MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

Home All New Browse Search About

...
Eon (1985)
Greg Bear
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
...

Contributed by Sophie Ambrose

Its been quite a while since I read this, but some info is better than none! Its rather like "Rama" - a big asteroid appears over the earth in the near future. It was obviously made to be inhabited but seems empty. Various groups battle over it, and then they realise there's singularity at one end so that it goes on forver. There's some maths describing this but mainly it's about the two societies. (Ours and the one which made the asteroid)

Contributed by Daren Scot Wilson

While it was a great read, and grandly mind bending due to the spacetime bending, the math content is really minimal beyond advanced jargon that sounds cool. The idea that in curved spacetime a circle's circumference isn't a certain popular number times the radius - yes that idea is there, but really the novel is about Humankind's history and future in a very big way. The seemingly infinite space tunnel in the asteroid plays a role similar to the cosmic trip in Contact - a mechanism to connect faraway places, times. Still, readers who like a bit of technical math or physics jargon will enjoy its occasional appearances the way a fine diner enjoys parsley decorating a bowl of soup.

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 Eon
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. Rama II by Arthur C. Clarke / Gentry Lee
  2. Artifact by Gregory Benford
  3. Contact by Carl Sagan
  4. The Flight of the Dragonfly (aka Rocheworld) by Robert L. Forward
  5. Tangents by Greg Bear
  6. Ratner's Star by Don DeLillo
  7. White Light, or What is Cantor's Continuum Problem? by Rudy Rucker
  8. Cascade Point by Timothy Zahn
  9. Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan
  10. The Memory of Whiteness by Kim Stanley Robinson
Ratings for Eon:
RatingsHave 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:
1.5/5 (2 votes)
..
Literary Quality:
3.5/5 (2 votes)
..

Categories:
GenreScience Fiction,
MotifAliens, War,
Topic
MediumNovels,

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)