Ball Lightning (novel) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org

Liu Cixin's work reminds me of Asimov, in that the concept science fiction is really really engaging but the characters are little more than conduits. In this one, there's a character who is supposed to be highly accredited in both physics and philosophy... but at one point in the book, he says he's going to engage in a philosophical exercise only to just explain quantum physics. Latter, this supposed philosopher says;

"[life is insignificant] from a physics perspective. The form of matter movement known as life has no more meaning than any other movement of matter. You can't find any new physical laws in life, so from my standpoint, the death of a person and the melting of an ice cube are essentially the same thing."

Maybe it's just how it was translated, but what we're told about the character and how he actually acts doesn't really line up.

Also, if I had a nickle for every time a woman in a Liu Cixin novel brought about apocalyptic destruction on humanity, I would have 15¢. It's a weird trend, not sure how to unpack that.

  • Wheaties [she/her]
    ·
    3 months ago

    it's... weird having that paragraph precede such a smooth introduction to a matrilinear culture. Makes me kinda wonder, is this him purposefully highlighting the regressive views held by the point of view character? Or is that giving Asimov too much credit?

    • Hexboare [they/them]
      ·
      3 months ago

      Particularly in his later years, Asimov to some extent cultivated an image of himself as an amiable lecher. In 1971, as a response to the popularity of sexual guidebooks such as The Sensuous Woman (by "J") and The Sensuous Man (by "M"), Asimov published The Sensuous Dirty Old Man under the byline "Dr. 'A'" (although his full name was printed on the paperback edition, first published 1972).

      However, by 2016, Asimov's habit of groping women was seen as sexual harassment and came under criticism, and was cited as an early example of inappropriate behavior that can occur at science fiction conventions.