The Last Theorem

The Last Theorem
First UK edition cover
AuthorsArthur C. Clarke
Frederik Pohl
Cover artistTim Brown
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fiction
Publisher
Publication date
  • July 2008 (UK)
  • August 2008 (US)
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages311 (hardcover)
ISBN978-0-00-728998-1

The Last Theorem is a 2008 science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl. It was first published in the United Kingdom by HarperVoyager in July 2008, and in the United States by Del Rey Books in August 2008.[1] The book is about a young Sri Lankan mathematician who finds a short proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, while an alien invasion of Earth is in progress.

The novel began as Clarke's, but when ill health and a psychological (or possibly neurological) form of writer's block prevented him from making progress, he handed over his notes and the incomplete manuscript to Pohl, who, in close consultation with Clarke, completed the novel. Clarke reviewed the final manuscript in early March 2008, just days before he died.

In general The Last Theorem was not well received by critics. Entertainment Weekly in their review of the novel said that "uneven pacing and tone mar an intriguing cautionary tale."[2] The Los Angeles Times wondered how stable the manuscript was when it was published, adding that it does nothing to "burnish the legacy of either of its authors."[3] The San Francisco Chronicle, however, described the novel as a "fitting valedictory for Clarke, ... and a reminder of Pohl's great relevance to a genre he has championed for more than 70 years."[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ISFDB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Entertainment Weekly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference LA-Times was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference SF-Chronicle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).