The final work from the brightest star in science fiction’s galaxy. Arthur C Clarke, who predicted the advent of communication satellites and author of 2001: A Space Odyssey completes a lifetime career in science fiction with a masterwork.30 light years away, a race known simply as the One Point Fives are plotting a dangerous invasion plan, one that will wipe humankind off the face of the Earth…Meanwhile, in Sri Lanka, a young astronomy student, Ranjit Subramanian, becomes obsessed with a three-hundred-year-old theorem that promises to unlock the secrets of the universe. While Ranjit studies the problem, tensions grow between the nations of the world and a UN taskforce headed up by China, America and Russia code-named Silent Thunder begins bombing volatile regimes into submission.On the eve of the invasion of Earth a space elevator is completed, helped in part by Ranjit, which will herald a new type of Olympics to be held on the Moon. But when alien forces arrive Ranjit is forced to question his own actions, in a bid to save the lives of not just his own family but of all of humankind.Co-written with fellow grand master Frederik Pohl, The Last Theorem not only provides a fitting end to the career one of the most famous names in science fiction but also sets a new benchmark in contemporary prescient science fiction. It tackles with ease epic themes as diverse as third world poverty, the atrocities of modern warfare in a post-nuclear age, space elevators, pure mathematics and mankind’s first contact with extra-terrestrials.
Оглавление
Frederik Pohl. The Last Theorem
THE LAST THEOREM
Contents
ON SWAMI ROCK
UNIVERSITY
AN ADVENTURE IN CODE-CRACKING
FORTY DAYS OF DATA DOWNPOUR
FROM MERCURY TO THE OORT
MEANWHILE, BACK ON EARTH
GETTING THERE
SUMMER
LAZY DAYS
A NEW LIFE FOR THE KANAKARATNAMS
PIRATE LIFE
JUDGMENT
A CONVENIENT PLACE FOR QUESTIONING
RENDITION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER
INTRODUCTION TO ONE (OR MORE) GRAND GALACTICS
HOMEGOING
HEAVEN
COMPANY
FAME
MARRIAGE
HONEYMOON, PART TWO
THE NEW WORLD
FARMER “BILL”
CALIFORNIA
SILENT THUNDER
ON THE THRESHOLD OF PEACE
PAX PER FIDEM
MAKING A LIFE
BURGEONING HOPES
BIG NEWS
SKYHOOK DAYS
NATASHA’S GOLD
PRIVATE PAIN IN A REJOICING WORLD
PENTOMINOES AND CARS
THE USES OF VACCINATION
PREPARING FOR THE RACE
THE RACE
THE HUNT FOR NATASHA SUBRAMANIAN
THE INTERROGATIONS
THE PORTRAIT GALLERY
HOME AGAIN
A GREAT DEPRESSION
LANDED IMMIGRANTS
INTERNATIONAL DISAGREEMENTS
SEARCHING FOR A SOLUTION
DEAL-MAKING
PARTING
THE SOUL IN THE MACHINE
THE FIRST POSTAMBLE
THE SECOND POSTAMBLE
THE FOURTH POSTAMBLE
BY ARTHUR C. CLARKE
BY FREDERIK POHL
Copyright
About the Publisher
Отрывок из книги
Arthur C. Clarke & Frederik Pohl
Arthur C. Clarke says:
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That might have been taken to be an invitation to say something about a boy’s right to a personal life and some freedom from being spied upon by servants. Ranjit elected to postpone that subject as long as he could. “Mainly,” he said, improvising hastily, “it’s been math that has kept me busy. You know about Fermat’s last theorem—” And then, when the look on Ganesh’s face showed real amusement for the first time, Ranjit said, “Well, of course you do. You’re the one who gave me the Hardy book in the first place, aren’t you? Anyway, there’s this so-called proof of Wiles. It’s an abomination. How does Wiles construct his proof? He goes back to Ken Ribet’s announcement that he had proved a link between Fermat and Taniyama-Shimura. That’s a conjecture that says—”
Ganesh patted his shoulder. “Yes, Ranjit,” he said gently. “You needn’t bother to try to explain this Taniyama-Shimura thing to me.”
