
The Last Theorem
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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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 AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















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Character development
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Really enjoyed this listen!
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It doesn’t beat Childhoods End by any stretch! That is still my favorite Clark novel.
Good Story, Long Setup...
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not too confusing..
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A beautiful work by true masters
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great collaboration
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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?
NoDid you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
NoAny additional comments?
NoneAnother great book from Arthur C. Clarke!
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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.
Loose ends
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Ehh it's ok
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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.
2 master writers=1 great story
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