Cixin Liu, "Ball Lightning"
December 13, 2018
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1:10:15Now PlayingCixin Liu, "Ball Lightning"
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as posted by the channelCixin Liu discusses his novel, "Ball Lightning", at Politics and Prose in Washington, DC on 11/9/18.
A nine-time winner of China’s prestigious Galaxy Award, Liu gained an English-language audience with The Three-Body Problem, which earned the Hugo Award. His new book combines mystery, science, and philosophy for a fast-paced quest tale that also considers the moral issues of how we use the technology we invent. The narrative follows Chen, a quantum physicist, who’s dedicated his life to solving the mystery of ball lightning, the inexplicable phenomenon that killed his parents. Others are also interested in the lightning, among them Lin Yun, who wants to harness its ferocious power for the military. As Chen learns more about the forces behind the lightning, he also struggles to reconcile his values with the social and political consequences of his work.
Liu is in conversation with Everdeen Mason, audience editor and sci-fi/fantasy columnist for The Washington Post.
CIXIN LIU is the most prolific and popular science fiction writer in the People’s Republic of China. Liu is an eight-time winner of the Galaxy Award (the Chinese Hugo) and a winner of the Chinese Nebula Award. Prior to becoming a writer, he worked as an engineer in a power plant. His novels include The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death's End.
Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online. Visit them on the web at
Produced by Tom Warren
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