Chen (we are not told his other name) sees his parents killed by ball lightning while celebrating his 14th birthday. He dedicates his life to studying this phenomenon only to find that there are plans to weaponise it.

This is actually part of "The Three-Body Problem" universe, mainly taking place while the Trisolarians are watching Earth. If I'd known that I would have read it much earlier. As it is, I did find it dragged in places. ( )

What Cixin Liu does best is describing the way unknown or impossible objects and forces act upon the real world. His descriptions of people turning to ash after touching ball lightning, or of the way it moves, or even of the various weapons systems in the book (which would normally elicit revulsion from me) are concrete and beautiful.

His weakest point is his characters and their interactions, which are usually either heavy-handed exposition or annoying Murakami-style examples of enigmatic people failing to connect (unless we're told they connect, despite no evidence of it on the page). What lifted [b:The Three-Body Problem|20518872|The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #1)|Liu Cixin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1415428227s/20518872.jpg|25696480] beyond this was the Trisolarans, the alien antagonists who were genuinely surprising and interesting in their tactical and emotional range. Ball Lightning lacks this extra spark, but it does everything else right, and unrealistic characters aren't exactly a deal-breaker for me in science fiction. ( )

Interesting sci-fi book about a scientist working to understand ball lightning, and the consequences that arise with increased understanding. Lots of focus on the speculative science behind the phenomenon, which I personally found really interesting, but I imagine would not appeal to everyone. The exploration of the ties between military and academics in research was compelling. Some of the characters were weak - I found this to be the case for the narrator, Chen. However, I overall enjoyed this book. ( )

three body problem lite ( )

P. 380:
"Ding Yi said that, from the perspective of quantum mechanics, death is the process of transitioning from a strong observer to a weak observer, and then to a non observer."

P.364:
" 'All the forces of the natural world, including those that people believe are the most gentle and harmless, can be turned into weapons to destroy life. The horror and cruelty of some of these weapons is beyond imagination, unless you have seen them yourself.' "

This book will change the way you think. Having read the Three Body Trilogy, I am not amazed at the author's imagination, creativity, and writing talent as much as I was when reading that set of books. But still...I feel lucky to live in a time when a book of this type, by a writer of this talent, and translated by a translator of this level, is available to me.

When I tell people that I feel my pets jumping up on my bed, when they long ago crossed the rainbow bridge, some people laugh, and some people say they have experienced similar occurrences. Although it's been a while since I've felt my old friend Inky jump up on my bed, this book gives me some ideas about how this can possibly happen.

This book is fiction, but it feels as if this research into ball lightning is something already taking place. It probably is, and I wonder how much of author Cixin's imagination will end up becoming reality.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
and sorry I could not travel both...
I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference. "
--Robert Louis Stevenson ( )