The Last Theorem

Arthur Charles Clarke, Frederik Pohl

Harper Voyager, 2009 - Fermat's last theorem - 423 pages

The last theorem charts the story of Ranjit Subramanian, a man fascinated by Fermat's Last Theorem - so simple that anyone can understand it, yet not proved for more than three centuries. Ranjit learns about the Indian mathematical genius Ramanujan (1887-1920) and discovers a three-page proof of the Last Theorem: this might even be Fermat's own proof. The discovery of the Theorem wins Ranjit the Fields Medal - and the attention of the NSA cryptography branch. However, Ranjit soon finds himself drawn by physics rather than cryptography, as there have been some spectacular advances in fusion technology. And these in turn lead to a plasma drive that can open up the solar system.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - expatscot - LibraryThing

Really a 4.5 if I could have given it. Great book with loads of ideas being just tossed around for you to notice on the way past. It does feel a bit like the two of them have just thrown everything ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - mmonette - LibraryThing

Given the pedigree of the two authors, I was expecting a lot more from this book. I just couldn't buy into the whole "world-famous mathematician whose childhood best friend is a major UN figure and ...

About the author

Born in Somerset in 1917, Arthur C. Clarke has written over sixty books, among which are the science fiction classics 2001: A Space Odyssey, Childhood's End, The City and the Stars and Rendezvous With Rama. He has won all the most prestigious science fiction trophies, and shared an Oscar nomination with Stanley Kubrick for the screenplay of the film of 2001. He was knighted in 1998. He died in 2008 at his home in Sri Lanka.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Last Theorem; The Grandmaster
• Authors: Arthur Charles Clarke, Frederik Pohl
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Harper Voyager, 2009
• ISBN: 0007290020, 9780007290024
• Length: 423 pages