The Planiverse: Computer Contact with a Two-Dimensional World

Genius. I'm writing this review with somewhat of a "Planiverse kicks Flatland's butt" juvenile treatment. But, most people think of a 2d world as the top down world as in the most famous book "Flatland" which is much more famous, but far less realistic. A discussion on Quora came up about the possibility of life in 2D, with maybe the 3rd dimension being time, and while there were many interesting ideas presented by PhD's and asked, I was absolutely stunned that no one mentioned "The Planiverse. This version of a 2D world is so logically coherent, people thought it was -discovered-, and a work of non-fiction. Perhaps it will be discovered someday. In Flatland , ( even a short film came out of it, i was disgusted after seeing some parts of it). There was a square , which could talk , and move, although it had no legs or visible means by which to propel itself. The only thing good about it was that inside his "head" was a printed circuit-like thing on which no wires could cross, they had to form intricate maze-like traces, and I guess this was supposed to be his brain. Yes, there are many practical uses for thinking and limiting a design in 2D dimensions even though we have three, even as a mental exercise or just for fun. I have been so obsessed, i went about trying to make a 2d World computer simulation in real time and I eventually did so, with the help of the Angry birds engine, and some Indonesian programmers I hired. With a decent 2D physics engine we designed our own biped and taught it to walk and run, using only muscles and bones for power. To show the realism , of course he need to walk on ropes , floating boats, and other reactive surfaces, or, edges. I was on the bottom side of the planet, immersed in an alien environment, and i worked on it for 7 years, and still do. All my exhilarating physical experiences, i wanted to express in 2 dimensions, because i could never do those physical interactions between nature and a being, justice in 3d. Walking, running, seeing, thinking , fighting, controlling airships, using swords and firearms, quadrupeds, fish, explosions, waves, even surfing on 2d waves and on air, ( which in 2d is much more powerful since it cannot go around you , it you are standing it must all flow over you. Simply raising an arm in a head wind will make it much more difficult to walk. Thinking of this world or observing it in its entirely from a dimension that the 2d creatures cannot fathom, gives you a God-like perspective, while at the same time a humble awareness of the beyond as it applies to us, this 4th dimension. Buy the book, read it. Google the game, ( its not hard to find) it not nearly finished, but its playable, and this a universe. I wish there were hundreds of people working on it with me. But Dewdney sourced many of his designs from graduate students and put together a meaningful and dramatic story, with a subtext of Sufism, around a setting which is enough of a reason initself to own it, just to read the technology, biology and cosmology, sections.

Marketed as a computer-oriented book, "The Planiverse" is actually a fantasy in the tradition of "Flatland" which describes a two-dimensional world and the sapient creatures in it. As such, it's an excellent book.It's unfortunate that the edition I ordered was labeled a hardcover because what I got was a paperback. Otherwise, I would have given this book five stars.

The Planiverse: Computer Contact with a Two-Dimensional World by A.K. Dewdney is a surprisingly interesting and moving fictional story about a college computer lab's accidental contact with a two-dimensional world. Much of the action of the story is driven by the mystical quest of Yendred, an interesting person from this alternative world.As we follow Yendred on his journey and learn about his world, we also learn a lot about what the physics, chemistry, and biology of a two dimensional world could be like. The author even provides diagrams of a two dimensional steam engine and clock that can be constructed in a three dimensional model (with one dimension being only as thick as the material used for construction).There are some annoying loose ends left at the end of this novel and it is not at all clear what the mystic that Yendred meets at the end of the book knows about the three dimensional world. Nevertheless, this is still a compelling and interesting tale 30 years after it was first published.

This is a great book. By creating a 2D world Dewdney expands our 3D vision.In reading this book I was reminded of not only Abbott's Flatland (which was the original inspiration) I was also reminded of Charles Hinton's Fourth Dimension and Choas Coincidence and All That Math Jazz.In each work, the writers effectively used 2D analogies to give us an idea of what 4D space might be like.What Dewdney did however was to build detail into what has always been a simple model and thereby give greater detail to the potentialities of our vision.While others have said that this book would be great for mathematicians I would offer that this book is great for anyone seeking to expand their horizons.As Henry David Thoreau wrote in concluding his Walden: "There is more light to day than dawn. The sun is but a morningstar!"Read this book and others like it and bask in the light of that morningstar!

Good book. Being an Engineer I love the details on physics and biology that went into the text and appendices.

The author should stick to math over fiction.While the writing is okay, I found characterization and motivation weak and the plotline wandering. It's yet another rehash of the computer 'coming alive' somehow, though this time the computer is 'just' tapping into another dimension.This was written in 1984 and reads like it.

A high school math teacher recommended this to me long ago. I enjoyed this much more than the better known Flatland. Dewdney really puts a lot of effort into working out how a two-dimensional world could work and has lots of fun nitty-gritty detail. This is one of my favorite books ever. I got it recently for my nine-year-old daughter, and she loved it, too.