The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
Might contain spoilers.
This book and this series deserve reams of analysis and discussion. I am not equipped to do them justice, especially so far removed from when I read them. I can only say that this novel was unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I wondered at the beginning whether it would be historical fiction, which I’m not a fan of, but after the brief prologue, the story proper is fascinating and unique. The concepts it deals with and the (ostensible) scientific rigour with which they’re treated is masterful. I found the translation to be a mite awkward (not incorrect in any way, as you’d expect, just slightly unnatural in its construction), but the journey it took me on was unforgettable.
As an aside, I didn’t realize the book was serialized in 2006 and published in 2008.