AlphaNumeric
By Nicolas Forzy, Lodestone Books, 347 pages, $15.95
Numbers have always fascinated me. Even now when I see any book on Calculus or Algebra, I impulsively buy it. So much so that I have a collection of books ranging from higher differentials and limits to applications of Calculus. So when I read the title “AlphaNumeric”, I instantly knew that it has something to do with numbers and letters.
As I read the first chapter, I thought my guess was probably wrong and that it had something to do with a dyslexic teenager trying to woo a girl.
Stewart, popularly known as Stu, failed miserably to impress Cynthia with a poem he wrote for her. The reason in mathematical terms: they belonged to opposite quadrants. He was a math wizard and she a wordsmith. Is this it? I thought. What next? Teenagers fall in love and they live happily ever after? End of story?
I soon realised this was not a run-of-the-mill novel on romance. As the plot unfolded, I could also read the mind of the author, and concluded that whoever he was, he had a solid foundation in mathematics.
Nicolas Forzy has indeed dabbled with numbers as an investment banker after graduating from the London School of Economics and has also served in the French Army on a combat helicopter base.
That explains it, otherwise who could have come up with characters with mathematical notations such as Zer0, Toodles, Polynomials, Omega sentry and the like.
As I was drawn more into the book, it became apparent that the plot was not so simple. Most people who detest math love the power of letters and vice-versa. The best example for this is Albert Einstein, who failed in languages when he was at school. This is a constant battle that rages on, be it in the classroom or outside of it. It is invariably a war between the two.
So when Stu enters the domains of numbers and letters, who are at loggerheads and at daggers drawn — find out how he reaches there — a bloody clash is inevitable.
Both camps are ruled as per their systems of operations and hierarchy. And as an outsider he has to outsmart both of them and, in the bargain, help save Yana’s life.
She is the young vowel he meets and befriends. He teaches her to count and wins her trust. But in the end, her life is in danger and he has to save her. To do that he needs help. Can he rely on his allies in the Land of Letters, governed by the Council of Vowels, or will he be destroyed by the System of Numbers, ruled by the Prime Constants? Time is of the essence and Stu has to come out with various equations to eliminate his enemies.
Moreover, to escape from his enemies he has to fly. And as a dyslexic he had a fear of flying. Cynthia pitied him when she told him that she was flying to Paris for her summer break and he said that he would be staying at home to help his father. Will he overcome the fear and find the right equation to save Yana?
“AlphaNumeric” does make an interesting read. The author has given life to an abstract subject. However, to get the real feel of the action one needs to have a visual mind to bring the fantasy into reality. If “AlphaNumeric” can bridge this realm either as a sci-fi film or a video game, it will succeed in bridging the chasm that exists between numbers and letters. After all, how many people are enamoured by numbers in a textbook? For many, plain numbers and symbols are a turnoff.
