Reviews

Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee

niratuer's review

3.0

3.5 stars. A light, quick read.

naturalistnatalie's review

3.0

A pretty standard story that never really grabbed me. Luka embodies every poor kids' dream - he's made it big in the sport he loves just by working hard. Except that it turns out he's got geneitc enhancements that make him just a bit better at everything than anyone else. Even though he didn't know about those enhancements, he's still taken advantage of them. The Mr. R that provided those enhancements time the revelation perfectly. He waited until Luka had just hit it big to spring it on him. Luka had to choose between giving up everything he's worked for or living a lie. Living the lie is just so much easier, at least until it gets exposed. And of course it will get exposed. First, there's the gene investigator that's able to put two and two together. Luckily, he's after Mr. R so he doesn't reveal Luka's secret. Then, Risha finds out and is crushed Luka's kept such a bit secret from her. Luka does finally make the choice to jail Mr. R and have his secret potentially come out. First, he had a championship to go win. I feel like the book is set up for a sequel, but apparently, it's a stand alone novel. I did appreciate the little touches that set the scene, like the fact Luka fought in a feathermass class instead of a featherweight class. No weight if you don't have gravity. Also, Lee made an aside about the balmy Toronto climate, which strongly implies that climate change has affected the world's climate.

book_and_dog's review

adventurous challenging emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No

3.5

amdame1's review

4.0

We have colonized Mars by genetic manipulation so that people can survive the very different climate there. We also have colonies on the moons and a sport called zeroboxing has become a big thing (Boxing in zero gravity). Carr Luka is from Toronto and is an exceptional zeroboxer. He becomes a professional and moves to one of the moons to fight and train. Winning a big fight makes him a celebrity and he gets a contract that sets out to make him even more well-known. When Carr finds out a big secret about his past, he keeps it to himself because of the impact it will have on his life and career.

Interesting exploration of inter-racial (species?) dating and interactions between Earthlings and Martians.
A little bit of drinking
Romance with several sexual situations and a lot of innuendo.
Lots of violence. Boxing is not a gentle sport.

jdkimble's review

3.0

Silly premise (boxing in zero-g), but it is actually pretty good.

gandalf's review

1.0

DNF. I think the main problem was how the main character viewed the main female character; it made me super uncomfortable.

Also, I wouldn't have guessed that zero-gravity boxing could be boring, but it was.

kaylawhata's review

5.0

Boxing in zero gravity? Sounds interesting! From the age of seven in Toronto to his first fight at the lunar station of Valtego, Carr has trained hard to become the best zeroboxer. Now at age eighteen, his contract with “The Martian”---aka Bax Grant, the coowner of the Zero Gravity Fighting Association--- is up for renewal and Carr has been given a brandhelm (think PR person) by the name of Risha, who is half-Martian.

Generations ago, select colonists (“The most daring and inventive Terrans”) left Earth to create station settlements on Mars and begin the terraforming process. People were genetically enhanced to be better suited to the climate of the Red Planet. Tensions are rising between Terrans and Martians, who believe themselves genetically superior.

Lee does a great job with laying out the plot and expanding what the readers know about Carr Luka and zeroboxing. This standalone novel was refreshing in its fast-paced plot and unique world-building. From the beginning I kept highlighting phrases and sentences that would help me understand this world-building---which was PHENOMENAL. ZEROBOXER raises the question of what makes someone human and gene therapy, but in a non dystopian way. This aspect of the book is almost a side note, but one that is very important to the overall plot of the celebrity that is placed on professional athletes.

Highly recommended! Thanks to NetGalley and Flux for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

thisgrrlreads's review

4.0

I did not expect to like a book that is essentially MMA in space. Ok, except for the general sci fi set-up, with political issues between people living on Earth, Mars and the Moon. There are genetic issues that are highly politicized. Plus, this is a great sports book. I hope this becomes a gateway sci-fi book for some sports fans.

weegra's review

4.0

I can't call myself, by any stretch of the imagination, a MMA fan. I don't know the terms or the rules, but that mattered little for this book-- it was all pretty easy to pick up on. The science fiction aspects-- the future tech, the political atmosphere between Earth and Mars, and the idea of gene therapy-- were the concepts in Lee's work that kept me interested, and I'm certainly glad to have read this book for them.

chapter_adventure's review

3.0

3.5 stars. A great book although wrapped up a bit quickly with a couple things left hanging.