Flatterland

"First there was Edwin A. Abbott's remarkable Flatland, published in 1884, and one of the all-time classics of popular mathematics. Now, from mathematician and accomplished science writer Ian Stewart, comes a dazzling, modern sequel." "Flatterland: Like Flatland, Only More So provides an engaging, completely accessible guide to some of the trickiest concepts in contemporary mathematics. Through larger-than-life characters and an inspired story line, Flatterland explores our present understanding of the shape and origins of the universe, the nature of space, time, and matter, as well as modern geometries and their applications." "The journey begins when our heroine, Victoria Line, comes upon her great-great-grandfather A. Square's diary, hidden in the attic. The writings help her to contact the Space Hopper, who tempts her away from her home and family in Flatland and becomes her guide and mentor through ten dimensions." "Informed by Stewart's ingenious stream of wordplay and crackling dialogue, Flatterland is the story of Vikki's fantastic voyage through the Mathiverse. From the Charming Construction Entity to Moobius, the one-sided cow, from the Hawk King to the Space Girls, her encounters grow ever stranger. She watches two Parallel Lions meet and sees the Doughmouse change a doughnut into a teapot without breaking any mathematical rules. She experiences the universe expanding from the outside and survives a harrowing trip through a black hole. Finally, armed with a clearer vision of the world beyond, Vikki makes her way home to two-dimensional Flatland -- and starts to spread the word." "In the tradition of Alice in Wonderland and The Phantom Toll Booth, this magnificent investigation into the nature of reality is destined to become a modern classic. Book jacket."--Jacket.