Collision: Stories From the Science of CERN

by Rob Appleby (Editor), Connie Potter (Editor), Luan Goldie

A decade after the discovery of the Higgs Boson, the large Hadron Collider at CERN still leads the world in the search to uncover what the universe is made of, how it was formed, and what fate may lie in store for it. If there is such a thing as a cutting edge, it surely lies 100 metres below the Swiss-French border, at the point the beams collide. As part of a unique collaboration, this book pairs a team of award-winning authors with CERN physicists to explore some of the consequences of what the LHC is learning, through fiction. Authors include Sherlock and Dr. Who writer Steven Moffat, novelist and Small Axe screenwriter Courttia Newland, Dame Margaret Drabble and SF legends Ian Watson (whose credits include the screenplay for the Spielberg's A.I.) and Stephen Baxter (winner of the Philip K Dick and John W Campbell Memorial Award). Featuring CERN physicist and engineers: Professor Lyn Evans, Professor John Ellis, Dr. Andrea Bersani, Dr. Tessa Charles, Dr. Joey Huston, Dr. Michael Davis, Dr. Carole Weydert, Dr. Joe Haley, Dr. Kristin Lohwasser, Dr. Pete Dong, Dr. Daniel Cervenkov, Dr. Andrea Giammanco.

Genres: Short Stories, Science, Anthologies

336 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2023

Reviews

[JessIsReadingAgain Veni Vidi Amavi Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is not only entertaining but informative as well. The audience for this work includes all of us. If you are a science fiction lover, you will love this book. If you are a lover of science, you will love this book. If you have questions about all that is out there (past and present), you will love this book.

[Laurence · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Particles Go Both Ways

Sci fi short stories are my bag at the moment. I love them and Prof John Ellis summarises why perfectly in his Afterword in Collision: "[sci fi stories] highlight fundamental metaphysical issues by posulating unfamiliar environments and exploring people's possible reactions to them, thereby casting novel light on the human condition". Lovely, lovely stuff.

However, before reading Collision, and indeed Ellis' comment, I had very low expectations for the incandescence of my own enlightenment: Collision's current 3.68/5 rating on Goodreads is really quite crap. But, as it turns out, Collision is much better than that. Yes, as with all short story analogies, there are some misses but the hits, they really do score - the particles go both ways after all...

Below I've reviewed each individual story. Do let me know if you agree, or even better, disagree! Also please note, every story is accompanied by an Afterword from a CERN-related scientist - these vary in both quality and excitement with Ellis and Isidori writing the best ones in my opinion. (Also as a side note, there is a notable recurrence of the "Card Game Restriction LHC" paper which seems like the black-hole-destruction-esque hogwash that shouldn't be publicised. And yet...)

Going Dark - Moffat
Stephen Moffat, I know what you are doing! A mysterious, unnamed main character whose job is too complicated to explain for reader and characters alike so he simply resorts to calling it troubleshooting? Oh yeah? And let me guess, that troubleshooting involves some sort of sonic screwdrivering... Pfft.
Anyway, I initially thought this story was just a gimmicky narrative based on an interesting concept. But the story lingered in my mind (always a good sign) and eventually I realised: every action must be a gimmick when you're on the verge of being forgotten into non-existence.
A great story and the only one I read twice. Stephen Moffat, you carve my neurons.
(PS the phrase 'reinforce the wavefunction made me cringe hard - minus one star)
⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Grand Unification - luxx
Nice experimental piece that was pleasing to read. Despite this, I found the narrative a bit too on the nose and so the story didn't linger much (shove it IN the nose next time perhaps, it lasts longer..)
⭐⭐⭐

Afterglow - Badisha
A nothing story... Or stories - this piece comes in two parts but what is the point of the first piece. Or the second for that matter. Too long and too dry.
⭐

Marble Run - Goldie
Great short story, you live each scene with the main character right up to the cutting finale - and, boy oh boy (girl oh girl?), it cuts deep.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Skipping - Watson
Writing like Douglas Adams on crack (who isn't really my cup of tea), I actually didn't mind this story. Not that I particularly liked it either but the ending was good.
⭐⭐⭐

The Ogre, The Monk and The Maiden - Rabble
Margaret Rabble has an agenda! A couple of savagely funny lines in here. Otherwise it's filled with whimsical prose which creates a whimsical tale. Yes this story flows ever so smoothly, but perhaps a bit too smoothly as it gently plateaus into a flat ending(s).
⭐⭐⭐

End Titles - Marek
At first I thought this narrative, told purely through a Desert Island Discs interview, would just be a gimmick. Far from it. This would be the greatest Desert Island Discs interview of all time.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Dark Matters - Caldwell
A sharp little story which analyses the human more than the science. Relatable and realistic characters that shone through. Doesn't do much for Belfast as a tourist destination though.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Side Channels to Andromeda - Kalu
It's somewhat ironic that I most struggled to connect with this story that is very much set in our modern society rather than 3000 years in the future. Perhaps it's the massive juxtaposition between the rather heavy subject matter of the main characters family life and his job in... IT security. Yes the IT is obviously symbolic, but still... It's IT.
⭐⭐⭐

The Jazari Principle - Newland
Introduces many interesting ideas but struggles to explore any of them in much detail. Consequently it is pretty forgettable but the main concept was a cool thought.
⭐⭐⭐

Absences - Reynolds
A meta story that ends up being more meh-ta.
⭐⭐

Ganguin's Questioms - Baxter
The galactically prolific sci fi writer Baxter creates another galactic scale story here. The story spans multiple millenia and kept me intrigued with its neat narrative and scientific motivation. Very good but minus one star for the ending - much too soppy...
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cold Open - Weezer
The premise reminded me a lot of one of Stephen King's summer, coming of age stories, albeit set in a dystopia (not that 50s-60s North East US is by any means Utopia - especially with those red balloons and clowns...). Anyway the story is fairly average and predictable until the haunting final line. The Afterword here is much more exciting!!
⭐⭐⭐

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the format was an interesting experiment in science communication: one piece of fiction, followed by an afterword about the science that inspired it, then rinse and repeat. It was a bit hit and miss, and not every story will be to your taste, but that's par for the course for collections. Where it fell a little short to me was actually in the scientific afterwords. I'd read a story and get curious about what inspired it, and then the afterword would essentially amount to "this was inspired by quarks, which are very small. The end," when I wanted more of a deep dive. But overall I'd recommend it for all of those who are fans of the esoteric, whether that's fiction or physics.

[Northern Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

In twenty years there has been time for the gravitational-wave signal, travelling at light speed, to have reached objects ten light years distant and evoked a reply - twenty years, ten out ten back. There are twelve stellar objects within ten light years of the sun. Perhaps all that can be surmised for now is that in our galaxy, on average there may be less than 1 technological communicating civilisation like our own per dozen stars.

Released in 2023, Collision is a collection of science-fiction short stories featuring collaborations between scientists at CERN and fiction authors. The result is a fascinating fusion of speculative fiction and cutting-edge science.

The collection includes contributions from an impressive cast of writers. Perhaps the most recognisable is Stephen Baxter, a household name among science-fiction readers, known for sweeping cosmic timelines and collaborations with the likes of Arthur C. Clarke and Terry Pratchett.

Each story is followed by an afterword which are accessible to non-scientists and give clarity and candid reflections on working within one of the world’s most iconic research institutions. Collision is a must read for science-fiction fans who want their stories grounded in reality. But it’s equally rewarding for readers curious about science, or those simply looking for fiction that challenges them.

Read my full review on my blog: https://www.northernbooks.org/post/co...

[Zoé☀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the most informative yet fun reading experience I have had in a while. The concept of pairing scientists with writers to collaborate on short stories is new to me, but makes so much sense! I especially appreciated the afterwords written by the experts to explain the science in each story. This was especially helpful given that particle physics are, to me, very counter-intuitive and difficult to wrap your head around. I gave it three stars because, given that it is a collection of short stories by different authors, some inevitably pleased me more than others. However overall, I had a great time with this and learned a lot!

[Louis Lendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book a lot more. The idea of pairing science fiction authors with actual scientists is an awesome idea. (One of the contributing scientists is one of my daughter's teachers and my copy of the book is autographed by him.) Each sci-fi short story is followed by an essay by the scientist discussing the "real" science in the story. However, some of the short stories are just too esoteric and some of the science explanations just too techie to make it a comfortable read. Imagine alternating reading a chapter of Heinlein followed by a chapter of Hawking.

[Andrea Benecchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say two thirds of the stories are pretty cool, but towards the end they felt somehow repetitive. Still a good read for sci-fi passionate. Some of the commentaires sound way too rethoric, but fair enough it's meant to support the CERN.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating collection of short stories about the science of CERN with contributions from scientists to give context to the fictional texts. Great introduction to this world suitable for non-physicists who are interested in grappling with the principles of nuclear physics.

[Rita P Smits · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting reading, but the quality of both the short stories and the follow-up explanations varied too much for me to fully enjoy it. That's also why it took me so long to finish it (over a year?)

I'd recommend it only to readers already interested and knowledgeable in physics.

[Simon Pitfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Distinctly patchy. Stephen Moffat particularly good, whereas Margaret Drabble just seems to give up on her story. Some of the science came in handy watching Three Body Problem though.

[Simone Scardapane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for the overall idea, but 3 stars for the average quality of the stories (some of them feel almost unfinished, only 2-3 stories are valid).

[Jaellayna Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea of this book - story stories by SciFi authors based on some aspect of theoretical physics/cosmology being studied at CERN. And then a technical explanation of the idea written by a CERN scientist in easy to understand language. As in all short stories collections, I liked some more than others. But they all taught me something, stretched my imagination, and encouraged me to keep reading and keep learning.