A review by kartiknarayanan
Ball Lightning Sneak Peek by Cixin Liu
3.0
Ball Lightning is great hard sci-fi but is boring AF.
I have been a huge fan of Cixin Liu's writing. His 'Remembrance of Earth's Past' series is one of the best science fiction series ever. It combines science with an engrossing storyline; the likes of which I have not read in a long time. So, I had high expectations for Ball Lightning .
Unfortunately, Ball Lightning reads like a science text book for the most part and is not even an interesting one (my school texts were far more interesting). It is dull and dreary. Cixin Liu's commits the cardinal sin of making the story take second precedence to the science; whatever plot there is meanders all over the place.
In retrospect, one of the reasons why the book fails in being interesting is the lack of a proper antagonist. This is more a book about discovery and philosophy than anything else. Some authors can make this work (duh, most non-fiction) but Cixin Liu is not able to do so here. And sadly, the one thing that I really liked about Ball Lightning, which is Cixin Liu's unbelievable imagination, is not enough to carry it. This style of writing might be enough for some readers but not for me.
I have been a huge fan of Cixin Liu's writing. His 'Remembrance of Earth's Past' series is one of the best science fiction series ever. It combines science with an engrossing storyline; the likes of which I have not read in a long time. So, I had high expectations for Ball Lightning .
Unfortunately, Ball Lightning reads like a science text book for the most part and is not even an interesting one (my school texts were far more interesting). It is dull and dreary. Cixin Liu's commits the cardinal sin of making the story take second precedence to the science; whatever plot there is meanders all over the place.
In retrospect, one of the reasons why the book fails in being interesting is the lack of a proper antagonist. This is more a book about discovery and philosophy than anything else. Some authors can make this work (duh, most non-fiction) but Cixin Liu is not able to do so here. And sadly, the one thing that I really liked about Ball Lightning, which is Cixin Liu's unbelievable imagination, is not enough to carry it. This style of writing might be enough for some readers but not for me.