The Last Theorem

A Novel

By: Frederik Pohl, Arthur C. Clarke

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

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.

©2008 Arthur C. Clarke (P)2008 Random House Audio

Another great book from Arthur C. Clarke!

What made the experience of listening to The Last Theorem the most enjoyable?

The History of Math referenced.

What other book might you compare The Last Theorem to and why?

Childhood's End, The end of War as we know it.

Have you listened to any of Mark Bramhall’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

None

Loose ends

My expectations were high and it was mostly a fun ride. But the ending was not satisfying.

The theorem turned out to be incidental to the story. No closure for the remaining living characters (human and others). No explanation for Robert's altered abilities.

great collaboration

Great Listen. A little anti climactic . Eight words tossed in to meet the minimum.

not too confusing..

what a great character they have created here, the storyline to me was an absolute roller coaster ride, heavy on mathematics but did not confuse the story that much. lot of great twists and turns throughout the book. if this was Clark's last book, it's a real doozy...

Really enjoyed this listen!

I am a huge Clarke fan, but I was skeptical about a story that was built on mathematics, having struggled with the subject in school. I am so glad that I didn't pass on this book. Yes, there is a huge amount of high level math speak in this story, more than I could wrap my mind around, so I didn't even try. I just strapped myself in and enjoyed the ride. Didn't we all do that with "2001: A Space Odyssey"? I appreciated the character development with the exception of the military egomaniac who wasn't really necessary to the story. Clarke's "cameo" made me smile.

Good Story, Long Setup...

The technical detail around math theory was fun but did get tedious after awhile. But I’m a true nerd and stuck it out until the end...

It doesn’t beat Childhoods End by any stretch! That is still my favorite Clark novel.

A beautiful work by true masters

This is a beautiful wife my true masters. The story line flows beautifully with a real human side. The sciences top quality. And as in the best of science fiction there is no magic here this fits with current theoretical Physics. This story is why I learned to love science fiction as a child and have continued to do so I threw out my long life.

Ehh it's ok

It's more about relationships between people and humanity as a whole with a lot of math tricks then a sci-fi story

2 master writers=1 great story

The listener experiences the science of Clarke and the story telling of Pohl which makes for a delightful listen. Also, the listener gets to learn a little bit about number theory and what's all this talk been about Fermat's last equation and why people through out history have gotten hooked on it.

For me the funnest part of the book surrounds the Galactic Overlords and how they are everywhere but really nowhere and we should just call them "Bill" with quotation marks and should not directly confuse them with God.

It was fun to read about Sri Lanka and get a good discussion on what Immanuel Kant's categorical imperative really means and how it can lead to peace through out the known universe. (There is also a laugh out loud line in the book where the authors refer to the famous people who live in Sri Lanka and dance around the fact that it's one of the author's of the book, funny, funny stuff).

The story itself is a simple story but the presentation interspersed with the science and philosophy made for an engaging whole. The two writers each knew what there strengths were and contributed their strength to the story.

Needs Tightening

Though written by a pair of grand master sci fi authors, the book contains too much unneeded material. Do we really need the number games, or the various travels around the world following the hero's sudden fame, or sitting around in a top secret facility for two months with nothing to do? Though the ending is satisfying enough, the journey there can be turtuous and disconnected.