Numbers Don't Lie

Originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction as the short stories The Edge of the Universe, Get Me to the Church on Time, and The Hole in the Hole, this inventive and quirky novel combines the stories, featuring the inspired adventures of Wilson Wu, a jack-of-all-trades who uses his eclectic background to solve a variety of wacky futuristic dilemmas. An Ivy League graduate, Wu is a rock musician, a Volvo mechanic, a trial lawyer, a camel driver, an aeronautics engineer, an entomological meteorologist, and, most importantly, a math wizard with a formula for every occasion. A godsend for his friends and the universe, Wu uses his eclectic skill set to prevent the imminent collapse of the universe, guarantee good weatherfor an Alabama wedding, and tow an abandoned lunar rover from the surface of the moon to a junkyard in Brooklyn. Irreverent and inventive, these adventures exemplify Bisson's smart, hilarious, and satirical style that has earned him Hugo and Nebula awards and comparisons to Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut.
Download DescriptionFor the first time, you can get Terry Bisson's three Wilson Wu novelettes in one place, including the Hugo-nominated Get Me to the Church on Time. Everybody should have a friend like Wilson Wu. He's been a rock musician, an engineer, and a pastry chef; he got halfway into a medical degree and a math Ph.D.; he graduated law school and passed the bar on the first try. Combining meteorology and entomology, he helped on a weather-control project in Quetzalcan. (Don't ask.) And then there's his scholarship on desert caravans. Of course, he's not the main character. That would be Irv, another lawyer, who met him while they were working Legal Aid. Irv's got this talent for stumbling on strange phenomena. Wilson just crunches the numbers. A junkyard dedicated to Volvos conceals a rift in the space-time continuum. A beaded seat cushion in a vacant lot heralds the premature collapse of the universe. And when an airport baggage claim runs like clockwork? (Shudder.) Check out the math! Bisson has scrupulously illustrated the stories with formulas, all of which have been reviewed for elegance by famed mathematician Rudy Rucker. Hey, numbers don't lie!