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The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination
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"Ancient Equations" by L.A. Banks
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From the point of view of Ernest, a scientist who is clearly mad already, socially isolated, loves humanity but can't stand people. He figures all the traditional gods our simply facets of the Akasha (a Hindu concept.) And if he works out the proper ancient equations, he can summon these deities, acquire universal knowledge & power, right all the wrongs in the universe, and as a side benefit, finally get laid.
I wasn't terribly interested in the character of Ernest, he was clearly so far gone, and his cause was rather mundane. The short story ends with the not unexpected twist as Ernest's equations don't quite get him everything he wants.
The old evil madman summoning ancient forces to obtain power is pretty tread-worn, though usually it's a cultist summoning a deity or demon. The trope is probably ripe for either satire or subversion, but this story did neither.
**1/2*
I wasn't terribly interested in the character of Ernest, he was clearly so far gone, and his cause was rather mundane. The short story ends with the not unexpected twist as Ernest's equations don't quite get him everything he wants.
The old evil madman summoning ancient forces to obtain power is pretty tread-worn, though usually it's a cultist summoning a deity or demon. The trope is probably ripe for either satire or subversion, but this story did neither.
**1/2*
I've tried a couple of other things by Banks & never cared for his/her writing. This story was the worst in the book, IMO.
"Ancient Equations" by L.A. Banks
From the scifi anthology The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination, part of our discussion of The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination anthology.