The Master Theorem - A Book of Puzzles, Intrigue and Wit

by M .

I'm M, or at least that's how I'm known, and I'll be your guide.

The Herculean test of your grit is as follows: Find the word or phrase solution to each one of my encrypted logic puzzles, called Theorems. Doing so will earn you entry into the elite ranks of The Master Theorem. It may take you some time, but trust me—it’ll be worth it.

What's in it for you:
Read my cryptic ramblings alongside each encrypted logic puzzle, called a Theorem Decipher each puzzle to reveal the word or phrase answer Become an expert in codes, ciphers, and mysteries of the universe Beautifully illustrated puzzle book with 40+ Theorems Get 3 hints and a full solution per Theorem in the back of the book Recommended for ages 13 and up, or 10 and up for young prodigies. Months of neuron-growing entertainment

Genres: Puzzles, Nonfiction, Mystery

220 pages, Perfect Paperback

First published July 1, 2019

Reviews

[Rosie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some fun moments in here, but for the most part M thinks way too much of himself. The majority of the puzzles aren't satisfying to solve.

[Fatima Seraj Alam · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are three training puzzles at the start of the book, of varying difficulty that was easy to understand and solve. But once you got into the actual puzzles, they were incredibly hard to crack. You had to have prior knowledge of ciphers, cryptography etc., use the clues of the arrogant author to decode what was happening. Since I am a novice to the world of puzzle solving, I literally worked out each puzzle with the solution provided at the back of the book. A waste of my 57 dollars.

[Gneen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down a great puzzle book ... 42 (plus) individual puzzles that lead you into the land of crytography and all sorts of other topics. It is not trivial - expect to spend a calendar month or two finishing the effort (unless you use the clues or just read the answers!). There is a follow-up "Elite" book I ordered as soon as it was printed. I'm an old nerd with lots of time and I'd rate this my number one favorite puzzle book! Read more at themastertheorem.com to get a flavor!

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has nearly 50 puzzles and riddles of varying degrees of difficulty. Some are easily sussed out while others are rather arcane and require looking up various cyphers or source material.

Many of the puzzles are quite clever, but the voice of the creator is a bit grating. The person comes off as too clever by half and insufferable smug.

[Santosh Rananaware · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book. Some puzzles are too easy, a few are too subjective, but almost all of them are fun to solve.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

counting this as a “book” because it took me several days to solve all the puzzles, and there was a lot of reading involved lol. for the most part it was really fun and scratched a lot of itches for my interests (encryption, math, science, logic puzzles, etc.), but most puzzles were a bit too easy/simple. though i did learn/get refreshed on a lot of ciphers from this book that i will keep in mind.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book filled with fun and clever puzzles, what's not to like? I liked the option of having up to three hints for each puzzle. For some of the puzzles I didn't need any hints, but for most I availed myself of one, two, or three. Then I could have the fun of still puzzling things out. There were only a couple where even three hints weren't enough. There were a lot of interesting ideas in this book.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this, but in tune with some of the reviews here, I didn't think most of the puzzles were satisfying to solve and frankly, there was no appeal. The author's tone is smug and condescending, which prevented me from wanting to engage with the puzzles in the first place.

[Dina Anur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hardest puzzle book I’ve ever encountered! Definitely grew some more brain cells. But super fun for rainy days indoors.

[EJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“dubbed ‘Mensa’s evil twin’ by the New York Times”

sometimes you don’t even have to think about a purchase

for those of us with 0 (zero) desire to join an organization for mutual self-congratulation & pathos on genetic lottery ability

but who still love a damn good puzzle

enough said

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for the sequel Master Theorem - Elite since it wasn't in the goodreads database lol

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was alot of work...bit I had alot of free time so it was a great distraction.