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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
Although this is a fictionalization of the lives of John von Neumann and his contemporary mathematicians and scientists, I feel like I learned a lot and was completely compelled by the theoretical discussions of the possibilities of computers and AI. I also loved the back fifth of the book, tying some of the theories covered directly to real world events sixty years later that were so dramatic and exciting I literally gasped at one point. Excellent writing, and makes me want to learn more.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Labatut, the author of the acclaimed When We Cease to Understand the World, re-creates the magic with Maniac. This is a mesmerizing exploration of the fine line between genius and madness, focusing heavily on the life of John von Neumann. Much like his earlier work, Labatut masterfully blends fact and fiction to craft a narrative that feels both historically grounded and hauntingly surreal.
For those unfamiliar, John von Neumann was a polymathic mathematician whose groundbreaking contributions to quantum mechanics, game theory, and the atomic bomb reshaped the modern scientific landscape.
Labatut’s pacing is sharp, and his evocative, philosophical prose weaves historical facts seamlessly with fictional introspection. While the fragmented structure might not appeal to all, it serves the book’s thematic depth and logic well.
Read it if you enjoy science, philosophy, and the intersection of history and fiction. Skip it if fragmented narratives aren’t your style.
For those unfamiliar, John von Neumann was a polymathic mathematician whose groundbreaking contributions to quantum mechanics, game theory, and the atomic bomb reshaped the modern scientific landscape.
Labatut’s pacing is sharp, and his evocative, philosophical prose weaves historical facts seamlessly with fictional introspection. While the fragmented structure might not appeal to all, it serves the book’s thematic depth and logic well.
Read it if you enjoy science, philosophy, and the intersection of history and fiction. Skip it if fragmented narratives aren’t your style.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Much of this reads like New Yorker-style reporting, not fiction. Some is clearly fictionalized. Either way, it is fascinating material put together well. I loved it and can't wait to read his first book.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the most terrifying book I have ever (and possibly will ever) read. It will haunt me for a long time. It’s a masterful researched take on the emergence of the irrational properties of quantum mechanics, and a man who took those ideas with no moral intuitions and helped create everything from the atomic bomb to AI.
“We lie on our knees, praying to the wrong god, a childish deity who hides at the center of a corrupted world that he can neither govern nor understand. Or is it that we have made him ourselves, in our own fetid image, but then forgotten we have done so, as young boys birth the monsters and demons who haunt their dreams, without ever realizing that they have only themselves to blame?”
“We lie on our knees, praying to the wrong god, a childish deity who hides at the center of a corrupted world that he can neither govern nor understand. Or is it that we have made him ourselves, in our own fetid image, but then forgotten we have done so, as young boys birth the monsters and demons who haunt their dreams, without ever realizing that they have only themselves to blame?”
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced