A review by dangitall
Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee

2.75

Spoiler

A teen in the future is a promising young zeroboxer, a zero-G MMA style sport. As he is coming into the peak of his career, he discovered his genome was  illegally modified before his birth and struggles with the consequences of this on him, his career, and those he loves.

This was mostly fun to read, Lee writes good action sequences and does a good job exploring what the mechanics of a zero-G fighting sport could look like. Much of the rest of the story feels kind of thin, though. Carr often seems to be able to put his genetic modifications out of his mind completely as he competes for the title and beyond. This could be chalked up to him being young, but it isn’t addressed and it feels like it is ignored as a plot element until it is needed. The mother is a weak character and seems completely unaware of the consequences of her actions. Mr R.’s motivations aren’t developed beyond “evil genius” and his failure to anticipate Carr’s reactions to his threat of Risha seem daft. Not especially satisfying overall.