Goodreads review: ‘A Weapon of Mathematics’

A Weapon of Mathematics by Charles Ott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Full disclosure: I got this book as a gift from the author.

As set forth in Chapter Zero, mathematicians in the middle of the 21st century discovered a new series of numbers that permitted magic, but the new mathematics also smashed civilization and pushed the Moon out of its orbit. Now, eight hundred years later, at the end of Chapter Two, the King’s magician has been captured by the cult of an irrational god that could destroy what still remains of civilization.

This fun and often humorous short novel offers well-drawn characters and a fast-moving plot with surprises and twists. Feuding lovers must work together, a low-born man must prove his talent, and a capable magician makes it her job to hold them all together as a team. The math is clever, carefully thought-through, and believable as the basis of a fantasy – but don’t worry, there are no equations. There is, however, a dragon that can be both smart and stupid at the same time.

I think this is a self-published novel. It’s hard for those to get a lot of traction. Even if you have a major publisher behind you, selling books is hard — and much harder if you’re on your own. This seems to be the first Goodreads review of A Weapon of Mathematics, and I hope it gets more attention.



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