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abaugher's review
5.0
Great read for anyone who enjoys sports and space. The two genres are combined seamlessly in this excellent story of a young man becoming an adult.
ferzemkhan's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
posies23's review
4.0
There's a lot to like about this book. The concept is very clever: Zero gravity boxing! Overall, the book is well-paced, and the action sequences are very well done. The protagonist is likable, and the world-building is very well done. There were several plot twists that I enjoyed, and the writing is strong. There's also some depth to the book, with genetic engineering, social issues, and some moral issues raising interesting questions.
Unfortunately, the "love interest" plot fell flat for me, and distracted from the overall quality of the book. I'll be very interested to read the next book by the author. I have a feeling it will be a (pardon the pun) knockout.
Unfortunately, the "love interest" plot fell flat for me, and distracted from the overall quality of the book. I'll be very interested to read the next book by the author. I have a feeling it will be a (pardon the pun) knockout.
christajls's review
3.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
One day, many years from now, humanity has managed to colonize not only Mars, but the moon as well. This is obviously a time of great change. New technology, new medicine, new genetic enhancements and even new sports. Zeroboxing is all the rage – both on Earth and Mars.
Zeroboxing is in many ways, similar to the regular old boxing we have today. Two men (and occasionally women) get into a ring and pummel each other until one of them taps out or is knocked out. What makes zeroboxing different however is that there’s no gravity. Players are placed in a cube with six magnetic walls. Down is up, right is left and you need to be able to crawl up the walls and spin through air, just as easily as you throw a punch.
It’s a challenging sport but Carr Luka is great at it. At nineteen he’s one of the best in the league and his star is rising higher and higher every day – especially with the help of his marketing guru/Martian girlfriend Risha. The future looks bright for Carr, until he returns to Earth to visit his mother and learns a secret that will change his life forever.
I am not a boxing fan. I’m not really a sports fan of every kind, but I’ve especially had a hard time understanding boxing. Watching two people beat each other up has never been my idea of a good time. As a result I really struggled with many parts of this novel. It may take place on the Moon and they may fight in zero gravity – but at its core it is a sports novel and if you’re anything like me you probably won’t enjoy the numerous fight scenes throughout.
However, I couldn’t give up on this novel because despite the blood and punching there were some universal elements that kept me hanging on, wondering what Carr Luka would do next. He struggled with the expectations put upon him – by his mother, coach, advertisers, his fans. He wants to live up to those expectations but sometimes that seems impossible. I also like that he struggles over doing the right thing and with some of the consequences of fame. To someone with no stakes in what happen it may seem like there is a clear-cut right and wrong thing to do in this book. But it can be difficult to do the right thing when you aren’t the only one who will be affected. Nevermind that walking away from something you love can feel impossible.
In the end whether I understand the sport or not is irrelevant – Carr Luka worked hard to get where he is and he never stops trying and fighting for a single page of this novel. He’s got spirit. And if you are both a sports/boxing fan and a science fiction fan I recommend that you pick up this novel and experience his journey for yourself.
One day, many years from now, humanity has managed to colonize not only Mars, but the moon as well. This is obviously a time of great change. New technology, new medicine, new genetic enhancements and even new sports. Zeroboxing is all the rage – both on Earth and Mars.
Zeroboxing is in many ways, similar to the regular old boxing we have today. Two men (and occasionally women) get into a ring and pummel each other until one of them taps out or is knocked out. What makes zeroboxing different however is that there’s no gravity. Players are placed in a cube with six magnetic walls. Down is up, right is left and you need to be able to crawl up the walls and spin through air, just as easily as you throw a punch.
It’s a challenging sport but Carr Luka is great at it. At nineteen he’s one of the best in the league and his star is rising higher and higher every day – especially with the help of his marketing guru/Martian girlfriend Risha. The future looks bright for Carr, until he returns to Earth to visit his mother and learns a secret that will change his life forever.
I am not a boxing fan. I’m not really a sports fan of every kind, but I’ve especially had a hard time understanding boxing. Watching two people beat each other up has never been my idea of a good time. As a result I really struggled with many parts of this novel. It may take place on the Moon and they may fight in zero gravity – but at its core it is a sports novel and if you’re anything like me you probably won’t enjoy the numerous fight scenes throughout.
However, I couldn’t give up on this novel because despite the blood and punching there were some universal elements that kept me hanging on, wondering what Carr Luka would do next. He struggled with the expectations put upon him – by his mother, coach, advertisers, his fans. He wants to live up to those expectations but sometimes that seems impossible. I also like that he struggles over doing the right thing and with some of the consequences of fame. To someone with no stakes in what happen it may seem like there is a clear-cut right and wrong thing to do in this book. But it can be difficult to do the right thing when you aren’t the only one who will be affected. Nevermind that walking away from something you love can feel impossible.
In the end whether I understand the sport or not is irrelevant – Carr Luka worked hard to get where he is and he never stops trying and fighting for a single page of this novel. He’s got spirit. And if you are both a sports/boxing fan and a science fiction fan I recommend that you pick up this novel and experience his journey for yourself.
perilous1's review
4.0
Originally reviewed for YA Books Central: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/17784-zeroboxer#reviewForm
3.5 Stars
This sci-fi debut steps boldly into the YA ring and puts on a compelling show.
Set an indeterminate number of years in the future, the story is told entirely from the third-person point of view of Carr Luka, a 17-year-old "zeroboxer" of exceptional gifting. His career has just taken off, and he’s attracting a lot of attention—some good, some jealous, and some potentially dangerous.
The worldbuilding is engrossing and remarkably well thought out across the board. The science isn't so out-there as to seem mystical, the use of physics is logical, and the organic progression of sporting events adapted to zero-g environments makes perfect sense (from both a practical and human nature standpoint.) The layering goes deeper still, including sociological elements that enrich the plausibility of Lee’s imagined future—from the overall mingling of ethnicities and availability of genetic modification, to the geopolitical conflicts between Earth and Mars, to marriage being re-defined into 5-year incremental contracts that participants may simply choose not to renew.
The highlights of this book are definitely the technical and behind-the-scenes aspects of mixed martial arts (with a zero-gravity twist), along with a keen conveyance of branding and marketing practices. The author has a crisp and competent writing style, with a real strength for action scenes. The metaphors are solid and the pacing moves along at a captivating clip for the first half of the book.
On the downside:
The romantic elements are a bit lacking and the base emotional connectivity seems to take a far backseat to the sport-centric plot. The smoothness of the read shifted at about the same time the legitimacy of Carr’s genetic background became a point of conflict. For some reason Carr never inquires nor seems curious about the identity of his biological father—and the characterization of his mother feels strangely lacking in depth. As the story progresses, Carr himself becomes increasingly difficult to sympathize with and the book becomes easier to put down. Risha and Carr come together without much sensuality or buildup of tension, and didn't present as a couple this reader felt any particular need to root for. I had a lot of trouble understanding why Carr would choose to keep his “big secret” from the woman he not only (allegedly) loves, but who is best qualified to help him strategize the handling of his precarious situation.
Content Note: To readers and parents who may be concerned, this book sometimes feels as though it's skirting the line between mature YA and New Adult. The f-word is used with some frequency—although nothing beyond what one could realistically expect from a sports setting. Sex is depicted (although not graphically) as something of a casual expectation, with no mention or consideration paid to contraception.
Overall, this is a refreshingly true sci-fi read that takes its research seriously. You'll want to keep an eye on this author.
3.5 Stars
This sci-fi debut steps boldly into the YA ring and puts on a compelling show.
Set an indeterminate number of years in the future, the story is told entirely from the third-person point of view of Carr Luka, a 17-year-old "zeroboxer" of exceptional gifting. His career has just taken off, and he’s attracting a lot of attention—some good, some jealous, and some potentially dangerous.
The worldbuilding is engrossing and remarkably well thought out across the board. The science isn't so out-there as to seem mystical, the use of physics is logical, and the organic progression of sporting events adapted to zero-g environments makes perfect sense (from both a practical and human nature standpoint.) The layering goes deeper still, including sociological elements that enrich the plausibility of Lee’s imagined future—from the overall mingling of ethnicities and availability of genetic modification, to the geopolitical conflicts between Earth and Mars, to marriage being re-defined into 5-year incremental contracts that participants may simply choose not to renew.
The highlights of this book are definitely the technical and behind-the-scenes aspects of mixed martial arts (with a zero-gravity twist), along with a keen conveyance of branding and marketing practices. The author has a crisp and competent writing style, with a real strength for action scenes. The metaphors are solid and the pacing moves along at a captivating clip for the first half of the book.
On the downside:
The romantic elements are a bit lacking and the base emotional connectivity seems to take a far backseat to the sport-centric plot. The smoothness of the read shifted at about the same time the legitimacy of Carr’s genetic background became a point of conflict. For some reason Carr never inquires nor seems curious about the identity of his biological father—and the characterization of his mother feels strangely lacking in depth. As the story progresses, Carr himself becomes increasingly difficult to sympathize with and the book becomes easier to put down. Risha and Carr come together without much sensuality or buildup of tension, and didn't present as a couple this reader felt any particular need to root for. I had a lot of trouble understanding why Carr would choose to keep his “big secret” from the woman he not only (allegedly) loves, but who is best qualified to help him strategize the handling of his precarious situation.
Content Note: To readers and parents who may be concerned, this book sometimes feels as though it's skirting the line between mature YA and New Adult. The f-word is used with some frequency—although nothing beyond what one could realistically expect from a sports setting. Sex is depicted (although not graphically) as something of a casual expectation, with no mention or consideration paid to contraception.
Overall, this is a refreshingly true sci-fi read that takes its research seriously. You'll want to keep an eye on this author.
arjohnson5623's review
4.0
I can't call myself, by any stretch of the imagination, a MMA fan. I don't know the terms or the rules, but that mattered little for this book-- it was all pretty easy to pick up on. The science fiction aspects-- the future tech, the political atmosphere between Earth and Mars, and the idea of gene therapy-- were the concepts in Lee's work that kept me interested, and I'm certainly glad to have read this book for them.
acolyteofsins's review
3.0
It started off really rough. I absolutely did NOT like the audiobook narrator. But I'm glad I stuck through it, another great worldbuilding book by Fonda Lee. Good characters, great set pieces, amazing world building. My biggest gripe (other than the aforementioned narrator) was the ending. Super abrupt with lots of loose threads that I would have liked to see resolved.
But otherwise very good.
But otherwise very good.
michelleswei's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
a neatly contained story about ambition that doesn't pretend to be larger than it is. a masterclass in sci-fi writing, will come back later to dissect its working parts.
madscalc's review against another edition
4.0
i liked the fight scenes and the gradual time skips a lot, but the plot didn't really pick up for me until about 40% through :/ the ending was also unsatisfying because i was most interested in the genetic investigation and the mars/earth political relations and i wish there was more exploration into that. almost would love a midnight sun moment with the book from risha's pov lol.