The Last Theorem by Arthur C. Clarke

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This was supposed to be a pleasant, typically Arthur Clark-style sci-fi but it really failed in that respect. It was a tedious read. Basically, it was not a bad book, just not as good as I expected based on my experiences with Clark's other works. It definitely fell below that standard.

The story is essentially about a galactic-controlling race that decides that overly-violent civilizations should be "sanitized." When they decide humans have reached that level they send out their fleet of minions to do the dirty work. But, in the time for them to travel the light-years to reach us we manage to evolve, creating a conundrum as they approach Earth.

This is the heart of the story but is actually told in the background. The book centers on a Sri Lankan mathematician who manages to solve Fermat's Last Theorem and becomes a celebrity. As a result, he gets involved in efforts to reform human behavior and is a front-row witness to the events.

I found it uninspiring. It wasn't a waste of time, but that doesn't mean my time couldn't have been used for something better.



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