MathFiction: The Wizard (C.S. Godshalk)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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The Wizard (1989)

C.S. Godshalk
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A mathematically talented youth in a bad neighborhood becomes a drug dealer and may not be able to take advantage of his genius by attending the private school which has offered him a scholarship.

Contributed by Jon Powell

In “The Wizard,” by C. S. Godshalk, the title character is a mathematical genius. At one point in the story, he plants flowers in a spiral of ever-increasing radii. This connects to his mentioning earlier the number twenty-eight as a perfect number.

First appeared in the Boston University literary magazine AGNI in 1989 and reprinted in The Best American Short Stories: 1990. (Thanks to Jon Powell for bringing it to my attention.)

Contributed by Lewis S.

This story was an upsetting one, centered on a boy who, for all the intelligence in the world, lacked purpose. A little upsetting, but not emotional enough to cause true heartbreak for the main character. Limited mathematical references in the form of Perfect Numbers and Fibonacci Sequence/Spiral. Heavier focus on Albrecht Dörer, of the renaissance era, who studied Geometry in art.

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 The Wizard

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

Regarding Roderer by Guillermo Martinez
Good Will Hunting by Gus Van Sant (director) / Matt Damon (Screenplay)
Stand and Deliver by Ramon Menendez
Against the Odds by Martin Gardner
Gifted: A Novel by Nikita Lalwani
Numbers by Dana Dane
Tangents by Greg Bear
A Rite of Spring by Fritz Leiber
Eye of the Beholder by Alex Kasman
Long Division by Michael Redhill

Ratings for The Wizard:

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 (2 votes)

Literary Quality:
4/5 (1 votes)

Categories:

Genre
Motif	Genius, Prodigies,
Topic
Medium	Short Stories,

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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)