A review by nuclearpotato
Ball Lightning by Cixin Liu
4.0
My Rating: 9.0/10
Liu Cixin did not disappoint me with this one. Even though this book was written in the early days of his career, the imagination and ideas he displayed in this novel was breathtaking to say the least.
Being a "hard" science fiction book, some critics found the scientific content boring. However, I was personally fascinated by how the story delved into scientific theories and research. It was like a watching a documentary as the scientists in the story steadily approached the truth behind the phenomenon of ball lightning. Liu Cixin's storytelling and scientific theories was so convincing that I would have believed the theories were real if I had not known I was reading fiction. It's a testament to his ability to blend science and fiction seamlessly.
Again, like the Three-body trilogy, character development for the most part was neglected in favor of the science side. This aspect may not appeal to readers who prefer narratives revolving around characters as in this case the story is pushed forward by science.
One thing I did not like the book is that it's written in a Chinese and military point of view. It's a characteristic of Liu Cixin's writing though, merging the sci-fi stories with modern Chinese history and culture.
This book will probably appeal more to readers who have a deep understanding of physics and like the science part of sci-fi. I give it a 9.0 for the imagination and science integrated within.
Liu Cixin did not disappoint me with this one. Even though this book was written in the early days of his career, the imagination and ideas he displayed in this novel was breathtaking to say the least.
Being a "hard" science fiction book, some critics found the scientific content boring. However, I was personally fascinated by how the story delved into scientific theories and research. It was like a watching a documentary as the scientists in the story steadily approached the truth behind the phenomenon of ball lightning. Liu Cixin's storytelling and scientific theories was so convincing that I would have believed the theories were real if I had not known I was reading fiction. It's a testament to his ability to blend science and fiction seamlessly.
Again, like the Three-body trilogy, character development for the most part was neglected in favor of the science side. This aspect may not appeal to readers who prefer narratives revolving around characters as in this case the story is pushed forward by science.
One thing I did not like the book is that it's written in a Chinese and military point of view. It's a characteristic of Liu Cixin's writing though, merging the sci-fi stories with modern Chinese history and culture.
This book will probably appeal more to readers who have a deep understanding of physics and like the science part of sci-fi. I give it a 9.0 for the imagination and science integrated within.