A wildly imaginative sci-fi novel from the author of the bestselling trilogy Remembrance of Earth's Past
On the day of his fourteenth birthday party, instead of happily blowing out the candles on his cake, Chen witnesses the death of both his parents. Right before his eyes, they are killed by ball lightning, a natural phenomenon that many scientists are still studying today. Chen becomes hardened and decides to dedicate his entire life to researching ball lightning.
The more Chen learns, the more he realises that ball lightning is just the tip of the iceberg of entirely new horizons in physics. This solitary and determined scientist's quest brings him into contact with many people who, like him, are driven by some obsession. His father's last words run like a common thread through Chen's story: “The key to a beautiful life is wonder.”
The novel Ball Lightning was written before the publication of Liu Cixin's famous Remembrance of Earth's Past saga and can be read not only as a standalone work but also as a prologue to the trilogy.
