FICTION

Ball Lightning

Liu Cixin. Tor. Aug. 2018. 384p. tr. from the Chinese by Joel Martinsen. ISBN 9780765394071. $28.99; ebk. ISBN 9780765394088. SF
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Hugo Award winner Liu (The Three-Body Problem) crafts a story that at times feels like a procedural drama, supernatural mystery, military thriller, and romance novel. It's fast paced and based heavily in science yet never overwhelms readers who might be unfamiliar with the foundational concepts. The narrative centers on Chen, whose life goal is to unravel the mystery of ball lightning after witnessing his parents killed by the phenomenon on a childhood birthday. Through his research, he meets a military woman driven by an obsession with weapons, along with many of the world's smartest scientists. As Chen is forced to confront his past, he also deals with moral quandaries, such as how scientific advancements initially intended to help humanity can also be used as a weapon of war.
VERDICT Liu's wildly imaginative, skillful use of imagery, metaphor, and analogy will appeal to fans of sf and science-based mysteries, as well as YA readers, owing to its lack of sexually explicit content and minimal violence.
Reviewed by Matt Schirano, Univ. of Bridgeport Lib., CT , Sep 01, 2018
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