The Last Theorem by Arthur C. Clarke, Frederik Pohl
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(Hardcover)
- Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
- Pub. Date: August 2008
- ISBN-13: 9780345470218
- Sales Rank: 54,173
- 320pp
| More Formats | Online Price |
|---|---|
| Mass Market Paperback | $7.99 |
| Audiobook MP3 - Unabridged | $18.67 |
Synopsis
When Ranjit Subramanian, a Sri Lankan with a special gift for numbers, writes a three-page proof of the coveted “Last Theorem,” which French mathematician Pierre de Fermat claimed to have discovered (but never recorded) in 1637, Ranjit’s achievement is hailed as a work of genius, bringing him fame and fortune. But it also brings him to the attention of the National Security Agency and a shadowy United Nations outfit called Pax per Fidem–or Peace Through Transparency–whose secretive workings belie its name. Suddenly Ranjit–along with his family–finds himself swept up in world-shaking events, his genius for abstract mathematical thought put to uses that are both concrete and potentially deadly.
Publishers Weekly
Grand Masters Pohl (Gateway) and the late Clarke (1917-2008, best known for 2001) collaborated on a can't-put-down adventure that focuses on their mutual strengths: high adventure, fun characters and hard science. Sometime in the near future, teenage Sri Lankan math prodigy Ranjit Subramanian manages to reconstruct and then publish Fermat's claimed proof of his famous last theorem. As Ranjit celebrates fame and fortune, the all-powerful aliens called Grand Galactics see the flash from early nuclear explosions and decide that humanity will have to be wiped out. When Earth's superpowers deploy a new, nonlethal way of handling renegade nations and humanity begins working on global peace and large-scale engineering projects, Ranjit and his family try to broker a truce with the destructive alien force, modeling human optimism through rationality and science. Long passages of math tricks and intrusive narration mar an otherwise enjoyable tale of the struggle between reason and fear. (Aug.)
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Arthur C. Clarke has long been considered the greatest science fiction writer of all time. He was an international treasure in many other ways, including the fact that a 1945 article by him led to the invention of satellite technology. Books by Clarke -- both fiction and nonfiction -- have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide. He died in 2008.
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Very disappointingby Anonymous
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April 27, 2009: I have read many of Arthur C. Clarke's novels. So, I did not enter into reading this novel blindly. My main problem with his prose is the lack of an ending. This novel had many other problems. As other reviewers have noted, the novel has an unfinished/rough draft feel to it. It was a painful read. Though I usually keep novels in my library at least for a short period, I gave this hardcover novel to my 2 year hold to play with. Seeing him pretend to read this novel has given me much more joy that reading it. So unless you have a child that needs a toy, I suggest passing on this novel.
Disappointingby Anonymous
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August 16, 2008: With two such icons of science fiction I was expecting a superior product. Unfortunately the book was VERY disappointing - especially since there was a core for a superior story. However, it read like a first draft that had not been worked over to any extend and/or no serious input by editors to work with the authors. Maybe the age of the authors and death of Clarke factors in, but this is not a book to add to either of their legacies. Most telling for myself is that while I usually keep books I buy and read, figuring to someday reading them again, this one goes to the discard file i.e., never to look at a second time.
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