Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Last Theorem

3.07 of 5 stars 3.07 · rating details · 884 ratings · 140 reviews

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 Securit...more

299 pages

Published (first published 2008)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,475)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Mar 19, 2009 Wayne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I thought this was a good book. It was Clarke's last book (mainly authored by another sci-fi great, Fred Pohl, from 50 pages of Clarke's notes) and kind of stands as an homage to his work and ideas - it has a "skyhook" space elevator based on Sri Lanka (Fountains of Paradise), the Grand Galactics (aliens who resemble the Monolith aliens from 2001), his hope that mankind will outgrow religion (an unreasonable expectation given that mankind has always expressed religious thoughts and it answers q...more I thought this was a good book. It was Clarke's last book (mainly authored by another sci-fi great, Fred Pohl, from 50 pages of Clarke's notes) and kind of stands as an homage to his work and ideas - it has a "skyhook" space elevator based on Sri Lanka (Fountains of Paradise), the Grand Galactics (aliens who resemble the Monolith aliens from 2001), his hope that mankind will outgrow religion (an unreasonable expectation given that mankind has always expressed religious thoughts and it answers questions for people that science cannot), and his love for his adopted country of Sri Lanka, etc.

It basically has two seperate stories - one of the Grand Galactic aliens who detect humans' use of nuclear weapons and determine to exterminate them in the name of peace and one of the protagonist, Ranjit, a Sri Lankan man. The storylines intersect near the end of the book.

I found the Ranjit story to be the most compelling...it is just basically the life story of a young man - nothing special (except that he finds a short proof of Fermat's Last Theorem using the mathematics available to Fermat at the time). This story chronicles his life in Sri Lanka, intersecting some current political elements over time (piracy of cruise ships by Somalis, imprisonment and torture, the Iraq War, etc.), his dissatisfaction with his work, his subsequent marriage, and family life...pretty mundane stuff, but it was extremely well written and I could identify with it. The parallel Grand Galactic story was more of an added bonus. The Ranjit story could have stood on its own (with some obvious tweaking of the end).

I didn't care for the portrayl of America as the bad guy at the end of the story...I'm afraid that Clarke's opinion of recent past American foreign policy has become his vision of America in the (near) future.

The ending was also a little too pat for me...everything tied up nicely. Aliens befriended the Terrans instead of obliterating them, a non-religious version of the Golden Rule was applied by humanity, humans discovered eternal life by downloading their counciousness into computers, and humans took over after 13,000 years the role of the Grand Galactics in manipulating time, space, and the evolution of the universe. Interestingly, Clarke (and Pohl) deal with a lot of spritual and religious issues for professed atheists.

It also has a lot of history, Sri Lankan culture, math, and hard science fiction (technological) elements, which I thought was wonderful. I learned a new way to calculate the number of combinations of a binomial system using binary numbers and how to multiply large numbers together by halfing and doubling the multiplicants and adding them (Egyptian or Russian multiplication). Some of the hard sci-fi elements include using boron to produce hydrogen powered cars (glossing over some of the problematic chemistry involved) and electromagnetic pulse weapons. Pretty interesting stuff. (less)

5 likes · like · see review

Jan 09, 2009 Elly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks

The book was, especially at the beginning, not at all what I expected. It was mostly a novel about a young man growing up, and not much mathematics, or science fiction in evidence. There is a second, smaller, storyline that is interwoven within this story which is very much sf. But in the end it was a very nice story, and I am happy to have read it.
One thing I missed: the actual 5 page proof of the theorem. It would have been so nice to read that... But given that the actual proof is 150 pages...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 28, 2008 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

From what I have read Frederick Pohl actually wrote this book based on a few notes from a dying Arthur Clarke.

Pohl managed to turn this book into a tribute to Clarke's best known work including, but probably not limited to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Childhood's End, and Fountain's of Paradise.

There is an alien race in this novel called the One-Point-Fives which reminds me of the Daleks from Dr. Who. I'm not sure that Clarke was fan, but I do remember seeing a photo of him posing with a Dalek. Perh...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 07, 2010 Raj rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I'm a big fan of Arthur C. Clarke, but 3001 The Final Odyssey and now this have tested my loyalty. Both were written in the latter years of Sir Arthur's life (The Last Theorem was the last book published before his death) and both had good ideas that were poorly executed.

The EM shockwave of Earth's nuclear tests spread into space and eventually reach a race of mega-beings, called the Grand Galactics who immediately dispatch one of their client races to eliminate this upstart race. Meanwhile, you...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 07, 2013 Angie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: started-and-stopped

Day 1:
I began reading this book last night. I checked it out at the library a couple of weeks ago, remembering how much I enjoyed the Rama series when I was in college. I'm already hooked, only 20 or so pages in. Radar . . .

1 like · like · see review

Mar 17, 2013 Smcleish rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally published on my blog here in June 2011.

This is the novel with which Clarke rounded off his lengthy and prolific career. Like much of his later work (later in this case basically meaning novels published after Clarke was eighty), The Last Theorem is a collaboration. While most genre collaborations are between established authors and newcomers, this is different, in that Frederik Pohl is one of the very few authors who could be considered one of Clarke's near equals for prestige in scie...more Originally published on my blog here in June 2011.

This is the novel with which Clarke rounded off his lengthy and prolific career. Like much of his later work (later in this case basically meaning novels published after Clarke was eighty), The Last Theorem is a collaboration. While most genre collaborations are between established authors and newcomers, this is different, in that Frederik Pohl is one of the very few authors who could be considered one of Clarke's near equals for prestige in science fiction.

The Last Theorem is a novel about an alien invasion of Earth, a theme of science fiction which goes all the way back to The War of the Worlds. Concerns today are not those which prompted Wells to produce a novel which is about colonial warfare, however; the motive for the invasion here is not a search for resources, but pest control. Immensely powerful aliens have detected the explosion of the first nuclear bomb on Earth in 1945 and applied their inflexible rule: eradicate the dangerous vermin who act so aggressively. This is surely not a very original scenario (even though I cannot immediately think of exact parallels), and it is indeed not the most interesting part of the novel.

For while the aliens are travelling to Earth (making use of some "loopholes" in the laws of relativity, but still slow enough to allow the plot to unfold), human beings are continuing their usual lives. The authors focus on one man, a Sri Lankan mathematics student at the beginning of The Last Theorem, who goes on to prove Fermat's Last Theorem. (This requires a certain amount of explanation, as Andrew Wiles was already famous for this feat before the novel was written. But Wiles' proof is far too lengthy to be the one Fermat was unable to write in the margin for lack of space, and that is the proof that Ranjit Subramanian finds. In addition, the authors feel - as indicated in their postscript comments - that a proof which relies on computer checking is not really as convincing as one in which the details can be grasped in their entirety by a human mind. So Ranjit's fictional five page proof is the "real" one.) The proof brings him international celebrity and a role in the alien encounter to come (though his daughter coincidentally has an even more important part to play).

At the start of The Last Theorem, the narrative voice is jocular and quite informal; and irritating. But one of the most impressive aspects of the novel depends on this. Once something unpleasant happens to Ranjit (the bridge between being a carefree student and an international celebrity), the narrative voice changes, and becomes more grown up.

The Last Theorem, while readable, is not the best work of either Clarke or Pohl by a long way. As well as the sloppy plotting of the coincidence already mentioned, there are other incidents in the story which don't really ring true. There is nothing new in the basic ideas in the novel. The mathematical components are well done, if you're interested in that sort of thing, and no prior knowledge is needed. But perhaps that is not really enough from two of the greatest writers of the science fiction genre.(less)

like · see review

Feb 19, 2013 PescePirata rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Chi ha detto che la fantascienza tipica non ha più colpi in canna?
Poco tempo fa un tizio mi disse: - Non so come fai, ma io non riesco a leggere quei romanzi, scritti quaranta o sessant’anni fa, dove si parla di un futuro (magari anche lontano) del tutto superato da questo nostro 2013.
L’amico, a quanto pare, non aveva ben chiaro il concetto di classico. Persone come lui fanno fatica a calarsi nel puro fatto letterario che, come tutti sanno, interessa anche le opere cosiddette di genere, quelle,...more Chi ha detto che la fantascienza tipica non ha più colpi in canna?
Poco tempo fa un tizio mi disse: - Non so come fai, ma io non riesco a leggere quei romanzi, scritti quaranta o sessant’anni fa, dove si parla di un futuro (magari anche lontano) del tutto superato da questo nostro 2013.
L’amico, a quanto pare, non aveva ben chiaro il concetto di classico. Persone come lui fanno fatica a calarsi nel puro fatto letterario che, come tutti sanno, interessa anche le opere cosiddette di genere, quelle, almeno, di un certo valore. Egli si colloca tra coloro che io chiamerei lettori consumistici, disponibili a farsi intrattenere (qui parlo della fantascienza) solo da quelle opere che rispettano le esigenze di una specie di omologazione culturale, come il consumista vero e proprio cerca il prodotto soddisfacente per i suoi bisogni attuali. Per fare un esempio, non tollera che in un futuro, con la data 2013, gli individui comunichino con un mezzo che non sia il telefonino, e che magari risulti decisamente antidiluviano, anche se poteva sembrare avveniristico per uno scrittore del 1952.
Ebbene, Arthur Clarke e Frederik Pohl, due grandi della fantascienza, un colpo “classico” l’hanno davvero sparato. E recentemente, in coppia, nonostante la loro veneranda età.
“L’ultimo teorema”, il romanzo in questione, probabilmente non è un capolavoro, ma presenta notevoli caratteristiche di fascino e di interesse. Si tratta, appunto, di un romanzo dall’impianto tradizionale, che però mette d’accordo tutte le categorie di lettori.
Dopo essere stato pubblicato nel 2008, l’anno della morte di Clarke, è uscito recentemente (ottobre 2012) per inaugurare la nuova copertina di Urania.
È un romanzo che si può definire classico soprattutto per il suo contenuto. Uno studioso indiano, ossessionato dalla matematica e dal famoso teorema di Fermat, vive con la sua famigliola perfetta, tra le metropoli americane e le spiagge incantate dello Sri Lanka, partecipa a un programma spaziale e indirettamente anche a un progetto per pacificare il mondo in modo piuttosto drastico. Il tutto, mentre i Grandi Galattici, padroni dell’Universo (il nostro), o quanto meno della Galassia, hanno mandato avanti i loro killer per sterilizzare il pianeta Terra. Sì, insomma, la razza umana, perturbatrice della cosmica quiete pubblica, dovrebbe fare i bagagli e congedarsi da questa esistenza. Cosa c’entrano i nostri eroi con l’apocalittico disegno? Bisognerà leggere pazientemente le pagine del romanzo, per scoprirlo. Intanto Ranjit (così si chiama il matematico capo della bella famigliola) passa dalla matematica all’astronomia e alla tecnica dei voli spaziali. A questo proposito, vede con orgoglio la sua figlioletta, Natasha, partecipare alla gara di “vela solare” nell’ambito del progetto Skyhook.
Si tratta di fantascienza classica perché ci troviamo davanti una pietanza condita con gli ingredienti tradizionali: voli spaziali realisticamente descritti, teorie scientifiche e invasioni aliene. Ma stiano tranquilli i lettori schifiltosi. Qui i personaggi comunicano con il telefonino.
Personalmente non ho trovato l’opera entusiasmante, ma si legge con interesse. La speculazione tecnico-scientifica risulta davvero godibile e stempera un po’ la caramellosa atmosfera, di stampo vagamente bollywoodiano, che invischia i protagonisti.
Clarke e Phol hanno prodotto di meglio, nella loro lunga carriera. Qui, secondo me, hanno voluto fare una simpatica rimpatriata, scrivendo ancora qualcosa… alla salute dei vecchi tempi.

Giuseppe Novellino

http://www.pescepirata.it
http://www.pescepirata.it/aspiranti_s...(less)

like · see review

Jan 02, 2013 Alexis rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was written by two great, but very old, authors.It shows. Half of the book is Clarke and Pohl,often ignoring the 4th Wall, telling the story of a young mathematician in the manner of two benevolent grandfathers who're trying to impress their grandkids by throwing random mathematical tricks (some of them pretty neat, tbh) and info in the plot.In the other half they're dreaming of a world where the UN, with Sri-Lanka as the vanguard (!!) can bring about world peace, where Clarke's dream...more

like · see review

Dec 21, 2012 Blue Willow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ultimo libro di Arthur C. Clarke e ultimo saluto ai lettori, con l'aiuto di Frederik Pohl che, quando nel 2006 lo scrittore si ammalò gravemente, accettò di terminare il lavoro dell'amico.
In questo volume Clarke sembra voler condensare tutti i temi che più ha amato della fantascienza: il viaggio spaziale, l'incontro con razze aliene, le meraviglie della matematica e delle scienze.
La storia si snoda attraverso una duplice prospettiva, terretre ed aliena.
Sulla Terra seguiamo la vita di Ranjit, abi...more

like · see review

Mar 23, 2012 Prashanth rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf

I respect Mr. Clarke, I really do. And, I like some of his books. Unfortunately, not this one.

The story line follows the travails of one Ranjit, a mathematical genius, from being a kid through his days of glory after solving "Fermat's Last Theorem", and his daughter's (ahem) alien abduction. I remember Mr. Asimov somewhere saying that a story for kids proceeds at breakneck pace, and adult fiction cannot do so. The story here finds the pace somewhere in that category. In summary:
1. Ranjit does so...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 11, 2012 Keith Stevenson rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From the sublime to the not so. And it really pains me to say that. Arthur C Clarke died last year and it was a great loss indeed. It’s hard to imagine a more famous science fiction author and one who had such a prestigious career. So when ‘the final novel from SF grandmaster Arthur C Clarke’, as the shout line went across the cover of The Last Theorem, came through the letterbox, and I saw that Clarke had co-written it with Frederik Pohl, another significant talent, I though, ‘Wow, this is goin...more From the sublime to the not so. And it really pains me to say that. Arthur C Clarke died last year and it was a great loss indeed. It’s hard to imagine a more famous science fiction author and one who had such a prestigious career. So when ‘the final novel from SF grandmaster Arthur C Clarke’, as the shout line went across the cover of The Last Theorem, came through the letterbox, and I saw that Clarke had co-written it with Frederik Pohl, another significant talent, I though, ‘Wow, this is going to be special.’

The fact is that — pretty much from page one — it wasn’t, and as I read further and my hopes of any improvement were dashed I became saddened and really rather annoyed. I was sad because I no longer saw the spark of brilliance, the unique ideas that characterised Clarke’s work. He was always a bit dodgy on characterisation, but it was the development and explanation of the science at the core of his work that drove you on through his novels. The Last Theorem is a rambling tale where not a great deal in the way of science fiction actually happens, and when it does, it certainly isn’t startling or new.

The story concerns Ranjit Subramanian a young student living in Sri Lanka who takes up mathematics at university and goes on to get married, have kids and solve Fermat’s last theorem which makes him rather famous. Meanwhile some aliens who don’t like Earth developing nuclear weapons, let alone using them, send a destruction fleet to do what destruction fleets do best. The whole story is told in what I think was meant to be a light-hearted jokey way which just comes over as a bit condescending and supercilious. It’s also ‘told’ rather than ‘shown’, despite the age old law of Creative Writing 101, which only serves to do what such an approach always does — distances the reader and robs us of the detail, the immersive experience, to really go with the narrative. There’s also a kind of fifties sensibility running through the book that I really didn’t like. Most women don’t rate a second name and the more ‘developed’ women characters are devoted to their men and know their place. At one point Ranjit’s friend turns up with flowers for his wife and a bottle of whisky for him and Ranjit to drink. I cringed in the background somewhere. As to the science fictional aspects, as you might guess from above, they are lacking in originality. Indeed Clarke basically rips off himself, recycling his skyhook idea from his earlier The Fountains of Paradise and using a mechanism for the aliens to communicate with mankind straight out of 2010: Odyssey Two. This is not a fitting capstone for a lifetime of achievement, and that is what saddens me.

What annoys me is that the publishers went ahead and published it. I am not party to any conversations around how that decision came about. The only reasons that come to mind are they didn’t know or realise that as a piece of writing it sucked or they didn’t care because it was going to sell a boatload anyway or they were asked/ compelled by Clarke’s estate or there was some other legal requirement. I hope there is some other, saner reason.

The other thing that annoys me is that this book is being pushed and pushed hard in the shops. That means that readers who may not have read in the genre before will pick it up as it is purportedly one of the best books by one of our best authors and they will get a totally wrong idea of what we are actually about. Let’s move on to a happier subject.(less)

like · see review

Dec 28, 2011 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Review from 2/8/2010; very spoilery; first paragraph is my reflection on how fanfiction has shaped my reading expectation.

It is a story of two boys, Ranjit and Gamini, and their lives, essentially, with Pohl's love of number theory and Clarke's love of the Space Elevator idea thrown in as building blocks. I may have spoiled myself somewhat with all this fanfiction I read for the two months prior, because quite early on (first chapter) we discover that these two boys, best of friends, have experi...more Review from 2/8/2010; very spoilery; first paragraph is my reflection on how fanfiction has shaped my reading expectation.

It is a story of two boys, Ranjit and Gamini, and their lives, essentially, with Pohl's love of number theory and Clarke's love of the Space Elevator idea thrown in as building blocks. I may have spoiled myself somewhat with all this fanfiction I read for the two months prior, because quite early on (first chapter) we discover that these two boys, best of friends, have experimented sexually together whilst teenagers. This is fine, but the story starts with a build up that would, in fanfiction, be a subtext base for a whole epic angst-fest of unrequited love between friends when one boy goes off to London and discovers girls and the other is left behind to mourn. Only in this story, it doesn't and Ranjit goes off to have his first heterosexual encounter when Gamini returns. They are clearly still very fond of each other, indeed, they love each other - like brothers. It starts a trend this book has, of starting an idea and lacking on the follow through: with this build up of subtext, we suddenly swerve to Ranjit going off and falling in love with this perfect woman and getting married, and in all the times thereafter that the two friends meet, there is no resolution of this early sexual tension and interaction, despite their unexpectedly abrupt parting, and I feel it should have been mentioned at least on Gamini's return.

That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, although it could be better. Perhaps because it was started by Clarke before he got ill and forgot the rest, and then was passed to Pohl to continue from notes and consultation, but it does feel somewhat unpolished. There is an odd kind of feeling in it, where it is written now (well, 2008) while the majority of science fiction I read was written in the 1950s and '60s. There is a running commentary on how badly our world is falling apart, and it seems to be making a point without - in my mind - touching enough on it. We have Ranjit aware at every point of wars in Iraq, disturbance in the Middle East, problems in North Korea, wars across Africa, confrontation over the Nile River, the three main powers (Russia, USA, China)'s supremacy over the world etc., and yet while it's said often that this makes him unhappy, they don't really come to a head until much later on when aliens intervene to stop the emergance of humanity as a war-loving space-faring race. And yes, the aliens have been there all along, alerted to our presence by the electromagnetic pulses from our planet from our radar and atomic weapons detonated way before the story starts (actually, in a nice touch, released and discussed by our authors in their autobiographical preambles) and yes we see that the wars and conflict are all along going to be a point that the aliens come to us on, but it seems that Ranjit's consideration of these issues is only there so that we can continue to be reminded of them; he sees these issues all the time as background noise, TV shows to be lamented while they are on but ultimately put out of mind when more important things come up, and we as readers suffer a similar kind of apathy to them, until we are reminded by the next news bulletin. Or the next mention of the Boxing Day Tsunami.

However, the aliens I did enjoy. I loved the Grand Galactics, and the Nine-Limbed's sense of humour. They are mentioned all along, set up so that we know they are there and that something will happen, whilst the characters are oblivious: 'little did Ranjit know he was being photographed.' We learn a lot about the alien races before they even come into contact with the humans, and I think they are pretty interesting.

I guess at some point - actually, the point at which Ranjit gets married and lives his perfect married life with his perfect wife and perfect family - that it gets a bit well, perfect; he has solved the theorem and become world-famous at 22, has married the second woman he has ever had sex with, and then his perfect daughter grows up to become the first world-champion on the fly-bike race on the moon. It seems at this point that it's mostly about expanding our technological advances and waiting for the aliens to turn up. The Peace Committee have a super weapon for one, that can wipe out a country's electrical capabilities, leaving it open for the peacekeepers to come in and take over. It's all a bit too perfect, and yes - the characters do question this (perfect-wife likens the situation to that in Nineteen Eighty-Four and questions the Peace Committee's motives) and it's not entirely perfect really, but it still kinda is in the way that it miraculously solves the remaining conflicts in the world with rather less opposition than I would expect, and rather less resentment at the fear caused by the weapon than there should be. Some bits of future-tech are awesome though; we have the space elevator, and there is a solar-powered race, which is lifted straight from The Wind from the Sun - but unfortunately, because I loved that short story so much, its insertion here was very jarring, and I was expecting it to head the way the short story did.

Oh yes - and there was that very odd section where Ranjit gets kidnapped by pirates (yes, those same pirates from Somalia that were in the news in 2008) and then held under torture by inquisition services, which only seems to serve the purpose to a) show us that in our current world we do still have countries that are willing to torture for information on behalf of the other countries that have sworn not to use torture (see my point above about being reminded how bad our world is without really exploring it as much as is possible) and b) to allow Gamini time to become a Super Awesome Secret Agent Government Man without Ranjit, and therefore us, knowing.

In conclusion: despite this review turning somewhat negative, and there being a lot of potential that the authors didn't carry through on, it was still an enjoyable read and a worthwhile use of my Saturday.(less)

like · see review

Mar 25, 2011 Jared rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jan 22, 2011 Kevin Hartley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, mathematics

Shortly after starting the novel, I realized that I had not picked up any science fiction anytime nearly as recently as I should have, let alone Clarke. It started off a little slowly (though not like 2001...that started off like molasses in winter...going uphill), however, after the first chapter or two, I was drawn into the story and really enjoyed reading it. The next thing I knew, I was approaching the end of the novel and trying to avoid crossing that line. By the time I finally did so (on...more

like · see review

Jun 08, 2010 Nikola Tasev rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have a strong suspicion that in the long lives of the authors they accumulated a great deal of ideas, that never made it in a book. Well, it would be such a pity if they went to waste, now, wouldn't it?
This is the resulting stew from dozens of such ideas. The plot holding them together just connects semi-random stuff that happens around. Some of the ideas are awesome, like the Grand Galactics, and to a lesser extend their pet civilizations. Others range from geek fun to geek-boring but educat...more

like · see review

Nov 14, 2009 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone

The solving of "Fermat's Last Theorem" was for many the Holy Grail of mathematics. What could be crueler than a gifted mathematician writing in the margins of a book a short equation and a claim to a proof of it's correctness, then having the ungraciousness of dying without writing down the proof. The kicker was that the equation does not seem to have an easy proof. When a solution was finally found, it was neither brief nor simple, and relied on branches of mathematics that did not exist in Fer...more

like · see review

Jul 15, 2012 Buck Ward rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

Got off to a reasonably good start, enough to hold my interest through three quarters of the book, but degenerated by the end. Some of the political fictions very much required suspension of disbelief, e.g.. that the U.S., China, and Russia, would cooperate on the development of a super weapon and then turn it over to the U.N., but, once accepted, that really didn't have a major impact on the quality of the story. The life story of our protagonist, Ranjit, tended to ramble a bit and by the end h...more

like · see review

Jan 17, 2012 Aithen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to admit that I've never read an Arthur C. Clarke book before and that's probably why I liked "The Last Theorem." Apparently, according to long-time fans of the late Mr. Clarke, this author must stick to technologies that are currently hypothetically possible. He did that, but it seems with very little that he hadn't used before. It also seems some readers expect much more than plausible motivations for side characters. For me, I don't need fully analyzed characters in my science fiction....more

like · see review

Jun 11, 2013 Tony rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

THE LAST THEOREM. (2008). Arthur C. Clarke & Frederik Pohl. ***.
This collaboration was a skillful blending of mathematics, astronomy, and world domination by inter-galactic aliens. It starts off by introducing a young university student in Sri Lanka whose greatest ambition in life is to find a proof for Fermat’s last theorem. He also becomes interested in astronomy – at least to the point that the reader learns enough to understand the next part of the story. It seems that we on Earth are be...more

like · see review

Jun 11, 2013 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A book by two of the greatest of Golden Age science fiction writers cannot be passed up and while I am glad I read the book, it was something of a disappointment. For a book spanning the entire lifetime of a main character not much happens, or more accurately what does happen is not engaging as action but simply as a backdrop for a personal history. And since neither Clarle or Pohl was or is particulalry adept at creating complex and compelling characters the book ends up combining the dispassio...more

like · see review

Oct 25, 2010 Neil Davies rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've never read anything by Frederik Pohl before but I have read nearly all of Arthur C Clarke's work. This book has obvious ideas from Clarke in it (the setting of Sri Lanka, the space elevator, space yachts racing with the solar wind etc) but the writing does not read like him - it's far too simplistic and at times clumsy. Perhaps it was simply his age (it was the last book he finished before he died) or perhaps he had more to do with the ideas than he did the actual writing, but it's one of t...more

like · see review

Jul 28, 2011 John somers added it · review of another edition

Not Clarke's best work by any means but worth a read. The story is disjointed with too many plots irrelavent or unresolved, (why do the aliens care about Ranjits proof of Fermats last theorem?, what's the point of Robert having some sort of psychic power that has no effect on the story? and how is someone as obviously insane as Bledsoe still setting U.S policy? were some of the main questions that jumped out at me) but the ideas about future politial developments were interesting as was the spac...more

like · see review

Jun 13, 2012 Iulia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Poate fiindcă am citit-o în limba română, poate fiindcă am văzut de curând 2001: A Space Odyssey pe marele ecran şi mă aşteptam la o poveste cu aceeaşi rezonanţă psiho-intelectuală, sau poate fiindcă trec printr-o fază în care, poate în mod nedrept, nu consider simplitatea ca fiind o valoare – Ultima Teoremă mi s-a părut o carte prea uşoară în raport cu aşteptările mele. Nu mi-a trezit emoţii sau idei pe care nu le-am mai avut; nu a strălucit cu nimic. Personajele sunt prea ideale ca să prindă c...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 11, 2010 Rob rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: random-comments-review

...I guess The Last Theorem leaves me with mixed feelings too. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it in a way. Like we've come to expect of Clarke it contains a lot if fascinating scientific speculations as well as a number of humorous observations about society. On the other hand the book is quite unbalanced and the connections between the various elements of the story tenuous at some points. It does not excel at character development either, but then, Clarke's books never were about characters. He w...more

like · see review

May 19, 2010 Colin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

This book was a fun read for me although many of the concepts had been done previously (by the same authors) in better books. It's almost a summary of Arthur C. Clarke's other stories characterized by bits and pieces of his science fiction speculation. The book centres around a character who attempts to solve Fermat's Last Theorem although there's very little discussion of the math behind the actual theorem. At the same time, aliens have detected signals from Earth and are racing in to set the u...more

like · see review

Apr 03, 2013 James Oden rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I really really enjoyed this book. Clarke and Pohl do a great job of drawing you into the lives of the characters, and though the genre is sci-fi the real drama is really the main characters life, that slowly but surely intersects with events of global (even galactic) significance. Really it is a story of a young man, Ranjit Subramanian, making his way in this world, starting a family, and building and providing for that family. Somewhere along the way Fermat's Last Theorem is solved, first cont...more

like · see review

Jul 26, 2011 Ron Arden added it · review of another edition

I am guessing this was the last book Clarke wrote before he died. It was also the first I remember where he discussed his adopted home of Sri Lanka (maybe a farewell gesture).

This book took awhile to get going, but eventually got interesting. Ranjit Subramanian is a math whiz in Sri Lanka who is obsessed with solving Fermat's last theorem. He is a bit antisocial and his main interest is solving the theorem. Through a series of wild circumstances, Ranjit finds himself among Somali pirates and the...more

like · see review

Dec 20, 2012 Pavel Lishin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not their best work. I feel like I can spot the parts that Pohl wrote, because a lot of the descriptions of what's happening off-earth reminds me of the Gateway books.

There was just too much happening off-stage. Bledsoe was introduced, then ignored, then mentioned a few times, and finally written out of the plot with barely a nod in his general direction. Huge parts of the interaction with the aliens were skipped, and the ending - where the stranger comes to visit Ranjit and tells him Humanity's...more

like · see review

May 23, 2012 Chris rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Given how highly I've held both authors in regard, I was expecting an incredible read. Instead, I found a boring, insipid story about a South Asian family. I'd like to recommend this to South Asian friends and colleagues, but I cannot. Containing very little "science," the book reads like a regular fiction novel by an aspiring author. Fortunately (I guess...) for Mr. Clarke, one of the postambles (there are 5!) suggested that Mr. Pohl did most of the writing, from Mr. Clarke's notes.

The cover qu...more

like · see review

Aug 11, 2011 Jeremiah Depta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book covered everything from aliens to pirates to Bucky Balls. There were a few moments when I felt like the aliens were something out of a Douglas Adams story, which detracted from the feel of the narrative. I also didn’t care for the Olympics in space, or at least the idea that Ranjit’s daughter, of all people, was able to partake twice and win at least once before going on to play yet another major roll in world events. Only a certain number of things can happen to a single family and th...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 49 50 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Sir Arthur C. Clarke	1	16	Nov 14, 2009 10:31pm

combine
Other Editions (24)

More editions...

Genres

Science Fiction

59 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

4 users

Science Fiction > Aliens

4 users

Science > Mathematics

2 users

Criticism

2 users

Fantasy

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Schild's Ladder
by Greg Egan
Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days
by Alastair Reynolds
Debatable Space
by Philip Palmer
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Second Annual Collection
by Gardner R. Dozois (Editor)
Blind Lake
by Robert Charles Wilson

About Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke was one of the most important and influential figures in 20th century science fiction. He spent the first half of his life in England, where he served in World War Two as a radar operator, before emigrating to Ceylon in 1956. He is best known for the novel and movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he co-created with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.

Clarke was a graduate of King's Co...more

More about Arthur C. Clarke...

Books by Arthur C. Clarke

2001: A Space Odyssey (Space Odyssey, #1)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Last Theorem

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The Last Theorem
avg rating	preview: The Last Theorem Goodreads rating: 3.07 (884 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4166987-the-last-theorem?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1226862916l/4166987.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4166987-the-last-theorem?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Last Theorem by Arthur C. Clarke[/url]

The Last Theorem

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website