Review - Pythagoras' Revenge

Home Authors Books Subjects Events Software Features Links Newsletter Gifts Blog Forum What's New

Review - Pythagoras' Revenge - Arturo Sangalli (*)

It's unusual for us to feature a fiction book in our main reviews section. We do have the Science Fiction Authors and Favourites section, which contains fiction written by science authors, plus science fiction favourites of science authors - but this is a different kind of fiction. Pythagoras' Revenge is a novel that is designed to get across mathematical ideas in a more approachable way. It scores the rather unusual 3.5 stars - because this is a book that is 2/3 good and 1/3 bad.

Let's start with the good. The concept really works. I read a lot of popular science books and have to read a fiction book about one every third title just to keep my enthusiasm up. Fiction usually grabs the attention better than an popular science book, however well written, and I found that I shot through Arturo Sangalli's book significantly faster than I would a normal popular science title, because I wanted to read on.

What's more, the maths is fine - it's pitched at the right sort of level to interest the general reader without being too painful. For those with a more heavy duty interest, there are one or two proofs in appendices. A lot of the maths is from ancient Greece, and as befits what can, with one hat on, be seen as a popular maths book, there's a good selection of history and context for the Pythagoreans as well.

But then we come to the 1/3 that's bad. As a novel, I'm afraid, it's pretty terrible. It's not really possible to identify who the main protagonist(s) are, and we don't care about any of the characters. Although there is a little Da Vinci Code style puzzle, it isn't particularly interesting, and it's very much presented as: 'here's a puzzle, oh, it could be that, okay, we've solved it.' There's no real tension. The central plot line involving possible reincarnation stretches disbelief without any real reward for doing so. And, perhaps worst of all, it doesn't have the proper flow of a novel. There are several instances where the voice suddenly goes from historic narration to simple fact telling. So we hear about something happening in Pythagoras' time... then suddenly there's a few pages of pure maths exposition that could have come from any popular maths book, with no sense that the characters are saying or thinking what we're told. It just plonks in.

However, I think it's a very brave attempt, and shows that this really is a way of getting across science that can work - and would work even better if it was framed in a decently written novel. I said I'd hurried through because I wanted to read on. In part this was because I was rushing through some of the more excruciating storyline, but it also was because the story form gives a natural inclination to want to read more. Human beings are story making animals, and this book shows that there is an opportunity to make use of this approach in the field. A fascinating attempt.

Also in paperback: Also on Kindle:

Review by Brian Clegg

DISCLAIMERS

This site has no connection with Popular Science magazine or other sites and publications with a similar name.

Much of the content of this site is written by popular science writers or friends of popular science writers. Inevitably many of the reviews in such a small community are written by or about someone we know. We always aim to be impartial in our reviews, but there is a connection which we need make clear, as there is no intention to deceive. The content of any review or article is solely the opinion of the author and should not be read or understood on any other basis. The site exists to promote popular science writing and popular science authors and for this reason should be considered promotional material, just as the editorial reviews in an online bookshop or the blurb on the back of a book should be considered promotional.

The website should not be eaten or used where it can come into contact with water.

Disagree with our review? Want to write your own review or comment on a feature? Drop in to the Popular Science forum and have your say!

Part of the site