MathFiction: To Hold Infinity (John Meaney)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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To Hold Infinity (1998)

John Meaney
(click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author)
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Meaney's first novel, which only saw its US release in 2006, is not quite as mathematical as some of his later books, but the foundations are there. We encounter "mu-space" (additional spatial dimensions that are somehow fractal in nature and are traversed by the bio-engineered "Pilots"). And, I like this quote in which the character ponders the implications of the "unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics":

(quoted from To Hold Infinity)

Why does maths lie at the heart of science? Why are features of the universe algorithmically compressible? Of what strange substrate is maths itself an emergent property?

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 To Hold Infinity

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

Context by John Meaney
Paradox by John Meaney
Resolution by John Meaney
The Nature of Smoke by Anne Harris
The Bones of Time by Kathleen Ann Goonan
Habitus by James Flint
Bloom by Wil McCarthy
Strange Attractors by Charles Soule (author) / Greg Scott (Illustrator)
The Whisper of Disks by John Meaney
Improbable by Adam Fawer

Ratings for To Hold Infinity:

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:
2/5 (1 votes)

Literary Quality:
3/5 (2 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Science Fiction,
Motif	Math as Beautiful/Exciting/Useful,
Topic	Chaos/Fractals,
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)