Ball Lightning Audiobook By Cixin Liu cover art

Ball Lightning

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Ball Lightning

By: Cixin Liu
Narrated by: Bruno Roubicek
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.00

Buy for $25.00

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

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. The more he learns, the more he comes to realise that ball lightning is just the tip of an entirely new frontier in particle physics. Although Chen's quest provides a purpose for his lonely life, his reasons for chasing this elusive quarry come into conflict with soldiers and scientists who have motives of their own.

©2005 Liu Cixin (P)2018 W.F. Howes Ltd
Fantasy Military
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Ball Lightning

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    76
  • 4 Stars
    49
  • 3 Stars
    27
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    85
  • 4 Stars
    37
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    65
  • 4 Stars
    39
  • 3 Stars
    29
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

good but not as great as "3 body problem" series

perhaps it's the difference style of writing and the high expectations listening to the book after finishing the trilogy, still interesting but not as immersive and definitely doesn't need to be considered as a prequel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Alright

The book was alright, but I read three body first and found that one much more interesting. The theoretical ideas in this book are interesting but the way the characters learns of the ideas didn't seem realistic enough to me. The odd physics genius stereotype just always had an explanation for every weird, unnatural phenomena they experienced.
also, the storytelling wasn't as compelling to me as three body problem.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

brilliant story

This is a great story that unfolds to reveal layer after layer of narrative brilliance. Plenty of action and adventure too - enjoy!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Emensely Enjoyable

The verisimilitude of this world made listening a vivid experience. The narration was talented and colourful; greater emphasis on chapter breaks would have made my binge-listening more . . . comfortable?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

Great book, newest addition to my favorites. It made me think in non-linear terms.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

What a fabulous story !!!
This is one of those paradigms that grips you by tying into your own world and then bending it slightly
Loved the book from start to finish, thanks Author, it was a fabulous experience …

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Distinctly Clarkian, but a bit worrying

I like the book. There are two major sources of inspirations for the plot: Arthur Clarke's novels and Chinese fiction on breathtaking discoveries. Clarke is a genre master for me, so I could not enjoy the novel. Highly recommended.

Now what worries me: if the book is in any way reflection of the sentiments of the Chinese society, the Western world should really start rearming. While it's not a main theme of the novel, militaristic and nationalist attitudes aimed against the sinister America are clearly accented. The Chinese army is a positive protagonist, the West is obsessed with arms development and when the war erupts (it just erupts somehow, no casus belli explained) the Chinese are worried about the invasion against the mainland China (what is absurd given the available manpower). It's as an alien attitude for the West, as any extraterrestrial.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Continues to be one of my favourite authors!

The book starts off absolutely brilliantly and you are hooked in immediately. It is a different feel and pace to Three Body Problem series, but I enjoyed the infiltration of science (however unnatural) into the near future. Narrator was brilliant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not hard sci fi

Quite different from 3BP, a lot softer and more fanciful
Story was a bit all over the place for my taste

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!