MathFiction: What Dead Men Tell (Theodore Sturgeon)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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What Dead Men Tell (1949)

Theodore Sturgeon
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Contributed by "William E. Emba"

A supergenius discovers a secret society amongst us that is guarding the secret of immortality. He elects to take their entry examination, which has immediate death as the price of failure.

The last problem is to recognize and decode the unusual geometry of a certain corridor. Mathematicians will recognize what's going on immediately.

Contributed by Doug Jones

"A wonderful story. Makes the implausible seem natural...I got to meet him, and he was one of my idols. The collection IMAGINATION UNLIMITED was where I read it, since been burgled by a klepto fan, alas. The kind of story the OUTER LIMITS could have done well!"

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 What Dead Men Tell

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

The Wall of Darkness by Arthur C. Clarke
The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges
Star, Bright by Mark Clifton
A Subway Named Moebius by A.J. Deutsch
And He Built a Crooked House by Robert A. Heinlein
Misfit by Robert A. Heinlein
Mimsy Were the Borogoves by Lewis Padgett (aka Henry Kuttner and Catherine L. Moore)
No-Sided Professor by Martin Gardner
The Island of Five Colors by Martin Gardner
The Cube Root of Conquest by Rog Phillips

Ratings for What Dead Men Tell:

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:
4/5 (2 votes)

Literary Quality:
5/5 (2 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Science Fiction,
Motif	Genius,
Topic	Geometry/Topology/Trigonometry,
Medium	Short Stories,

Home All New Browse Search About

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)