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.