A scene from the popular science-fiction film Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan. The film has aroused many Chinese moviegoers' interest in science fiction. Photo provided to China Daily

His first taste came when he read Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth.

The story of Liu's first book follows scientists Ye Wenjie and Wang Miao through the madness of the "cultural revolution" until the present.

Ye is recruited into a secret military project to establish contact with aliens, while Wang gets caught up in a mysterious online game called Three Body. But Wang discovers the game is more than it seems and threatens humankind's very existence.

While the plotline centers on first contact, Liu sustains suspense and doesn't reveal the aliens too soon. He invites readers to reflect upon human nature and science by portraying different people's responses to the creatures.

American scientist and award-winning sci-fi author David Brin writes: "Vivid, imaginative and rooted in cutting-edge science, The Three-Body Problem ponders several big questions of our time. Liu Cixin stands at the top tier of speculative fiction authors in any language."

The book was translated by Chinese-American sci-fi writer Ken Liu, whose earlier work won the prestigious Nebula and Hugo awards.

Beijing Normal University science fiction literature professor Wu Yan wrote in his 2013 article Great Wall Planet: Introducing Chinese Science Fiction in the journal Science Fiction Studies: "Every nation with a distinctive culture and history is like an alien planet, and visitors can stand on this planet and look up at its sky."

This suggests Liu may provide Western readers a vessel to explore the seemingly alien "Great Wall Planet".