I read to enjoy good books being different isn't a virtue in and of itself. I don't know how you make the impending end of the world boring but it manages it.
I agree that different isn't a virtue in and of itself. However, western authors seem to almost treat the minimization of exposition as sacrosanct and Three Body very much does not. The latter two books in the series would often interrupt a barely established scene to spend many many pages explaining societal changes over the course of decades. For me, it worked. The dispassionate narrator giving me background on the shifting sands of society hooked me. I'm not surprised that this doesn't work for everyone, and I can't say that it would work for me if another author tried to emulate Cixin.
