alien-invasion artificial-intelligence asia autobiography bestseller bravery china chinese-literature collegesuccess coming-of-age communication-with-aliens cultural-revolution dark-forest-theory dictatorship english extraterrestrial-intelligence family-loyalty fiction game-theory general hard-science-fiction hardship historical-events history hugo-award-winner jiang-ji-li juvenilenon-fiction memoir military-strategy newyorktimesbestseller nyt:trade-fiction-paperback=2020-09-27 oppression peoples perseverance personal-growth physics places political political-turmoil political-upheaval resilience science-fiction sciencefiction space-exploration speculative-fiction struggle technology the-remembrance-of-earths-past virtual-reality