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Best Mathematical Science Fiction Books

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Re: Best Mathematical Science Fiction Books

#21

Post by purplejacket »

twic wrote: post #6
purplejacket wrote: post #3

I remember in the early 2000s reading a short story collection, a sci-fi book in the nanotech subgenre. One of the stories had something to do with organisms that would search for newer axiom systems in which they could thrive, somehow the more interesting, or rich, axiom systems being the ones that would give better survival odds. Does anyone remember the particulars of this story? I've been wanting to reread it for…

Sounds like Greg Egan, but I don't recognise that particular story. If you don't get a result here, try a story identification question on Stack Exchange, the residents there are amazing at this: https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/story-ident...

Thanks for that link! There's another old story from a collection I read circa 1992 that I'm trying to chase down ;)

Re: Best Mathematical Science Fiction Books

#23

Post by [deleted] »

keeganpoppen wrote: post #14
enasterosophes wrote: post #4

Interesting that they included Cryptonomicon , which is arguably more about IT than mathematics, but they failed to include Stephenson's Anathem [1]: a book about people who live in monasteries called "maths" [2], who spend their whole lives doing mathematics (including at least one scene where the monks demonstrate a basic proof to a novice), in a book which is at its core an apology for mathematical realism, and ap…

yeah i cant imagine a more “mathematical science fiction” book than Anathem. i thought it was brilliant, but it is definitely not for everyone haha.

[deleted]

Re: Best Mathematical Science Fiction Books

#24

Post by sdenton4 »

keeganpoppen wrote: post #14
enasterosophes wrote: post #4

Interesting that they included Cryptonomicon , which is arguably more about IT than mathematics, but they failed to include Stephenson's Anathem [1]: a book about people who live in monasteries called "maths" [2], who spend their whole lives doing mathematics (including at least one scene where the monks demonstrate a basic proof to a novice), in a book which is at its core an apology for mathematical realism, and ap…

yeah i cant imagine a more “mathematical science fiction” book than Anathem. i thought it was brilliant, but it is definitely not for everyone haha.

I loved Anathem, but also have a PhD in math, and legit dream of ways to think about hard problems without bureaucracy getting in the way.

(The war of the flowers was brilliant...)

Re: Best Mathematical Science Fiction Books

#25

Post by sdenton4 »

pkoird wrote: post #22
sbinnee wrote: post #16

I really enjoyed the three body problem. At some point it became a bit ridiculous but I liked the ending.

Currently startint Book 2. Definitely agree that some of the elements are weird but the core ideas of Book 1 were really awesome!

You're in for a treat... Book two is the Empire to book one's New Hope. (And, spoiler warning: book three is, indeed, overrun with ewoks.)

Re: Best Mathematical Science Fiction Books

#27

Post by CurtMonash »

Suspension of mathematical disbelief is hard to sustain seriously or at length.

Accordingly, the best mathematical SF/fantasy I can think of is in short stories or novellas which are meant to be humorous. In particular, those criteria characterize:

-- Most of the stories in Fantasia Mathematica and its quasi-sequel anthology Mathematical Magpie. -- Flatland, which is novella length. -- The Dragons of Probability, or anything else in Lem's Cyberiad.

Re: Best Mathematical Science Fiction Books

#30

Post by aquarkortwo »

Someone already mentioned Permutation City by Egan, but look at his website for other math ones; he is considered one of the hardest sci-fi authors out there (?).

I second "The Three Body Problem" series (writing is meh but I think the ideas are excellent. Disclaimer: first half of book one is a slog to get through but the second half onwards is fantastic, in my opinion. I keep thinking about the book many years later on a near biweekly basis).

"The Gods Themselves" by Asimov isn't a book mentioned here yet—it has nice math-physics energy ideas.

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