MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

Home All New Browse Search About

...
Gaming Instinct (Spieltrieb) (2004)
Juli Zeh
...

Contributed by Andrea Albrecht

[The math in this novel which was a best seller in Germany in 2004 is] recognizable not only for experts, so it is mentioned in almost every review. Zeh learned about game theory and the prisoner's dilemma from Robert Axelrod's book "The Evolution of Cooperation", which you might know. She refers explicitly to the theory and uses its models as a blue print for the plot, which is centered around two students, Ada and Alex, who try to lure one of their teachers in a sexual adventure in order to blackmail him. Both want to learn something about the 'game' they set in motion, and they want to figure out whether it is possible to predict human behavior.

More information about this work can be found at www.schoeffling.de.
(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 Gaming Instinct (Spieltrieb)
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. Schaurige Mathematik by Alexander Mehlmann
  2. Benchmark by Catherine Aird
  3. In the Courts of the Sun by Brian D'Amato
  4. The Chimera Prophesies by Elliott Ostler
  5. Nymphomation by Jeff Noon
  6. Pascal's Wager by Nancy Rue
  7. För immer in Honig (Forever in Honey) by Dietmar Dath
  8. Going Out by Scarlett Thomas
  9. Against the Odds by Martin Gardner
  10. God Doesn't Shoot Craps by Richard Armstrong
Ratings for Gaming Instinct (Spieltrieb):
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.
(unrated)

PLEASE HELP US OUT BY ENTERING YOUR OWN RATINGS FOR THIS WORK.

Categories:
Genre
MotifAcademia,
Topic
MediumNovels,

Home All New Browse Search About

Exciting News: The 1,600th entry was recently added to this database of mathematical fiction! Also, for those of you interested in non-fictional math books let me (shamelessly) plug the recent release of the second edition of my soliton theory textbook.

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)