take on this task, but is determined to do so in his own fashion. What follows is an excursion into the mysteries of “the grand universe” that surrounds us. Baoshu’s novel is an independent creation and an act of collaboration that expands the understanding of Cixin Liu’s series.