CERN is a centre of exciting intellectual activity, so – as the introduction to ‘Collision’ asks – why should that stop with the sciences? Why shouldn’t its discoveries also inspire work in the non-scientific disciplines? The answer is, of course, that it shouldn’t.
‘Collision: Stories from the Science of CERN’ (Comma Press, £9.99, ISBN 9781912697687) was produced by pairing up esteemed authors with esteemed CERN scientists to explore ideas being investigated at the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest experiment. The authors were provided with a list of themes suggested by the scientists, took their pick, and each wrote a story inspired by their chosen theme. After the story was completed, the corresponding scientist wrote an afterword expanding on the scientific background. The collection was edited by Rob Appleby and Connie Potter.
The resulting 13 stories cover a range of tones: some thrillers, some character-focused stories, and an abundance...