Ball Lightning by Liu Cixin revolves around the study of the mysterious phenomenon of ball lightning, impacting the life of the protagonist from an early age. The story delves into the protagonist's lifelong dedication to understanding ball lightning, leading him into military applications of his scientific research and raising questions about the moral responsibility of scientists. The narrative explores themes of science, morality, and the consequences of scientific discoveries when used for destructive purposes. The book combines elements of renegade scientists, quantum physics, and military intrigue, with a touch of speculative fiction involving aliens watching from afar.
The plot unfolds through the lens of atmospheric scientists, military personnel, and researchers entwined in the quest to harness ball lightning's power for warfare. Characters with personal connections to tragedies involving advanced weaponry and the protagonist's journey to unravel the mysteries of ball lightning drive the narrative forward. The book explores complex questions about the ethical dilemmas faced by scientists, the blurred lines between knowledge and its applications, and the unforeseen consequences of scientific advancements when manipulated for destructive purposes.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for Ball Lightning include themes of loss, death, and the potential misuse of scientific discoveries leading to destructive outcomes.
From The Publisher:
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Three-Body Trilogy, Cixin Liu's Ball Lightning is the story of what happens when the beauty of scientific inquiry runs up against the drive to harness new discoveries with no consideration of their possible consequences.
When Chen's parents are incinerated before his eyes by a blast of ball lightning, he devotes his life to cracking the secret of this mysterious natural phenomenon. His search takes him to stormy mountaintops, an experimental military weapons lab, and an old Soviet science station.
The more he learns, the more he comes to realize that ball lightning is just the tip of an entirely new frontier. While Chen's quest for answers gives purpose to his lonely life, it also pits him against soldiers and scientists with motives of their own: a beautiful army major with an obsession with dangerous weaponry, and a physicist who has no place for ethical considerations in his single-minded pursuit of knowledge.
"Wildly imaginative."-Barack Obama on The Three-Body Problem trilogy
Tor books by Cixin Liu
The Three-Body Problem Series
#1 The Three-Body Problem
#2 The Dark Forest
#3 Death's End
Ratings (4)
Incredible (1) | |
Loved It (2) | |
It Was OK (1) |
Reader Stats (14):
Read It (3) | |
Want To Read (9) | |
Not Interested (2) |
1 comment(s)
i didn't love this as much as i love the three-body problem series, but it's still a great book
liu cixin does hard science fiction, in this case investigating the phenomenon of ball lightning, but he also uses it as a way to show morality in science. should it be pursued at all costs, are there mysteries we shouldn't probe, and how do we balance the risk to human lives with the opportunity to advance our knowledge of the universe?
the theoretical physicist, ding yi, is incredibly fascinating. he appears to be a coward when he refuses to get in a helicopter during ball lightning testing, saying his life belongs to physics and he has no right to risk it in experimentation. later he says outright that he doesn't care about anything but physics because ultimately we are all so small and pointless before the enormity of the universe.
on either side of him is the narrator chen, who chases after ball lightning because it killed his parents, and lin yun, the soldier who will sacrifice anyone in the name of weapons research after losing her mother in war at a young age. Chen sees a mystical, almost romantic side to ball lightning research, while lin yun isn't romantic about anything.
it's a brilliant book of ideas about the universe and also a beautiful character study of three very different scientists.
What can you read after
Ball Lightning?
About the Author:
CIXIN LIU is a prolific and popular science fiction writer in the People's Republic of China. Liu is a winner of the Hugo Award and a multiple winner of the Galaxy Award (the Chinese Hugo) and the Xing Yun Award (the Chinese Nebula). He lives with his family in Yangquan, Shanxi.
Liu is the author of The Remembrance of Earth's Past Trilogy (The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, Death's End), and Ball Lightning.
JOEL MARTINSEN (translator) is research director for a media intelligence company. His translations have appeared in Words Without Borders and Pathlight. He lives in Edinburgh.
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