MathFiction: After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall (Nancy Kress)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall (2012)

Nancy Kress
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
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The last 26 humans alive resort to kidnapping children from the past in order to save themselves from the oppressive aliens who keep them in "The Shell". Mathematics enters in the form of Julie Kahn, a statistician working for the FBI in 2013 (which is "the past" in the novel) who discovers a pattern in the kidnappings that leads her to the strange truth.

There really isn't much math here (the word "algorithm" is thrown around a lot), but it is always nice to see a hero (or heroine) using mathematics, and the format of the novel (three separate timelines interwoven, as the title suggests) is effective.

More information about this work can be found at www.amazon.com.
(Note: This is just one work of mathematical fiction from the list. To see the entire list or to see more works of mathematical fiction, return to the Homepage.)

Works Similar to After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall

According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:

Time, Like an Ever Rolling Stream by Judith Moffett
The Investigation by Stanislaw Lem
The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua
Moriarty by Modem by Jack Nimersheim
Reading by Numbers by Aidan Doyle
The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Permafrost by Alastair Reynolds
The Circumference of the World by Lavie Tidhar
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
The Clockwork Rocket [Orthogonal Book One] by Greg Egan

Ratings for After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall:

Ratings

Have you seen/read this work of mathematical fiction? Then click here to enter your own votes on its mathematical content and literary quality or send me comments to post on this Webpage.

Mathematical Content:
1/5 (1 votes)

Literary Quality:
4/5 (1 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Mystery, Science Fiction,
Motif	Aliens, Female Mathematicians, Time Travel,
Topic	Probability/Statistics,
Medium	Novels,

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Where are the new works of mathematical fiction?: As you can see from this chronological listing, this database includes many works of mathematical fiction for each year from 1990 to 2025. Strangely, only two are listed for 2026, so far. Either less mathematical fiction is being published than in previous years or I'm just having more trouble finding it. If you know of any works of fiction that should be added to this list, especially recently published ones, please let me know. (Keep in mind that I do not include self-published works or children's fiction that just covers elementary mathematical concepts.) Thanks!

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)