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The Butterfly: Cixin Liu Graphic Novels #5
Welcome to The Worlds of Cixin Liu, a series of graphic novels created by 35 artists – including writers, illustrators and colourists – from 13 countries, to salute the unique imagination of China's science fiction grandmaster.
Bombs fall through the night sky and the city of Belgrade burns. Its citizens huddle in basements, terrified for their lives.
In the heart of the city, two men keep watch from a rooftop. But they are not afraid. For they have a plan.
Scientist Aleksandar has developed a program that can trigger major atmospheric change across the world – and he needs his friend Reznik's help to run it. If they can find the right point, Aleksandar believes they might trigger a change powerful enough to disrupt the destruction of his country.
Like the fluttering of a butterfly's wings can create hurricanes at thousands of miles' distance, Aleksandar's actions will have far-reaching repercussions. But will they be enough?
Bombs fall through the night sky and the city of Belgrade burns. Its citizens huddle in basements, terrified for their lives.
In the heart of the city, two men keep watch from a rooftop. But they are not afraid. For they have a plan.
Scientist Aleksandar has developed a program that can trigger major atmospheric change across the world – and he needs his friend Reznik's help to run it. If they can find the right point, Aleksandar believes they might trigger a change powerful enough to disrupt the destruction of his country.
Like the fluttering of a butterfly's wings can create hurricanes at thousands of miles' distance, Aleksandar's actions will have far-reaching repercussions. But will they be enough?
84 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 20, 2022
Beautiful art, heartbreaking story - the Butterfly effect is just as ephemeral as its namesake.
I was surprised to see Romania mentioned in it, even if just in passing:
I haven't read the original story, I don't think it was translated in English in prose form. If anyone knows differently, please let me know.
I was surprised to see Romania mentioned in it, even if just in passing:
I haven't read the original story, I don't think it was translated in English in prose form. If anyone knows differently, please let me know.
September 17, 2024
Worst of the series I've read so far. The writing and style overall is terribly stilted (for example, the writing surrounding the supercomputers is trying wayyy too hard to sound smart).
May 4, 2025
3 Stars/
72%
An astounding set up for a fascinating conundrum; both on a personal, and global level.
The pace picks up, the plot continues at a remarkable pace with luck not going the way of our plucky optimistic protagonist!
And then Cixin Liu...well he did a Cixin Liu ending. Which after some heartbreaking moments ending far too quickly, left you with a crick in your brain from the speed of the emotional whiplash (and I need to be clear, this wasn't a satisfying emotional whiplash, this felt like whiplash given to you to prove that it could be done) and frankly, for me (super subjective obviously) fell flat.
But I don't know if that's just the translation into English and then into a graphic novel format. I don't know how to read Mandarin....so I can't figure out an answer until I either learn Mandarin, or its translated into prose English.
Anyway; engaging characters not treated with a decent ending.
72%
An astounding set up for a fascinating conundrum; both on a personal, and global level.
The pace picks up, the plot continues at a remarkable pace with luck not going the way of our plucky optimistic protagonist!
And then Cixin Liu...well he did a Cixin Liu ending. Which after some heartbreaking moments ending far too quickly, left you with a crick in your brain from the speed of the emotional whiplash (and I need to be clear, this wasn't a satisfying emotional whiplash, this felt like whiplash given to you to prove that it could be done) and frankly, for me (super subjective obviously) fell flat.
But I don't know if that's just the translation into English and then into a graphic novel format. I don't know how to read Mandarin....so I can't figure out an answer until I either learn Mandarin, or its translated into prose English.
Anyway; engaging characters not treated with a decent ending.
October 15, 2023
This was a heartbreaking story connecting a family, and their country, with a scientific concept that the dad developed, and was going to use to prevent their country being bombed. It is a pure tragedy in so many intricate levels. It's the one story in the series that is very specific to the present day and humans. I felt some historical knowledge of inner Balkan conflicts would have been helpful, which I didn't have. Coincidentally read this at this specific time of the Hamas-Israel conflict. The artwork was beautiful and the colour scheme added to the tragedy. Love when a story is told with a few words but they impact hard.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2026
Not my favorite from the series. Interesting setting (Balkan war era Yugoslavia) and sci-fi focus (atmospheric control meteorology). However it lacked the hopeful spark that I usually associate with the author's work.
It was still a good read but left me without the optimistic hope for the future I was looking for. I guess it's a commentary on the limitations that the politics of war places on our scientific aspirations.
I want to emphasize that it's still an extremely well crafted and inspired graphic novel, I just found it to be a slight departure in tone for the series.
It was still a good read but left me without the optimistic hope for the future I was looking for. I guess it's a commentary on the limitations that the politics of war places on our scientific aspirations.
I want to emphasize that it's still an extremely well crafted and inspired graphic novel, I just found it to be a slight departure in tone for the series.
November 6, 2022
An interesting story of a scientist who creates a computer program to pinpoint pressure points in atmospherics which he can manipulate in order to affect the weather over his home city of Belgrade. The reason for this? NATO is bombing Yugoslavia. The weather effects will hinder the bombings, or so he hopes.
Using a supercomputer to read his program and pinpoint the locations he is able to turn the weather, but ultimately not the tide of the bombings which has disastrous effects on his life.
Using a supercomputer to read his program and pinpoint the locations he is able to turn the weather, but ultimately not the tide of the bombings which has disastrous effects on his life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2025
As a Ukrainian I will not sympathize Serbians - nation that committed genocide in Kosovo. Disappointed for the lack of depth in this novel. Just a piece of anti-west propaganda.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews