The Maniac

Wow! In this historical novel, Labatut has developed a totally original structure and writing style. I had barely heard of the polymath John von Neumann, but each aspect of math and science that he touched was indelibly changed forever. Programmable computers, artificial intelligence, you name it. Science, for better and for worse – a stroke of genius, then again, madness. Logic led von Neumann to the theory for nuclear deterrence of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). And the policymakers listened. Labatut builds his story solely through the eyes of those who knew John, whether family, friends, colleagues, or rivals. This novel… show more.

John von Neumann was a scientific and intellectual colossus of 20th century science and mathematics. He was one of the first creators of computers, one of the key figures in early quantum mechanics, a founder of game theory, and who did significant work in all kinds of mathematics. There are good reasons that his biography by Ananyo Bhattachara was titled: Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John Neumann.

But The Manica is not a biography, per se. Instead, each chapter is written in the voice of one his colleagues, friends or family. Labatut did an excellent job of… show more.

Again, fiction that is based on facts–but in this novel, the facts take over and engulf the reader in an apocalyptic tornado.

The book has an obsessive quality. Most of it deals with the life of the legendary mathematician John von Neumann, known as the “father of the computer,” who switched from pure mathematics to nuclear destruction, artificial life, and various other games.

Labatut’s admirably well-researched saga explores the inhuman face of science and the demonic aspects of progress “for which there is no cure” (copyright John von Neumann). A technological maelstrom to give Edgar Allan Poe the creeps, the… show more.