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.
"From the Hardcover edition."
General
Imprint: |
Random House
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
August 2009 |
First published: |
August 2009 |
Authors: |
Arthur C. Clarke
• Frederik Pohl
|
Dimensions: |
208 x 139 x 18mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
Pages: |
336 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-345-47023-2 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
Genre fiction >
Science fiction
|
LSN: |
0-345-47023-0 |
Barcode: |
9780345470232 |
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