Reviews

Ball Lightning by Cixin Liu

ihateprozac's review against another edition

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4.0

I don’t read a lot of hard science fiction, but I was pleasantly surprised at how accessible Cixin Liu made the science here!

This ended up being a romantic story that ruminated on human connection, quantum universes, the potential for a pre-technology agricultural state, and the human need (or greed) to weaponise everything. The story does drag in the middle as it gets bogged down in scientific trials, and I wasn’t ever sure where the story was ultimately headed. But I was pleasantly surprised by the end at how emotional the story was.

While the science went over my head on a couple of occasions, I’m pleasantly surprised by how accessible this book was. Maybe ya girl can do hard science fiction, after all :)

bshanley's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

vineela0705's review against another edition

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4.0

When I finally got the book, I dropped everything else. I've read all of Liu Cixin's translated works, and was ready for another awe-packed journey. His stories concentrate on science, characters are very minor to the plot, which I love! It's the story that controls the characters, instead of the other way round. The plot is intense, morbid and some of the science is beyond my understanding. Nevertheless, the implications and scale never fail to fascinate.

Probably because of such expectations, this book failed to impress me. While the slow pace was characteristic, it didn't capture my interest, compelling me to read faster to race to the good part. The second half of the story was definitely more interesting and redeeming. But the ending came too fast and wasn't on the grand scale that the author's works generally offer.

On the whole, I would have been much more awestruck if I read this book before any other work of his. The premise and plot are still very sci-fi and intense.

mystikbunny's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

ezrealenoch's review against another edition

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I enjoy how honest the author is in the end indicating that “it’s not good but China lacks SCI-FI greats like HG wells” it’s an interesting take on quantum mechanics. Obviously compared to three body this is garbage but it’s still a fun read

banaanniina's review against another edition

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Viel joskus!

zhishi's review against another edition

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3.0

Rushed ending, anti climatic, I’m not sure I really felt anything from it 

horaklukas's review against another edition

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5.0

Snažil jsem se ubránit srovnávání s trilogií Problémem tří těles, ačkoliv podvědomě jsem se jí neubránil. Přesto, ačkoliv je v Kulovém blesku méně mimozemšťanů - vlastně žádní (to není spoiler, je to napsané na přebalu knihy

the_f_reader's review against another edition

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challenging informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

bei_02's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0