|
The Last Theorem | 
 enlarge | Authors: Arthur C. Clarke, Frederik Pohl
Publisher: Del Rey
Category: Book
List Price: $27.00
Buy New: $11.75
You Save: $15.25 (56%)
New (44) Used (13) from $9.90
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 84702
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2
ISBN: 0345470214
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780345470218
ASIN: 0345470214
Publication Date: August 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: NEW, can ship anytime, with FREE POSTAL CONFIRMATION, for your confidence, ALWAYS Compare Feedback and EXPERIENCE! 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!.100%
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Two of science fiction’s most renowned writers join forces for a storytelling sensation. The historic collaboration between Frederik Pohl and his fellow founding father of the genre, Arthur C. Clarke, is both a momentous literary event and a fittingly grand farewell from the late, great visionary author of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The Last Theorem is a story of one man’s mathematical obsession, and a celebration of the human spirit and the scientific method. It is also a gripping intellectual thriller in which humanity, facing extermination from all-but-omnipotent aliens, the Grand Galactics, must overcome differences of politics and religion and come together . . . or perish.
In 1637, the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat scrawled a note in the margin of a book about an enigmatic theorem: “I have discovered a truly marvelous proof of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain.” He also neglected to record his proof elsewhere. Thus began a search for the Holy Grail of mathematics–a search that didn’t end until 1994, when Andrew Wiles published a 150-page proof. But the proof was burdensome, overlong, and utilized mathematical techniques undreamed of in Fermat’s time, and so it left many critics unsatisfied–including young Ranjit Subramanian, a Sri Lankan with a special gift for mathematics and a passion for the famous “Last Theorem.”
When Ranjit writes a three-page proof of the theorem that relies exclusively on knowledge available to Fermat, his 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–together with his wife, Myra de Soyza, an expert in artificial intelligence, and their burgeoning 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.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to anyone on Earth, an alien fleet is approaching the planet at a significant percentage of the speed of light. Their mission: to exterminate the dangerous species of primates known as homo sapiens.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
 Disapponted November 19, 2008
The story starts of as being very interesting but lacks cohesiveness as it develops. A number of interesting sub-plots are never fully developed. For example it seems that Ranjit's son though disabled has some extraordinary abilities but these are never developed. The Grand Galactics biology is never explained and it is never explained what development mankind makes that the Grand galactics are so ready to quit and transfer the job of galactic governance to the human race.
I got a distinctly anti-American sentiment throughout the book. Towards the end, the US Government and its President are portrayed as a bully. I thought that this was a little out of place in a science fiction work whether or not you think the US Government are "good" guys or bullies.
Since the protagonist was a Number Theorist, I was expecting some connection with the beauty of Number Theory with the way the Grand Galactic and other advanced aliens think, but this was never developed.
I was not sure of why the sub-plot of Ranjit's capture by pirates and his torture was introduced other than that he developed the Fermat's Conjecture proof under the duress of torture and captivity.
All in all Last Theorem is disappointing as Arthur C Clarke's "Last Book."
Idiot's Guide to Writing Sci-Fi November 15, 2008
Poor Clarke has been on a downward slide for some time. From the early promising days of Rama and 2001 we have descended to clap trap (the gun destroying thing was THE worst) and repeats and more repeats. Some people just can't quit when they're ahead!
Believe me, this is classic Clarke and Poul and since both are classic sci-fi writers you know pretty well what you get except in this case the product is definitely lacking. There are subplots (the son) that are given time and attention and then dwindle away. There are the usual scientific questions such as Fermi's - "IF they're out there why haven't they come?" Dozens - no, hundreds - of authors and scientists have attempted to come up with a satisfactory answer and so far, few have succeeded like the biologist who declared that we are unique and alone. That is by far the best definition.
Clarke's real problem (and Poul's) is that they are not current on what's "in" with today's science fiction - nanotech, Singularity, virtual reality, biotechnology and robotics. Clarke is a certified engineer and in a way, he has always written like one. His characters have a somewhat pedantic quality and indeed, characterization is the weakest element in his writing. Poul, too, is a classic writer - space ships, aliens, war and the like. It's not the subject matter or the writing that's old (but instead, the ideas are dated. My advice - get one of the older books and enjoy a good read.
My grade - D-
 The Aliens Are Coming November 11, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
The Last Theorem (2008) is a standalone SF novel about Fermat and aliens. It is set in a universe where civilizations exist further than the mind can conceive. Within our galaxy, the Grand Galactics rule with some fairness and much wisdom.
In this novel, Ranjit Subramanian is a Tamil, but his best friend is Sinhalese. This difference means nothing to Ranjit and Gammi Bandara, but means much to their people on Sri Lanka. For a long time, the friends do everything together, but one day Ranjit's father summons him to the temple.
Ganesh Subramanian is chief priest of the famous Hindu temple of Tiru Koneswaram in Trincomalee. Ranjit loves and respects his father very much. But Ganesh tells him that his friendship with a Sinhalese is causing some dissension within the temple. He gives Ranjit the choice of shunning his friend or being shunned by Ganesh.
Ranjit sorrowfully chooses to stay friends with Gammi. Like the matter of religion, Ranjit disagrees with his father and goes his own way. But he is going to miss the conversations and kindness of his father.
In this story, Ranjit is obsessed with Fermat's Last Theorem. He has been studying the subject for years. Although a freshman at the university, he has little interest in other subjects. Even the math courses are rather boring, either because of their familiarity or their irrelevance to the Theorem.
Then he takes Astronomy 101 from Joris Vorhulst. His teacher has a doctorate from Caltech and worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Yet it isn't his education that captures the attention of his students, but his enthusiasm. From the first day, Ranjit and most students spend hours researching topics for the next class.
During his summer vacation, Ranjit meets a family living in a house on his father's property. The father is incarcerated for possession of stolen goods and his family is hard pressed to survive. Ranjit takes care of the four children for their mother while he works nearby.
One day the mother has found work near the docks and Ranjit drives the family there in the temple van. He drops them off, but later he sees the youngest waving to him and meets their father. He is lured aboard a ship and kept captive until pirates take over the liner.
Ranjit is eventually accused of being one of the pirates and taken far away to a prison where he is kept for a long while. In between his torture sessions, Ranjit starts thinking even more about Fermat's Last Theorem and develops a proof of its validity. After his return to civilization, he publishes his proof and becomes a celebrity.
This tale relates the dangers of human militarism within the Grand Galactic domain. Aliens are coming to devastate the Earth. Only luck will prevent the destruction of humanity.
The future society in this novel includes many of Clarke's innovations, providing an ambiance not found in the works of lesser writers. Pohl also contributed ideas from his previous works, including computerized personae. He probably added the parts about Fermat's Last Theorem.
Still, the novel feels more like Pohl than Clarke in many respects. Pohl has always been better at characterization than Clarke and it shows in this work.
The story is mostly about friendship and love. Ranjit not only keeps his best friend, but also meets a woman who captivates his mind and emotions and gives him very lovable children. Enjoy!
Highly recommended for Clarke & Pohl fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of mathematical investigation, galactic domination, and abundant romance.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Not Clarke's November 10, 2008
In literary terms this book don't get close to the effect of smoothness and continuity that one saviours from Arthur C. Clarke's masterpiece, _2001: An space odissey_. I doubt ACC had an actual role in preparing the text. As for the scientific stuff, the idea of out-of-body life was better laid out and explored in _2001_.
 A sad final work November 5, 2008
I grew up reading SF, and Arthur C Clarke was one I enjoyed regularly. From the late 1980's on, however, I became less enamored with his work. To be honest, I feel he did a better job with hard science and characters that would "fit" in the world he matured in (1940's-1960's). This book also reminded me of what a poor SF author I'd considered Pohl to be: most of this work is pure Pohl. Putting these two thoughts together, this work was plagued by characters I did not care about, and lacks any scientific "hook" that drives the novel forward. Finally, the sociopolitical frame work used by the authors as the environment in which the plastic characters operated was, for want of a better term, silly. I have lived in some of these island countries, and believe me, they could not pull this off.
Regarding science, I did learn that any form of space elevator would take weeks to get material and people up to geosynchronous orbit, but this was offset by the ridiculous expedient of moving Sri Lanka a few hundred kilometers south in order to make the space elevator possible in Clarke's adopted country.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
