Netflix recently released their new sci-fi series, 3 Body Problem, based on the Hugo Award-winning novel by Liu Cixin of the same name. Despite receiving mixed reviews, fans of the show are keen to engage further with the source material and books referenced within the series, which has pushed one particular book into the Amazon bestseller list over 60 years after its initial release.
Unsurprisingly, the book 3 Body Problem has become an Amazon bestseller. Forming part of the sci-fi series by Liu Cixin, Remembrance of Earth’s Past, the showrunners have previously confirmed that the show stays true to the source material. Some critics even stated the show is more for those who are fans of literature rather than gripping TV dramas due to how developed the characters are and how slow-moving the story is.
Fans keen on learning more about the show have purchased the book (and the series) to learn more about the characters they have grown close to and travel further along the plot.
Also making its way into the Amazon bestsellers list is Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, which was initially released in 1962. The series 3 Body Problem talks about humanity’s role in the universe, and Carson’s book, which details how humanity impacts its own planet, is frequently used as a reference point. As such, thanks to the show’s continued discussion of the book, fans are keen on reading more.
The book is a bleak look at how the human race’s actions impact the Earth and is often credited with being the text that sounded the alarm for humankind’s impact on its future through chemical pollution. In one of the bleakest chapters of the book, ‘A Fable for Tomorrow’, Carson talks about a nameless town in America where all life has been silenced.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that the popularity of a Netflix series has brought other pieces of work into the limelight. While it is common for books to have a resurgence when a series is made about them, works that are referenced within series can also often become popular depending on how they’re used.
Who could forget the resurrection of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’, which was a direct result of the song being used in series three of Netflix’s Stranger Things. Equally, the clothes that certain characters wear can start new fashion trends; for instance, when the return of Peaky Blinders was announced in 2019, sales of flat caps at John Lewis went up 25%.
Watch the trailer for 3 Body Problem below.
