#balllightning — Public Fediverse posts

‘Ball Lightning’ Soars High And Falls Short

Ball Lightning (2005) by Cixin Liu and translated by Joel Martinsen is good. It’s really good. For the first two-thirds. Unfortunately Ball Lightning changes tack and loses steam in the last third. Fortunately, though, Cixin Liu builds up enough momentum to carry the story to completion.

Chen is not your typical scientist. Traumatised as a child Chen has turned that trauma into an obsession. An obsession with finding and understanding ball lightning. Maybe then he can put his parents’ ghosts to rest.

But Chen is not alone in his obsession. The beautiful Lin Yun also wants to understand ball lightning. But for reasons entirely her own. And the too brilliant physicist Ding Yi doesn’t care about ball lightning at all except that it’s another problem for him to solve.

Working together the three sees ball lightning as the answer but to three completely different questions. With the spectre of war looming the leaders of China are impatient for results. Ding Yi, Lin Yun, and Chen could lead the world into a bright new future or end it entirely.

Ball Lightning immediately grabs the reader and sweeps them up in a world of scientific mystery. Cixin Liu poses many questions revolving around one principle question; what is ball lightning? The story revolves around Chen trying to answer this and many other questions.

If this sounds dull, I assure you Cixin Liu does not make it dull. Cixin Liu plots a story that shines a romantic light on the struggle for understanding in science. Cixin Liu makes that struggle as thrilling as any two-fisted fight for survival found anywhere else. And he does so without unnecessary technical details or dumbing down relevant concepts. Cixin Liu respects the reader enough to treat them as equals to the geniuses he writes about.

One of Cixin Liu’s great talents is to bring his characters to life with immediately relatable feelings and motivations. He does so without needing to belabour any pointless minutiae. Cixin Liu has an almost magical ability paint his characters with only a few deft strokes to reveal what we know to be there.

Ball Lightning layers mystery, intrigue, and tension as the story progresses. Chen’s story becomes our story as he and his team travel the world seeking the answer to ball lightning. But Cixin understands that no path to enlightenment is straight and that the ultimate answers may not be to our liking. This element of uncertainty remains with Chen which only strengthens his sympathetic qualities.

What becomes frustrating, however, is in the final third of the book. For the first two-thirds Chen has been the narrator and main protagonist. For some reason Cixin Liu changes style completely and Chen is only a passive observer, content to have the rest of the story related to him. It’s a big letdown to invest in a character only to have them have no influence on the ending.

That said, even though Chen becomes irrelevant as a character the story does coast to an okay ending. In the last third the story becomes more of a philosophical treatise. Like much of Philip K. Dick’s work, questions about reality and death become the focus. You might not agree with Cixin Liu’s answers but they are interesting nonetheless.

Ball Lightning is a difficult book to classify. It could be classified as hard SF but I think scientific thriller would be more apt. This is because Cixin Liu takes almost no liberties with science that even hard SF must do sometimes.

If you like stories about math, physics, philosophy, and meteorology then Ball Lightning will not disappoint. Don’t read Ball Lightning for the destination but read it for the journey. It’s one that inevitably leads to The Three-Body Problem and a greater appreciation of this great author.

#BallLightning #BookReview #CixinLiu

‘Ball Lightning’ Soars High And Falls Short

Ball Lightning (2005) by Cixin Liu and translated by Joel Martinsen is good. It’s really good. For the first two-thirds. Unfortunately Ball Lightning changes tack and loses steam in the last third. Fortunately, though, Cixin Liu builds up enough momentum to carry the story to completion.

Chen is not your typical scientist. Traumatised as a child Chen has turned that trauma into an obsession. An obsession with finding and understanding ball lightning. Maybe then he can put his parents’ ghosts to rest.

But Chen is not alone in his obsession. The beautiful Lin Yun also wants to understand ball lightning. But for reasons entirely her own. And the too brilliant physicist Ding Yi doesn’t care about ball lightning at all except that it’s another problem for him to solve.

Working together the three sees ball lightning as the answer but to three completely different questions. With the spectre of war looming the leaders of China are impatient for results. Ding Yi, Lin Yun, and Chen could lead the world into a bright new future or end it entirely.

Ball Lightning immediately grabs the reader and sweeps them up in a world of scientific mystery. Cixin Liu poses many questions revolving around one principle question; what is ball lightning? The story revolves around Chen trying to answer this and many other questions.

If this sounds dull, I assure you Cixin Liu does not make it dull. Cixin Liu plots a story that shines a romantic light on the struggle for understanding in science. Cixin Liu makes that struggle as thrilling as any two-fisted fight for survival found anywhere else. And he does so without unnecessary technical details or dumbing down relevant concepts. Cixin Liu respects the reader enough to treat them as equals to the geniuses he writes about.

One of Cixin Liu’s great talents is to bring his characters to life with immediately relatable feelings and motivations. He does so without needing to belabour any pointless minutiae. Cixin Liu has an almost magical ability paint his characters with only a few deft strokes to reveal what we know to be there.

Ball Lightning layers mystery, intrigue, and tension as the story progresses. Chen’s story becomes our story as he and his team travel the world seeking the answer to ball lightning. But Cixin understands that no path to enlightenment is straight and that the ultimate answers may not be to our liking. This element of uncertainty remains with Chen which only strengthens his sympathetic qualities.

What becomes frustrating, however, is in the final third of the book. For the first two-thirds Chen has been the narrator and main protagonist. For some reason Cixin Liu changes style completely and Chen is only a passive observer, content to have the rest of the story related to him. It’s a big letdown to invest in a character only to have them have no influence on the ending.

That said, even though Chen becomes irrelevant as a character the story does coast to an okay ending. In the last third the story becomes more of a philosophical treatise. Like much of Philip K. Dick’s work, questions about reality and death become the focus. You might not agree with Cixin Liu’s answers but they are interesting nonetheless.

Ball Lightning is a difficult book to classify. It could be classified as hard SF but I think scientific thriller would be more apt. This is because Cixin Liu takes almost no liberties with science that even hard SF must do sometimes.

If you like stories about math, physics, philosophy, and meteorology then Ball Lightning will not disappoint. Don’t read Ball Lightning for the destination but read it for the journey. It’s one that inevitably leads to The Three-Body Problem and a greater appreciation of this great author.

#BallLightning #BookReview #CixinLiu

‘Ball Lightning’ Soars High And Falls Short

Ball Lightning (2005) by Cixin Liu and translated by Joel Martinsen is good. It’s really good. For the first two-thirds. Unfortunately Ball Lightning changes tack and loses steam in the last third. Fortunately, though, Cixin Liu builds up enough momentum to carry the story to completion.

Chen is not your typical scientist. Traumatised as a child Chen has turned that trauma into an obsession. An obsession with finding and understanding ball lightning. Maybe then he can put his parents’ ghosts to rest.

But Chen is not alone in his obsession. The beautiful Lin Yun also wants to understand ball lightning. But for reasons entirely her own. And the too brilliant physicist Ding Yi doesn’t care about ball lightning at all except that it’s another problem for him to solve.

Working together the three sees ball lightning as the answer but to three completely different questions. With the spectre of war looming the leaders of China are impatient for results. Ding Yi, Lin Yun, and Chen could lead the world into a bright new future or end it entirely.

Ball Lightning immediately grabs the reader and sweeps them up in a world of scientific mystery. Cixin Liu poses many questions revolving around one principle question; what is ball lightning? The story revolves around Chen trying to answer this and many other questions.

If this sounds dull, I assure you Cixin Liu does not make it dull. Cixin Liu plots a story that shines a romantic light on the struggle for understanding in science. Cixin Liu makes that struggle as thrilling as any two-fisted fight for survival found anywhere else. And he does so without unnecessary technical details or dumbing down relevant concepts. Cixin Liu respects the reader enough to treat them as equals to the geniuses he writes about.

One of Cixin Liu’s great talents is to bring his characters to life with immediately relatable feelings and motivations. He does so without needing to belabour any pointless minutiae. Cixin Liu has an almost magical ability paint his characters with only a few deft strokes to reveal what we know to be there.

Ball Lightning layers mystery, intrigue, and tension as the story progresses. Chen’s story becomes our story as he and his team travel the world seeking the answer to ball lightning. But Cixin understands that no path to enlightenment is straight and that the ultimate answers may not be to our liking. This element of uncertainty remains with Chen which only strengthens his sympathetic qualities.

What becomes frustrating, however, is in the final third of the book. For the first two-thirds Chen has been the narrator and main protagonist. For some reason Cixin Liu changes style completely and Chen is only a passive observer, content to have the rest of the story related to him. It’s a big letdown to invest in a character only to have them have no influence on the ending.

That said, even though Chen becomes irrelevant as a character the story does coast to an okay ending. In the last third the story becomes more of a philosophical treatise. Like much of Philip K. Dick’s work, questions about reality and death become the focus. You might not agree with Cixin Liu’s answers but they are interesting nonetheless.

Ball Lightning is a difficult book to classify. It could be classified as hard SF but I think scientific thriller would be more apt. This is because Cixin Liu takes almost no liberties with science that even hard SF must do sometimes.

If you like stories about math, physics, philosophy, and meteorology then Ball Lightning will not disappoint. Don’t read Ball Lightning for the destination but read it for the journey. It’s one that inevitably leads to The Three-Body Problem and a greater appreciation of this great author.

#BallLightning #BookReview #CixinLiu

‘Ball Lightning’ Soars High And Falls Short

Ball Lightning (2005) by Cixin Liu and translated by Joel Martinsen is good. It’s really good. For the first two-thirds. Unfortunately Ball Lightning changes tack and loses steam in the last third. Fortunately, though, Cixin Liu builds up enough momentum to carry the story to completion.

Chen is not your typical scientist. Traumatised as a child Chen has turned that trauma into an obsession. An obsession with finding and understanding ball lightning. Maybe then he can put his parents’ ghosts to rest.

But Chen is not alone in his obsession. The beautiful Lin Yun also wants to understand ball lightning. But for reasons entirely her own. And the too brilliant physicist Ding Yi doesn’t care about ball lightning at all except that it’s another problem for him to solve.

Working together the three sees ball lightning as the answer but to three completely different questions. With the spectre of war looming the leaders of China are impatient for results. Ding Yi, Lin Yun, and Chen could lead the world into a bright new future or end it entirely.

Ball Lightning immediately grabs the reader and sweeps them up in a world of scientific mystery. Cixin Liu poses many questions revolving around one principle question; what is ball lightning? The story revolves around Chen trying to answer this and many other questions.

If this sounds dull, I assure you Cixin Liu does not make it dull. Cixin Liu plots a story that shines a romantic light on the struggle for understanding in science. Cixin Liu makes that struggle as thrilling as any two-fisted fight for survival found anywhere else. And he does so without unnecessary technical details or dumbing down relevant concepts. Cixin Liu respects the reader enough to treat them as equals to the geniuses he writes about.

One of Cixin Liu’s great talents is to bring his characters to life with immediately relatable feelings and motivations. He does so without needing to belabour any pointless minutiae. Cixin Liu has an almost magical ability paint his characters with only a few deft strokes to reveal what we know to be there.

Ball Lightning layers mystery, intrigue, and tension as the story progresses. Chen’s story becomes our story as he and his team travel the world seeking the answer to ball lightning. But Cixin understands that no path to enlightenment is straight and that the ultimate answers may not be to our liking. This element of uncertainty remains with Chen which only strengthens his sympathetic qualities.

What becomes frustrating, however, is in the final third of the book. For the first two-thirds Chen has been the narrator and main protagonist. For some reason Cixin Liu changes style completely and Chen is only a passive observer, content to have the rest of the story related to him. It’s a big letdown to invest in a character only to have them have no influence on the ending.

That said, even though Chen becomes irrelevant as a character the story does coast to an okay ending. In the last third the story becomes more of a philosophical treatise. Like much of Philip K. Dick’s work, questions about reality and death become the focus. You might not agree with Cixin Liu’s answers but they are interesting nonetheless.

Ball Lightning is a difficult book to classify. It could be classified as hard SF but I think scientific thriller would be more apt. This is because Cixin Liu takes almost no liberties with science that even hard SF must do sometimes.

If you like stories about math, physics, philosophy, and meteorology then Ball Lightning will not disappoint. Don’t read Ball Lightning for the destination but read it for the journey. It’s one that inevitably leads to The Three-Body Problem and a greater appreciation of this great author.

#BallLightning #BookReview #CixinLiu

#LunchtimeReading : Cixin Liu's Ball Lightning, the pick for this month's #Edinburgh SF Book Group, which meets last Tuesday of each month.

#AmReading #books #ScienceFiction #CixinLiu #livres #BallLightning #lunch #dejeuner