• Author: Cixin Lui (translated by Joel Martinsen)
• ISBN: 9780765394071
• Format: paper
• Start: 2025-07-03
• Finish: 2025-07-10

I actually bought this at a library book sale where I happened to find a signed copy in excellent shape for just two dollars. I had enjoyed The Three Body Problem and was interested in reading some of his other work. A teenager witnesses his parents' deaths caused by ball lightning and decides to dedicate his life to understanding it. This leads him to academia and jobs in lightning research and eventually weapons development. It was a good story and the author’s conception of ball lightning was fascinating. The pace picked up a lot in the second half of the book, which I think was good, but the point of view was very odd. Most of the book is told in first person until that person is no longer witnessing important events. He is later filled in on those events by another character, so the book shifts to that character’s account. At some point in the story he’s not there either, so the telling shifts again into third omniscient. It sort of worked, but was pretty jarring. Overall I enjoyed the book, but the ending didn’t land as I wanted it to because the point of view changes and flashbacks messed with the pacing.