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Over the years, Arthur C. Clarke has announced the publication of his final book several times. And each time, he has gone on to publish additional novels. The Last Theorem, unfortunately, is his last novel, published posthumously and in collaboration with Clarke's long-time friend and fellow grand master, Frederik Pohl.

The heart of the novel tells the story of Ranjit Subramanian, a Sri Lankan man who is fascinated by mathematical tricks and finds his muse in Fermat's Last Theorem, a riddle posited by Pierre de Fermat in 1637 and still unsolved. Aside from working on a solution to Fermat's riddle, Subramanian tends to drift through life, mostly supported by a few close friends. Even his resolution of Fermat's problem comes about because of events beyond his control. Once he does solve the problem, Subramanian has even less drive, although at that point, the story really becomes his daughter, Natasha's story.

However, even as Natasha becomes the focus point of the novel, she never becomes the protagonist. Her exploits and deeds, and drive, are all told mostly from Ranjit's point of view as a proud father. This gives the novel a distant feel, since often the primary activity, and the people who are the driving force behind that action, are off stage, or described from someone else's point of view.

Parallel to Ranjit's story is the story of the Grand Galactics, a group of aliens so foreign that Clarke and Pohl don't even really try to describe or define them. Instead, they remain amorphous, hidden behind a variety of client races which are only marginally better defined, both in appearance, culture, and purpose. All that is really known, or even necessary to know, is that because they intercepted an early radio message sent by airman Arthur C. Clarke, the Grand Galactics have sent their client races to destroy life on Earth.

Throughout the novel, Clarke and Pohl slowly build up the idea that the Grand Galactics' client races are going to exterminate the population of the Earth. When the races eventually do reach the Earth, at the height of the first extraterrestrial Olympics, their depiction, and their actions, are almost a letdown. It would be wrong to state that the authors incorporate a deus ex machina at that point for the simple reason that nothing as specific as a deus ex machina actually occurs.

On the whole, there is nothing wrong with The Last Theorem, and from many authors it would be a perfectly acceptable novel. Coming from the pens and minds of such giants as Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl, however, a reader expects to get more than the book delivers. It is filled with interesting ideas, but rarely are the fully fleshed out. One of the most interesting features of the novel is that inclusion of mathematical legerdemain taught by Ranjit to his students.

The Last Theorem is more a curiosity due to the collaboration between Clarke and Pohl. Although it is technically Clarke's last novel, his last solo novel was The Hammer of God, published in 1993. Pohl has published a solo venture as recently as 2004's The Boy Who Would Live Forever, and is still active writing. With luck, there are more solo Pohl novels to be seen in the future.

Steven H Silver is a seven-time Hugo Nominee for Best Fan Writer and the editor of the anthologies Wondrous Beginnings, Magical Beginnings, and Horrible Beginnings. He is the publisher of ISFiC Press. In addition to maintaining several bibliographies and the Harry Turtledove website, Steven is heavily involved in convention running and publishes the fanzine Argentus.