Planiverse: Computer Contact with a Two-Dimensional World

Robert J. Sawyer is a Toronto-based free-lance writer.

Alexander Dewdney teaches computer science at the University of Western Ontario and writes a computer games column for Scientific American. The Planiverse is the latest in a series of works describing worlds with only two linear dimensions instead of our three. First of the lot was Flatland (E.A. Abbot, 1984), a prerequisite for full enjoyment of this book.

Dewdney takes a whimsical approach to his mathematical puzzle. He tells us that his students, using a computer simulation called 2DWORLD, have managed to make contact with a parallel universe. Among its inhabitants is Yendred, a six-limbed, crystal-eyed being who undertakes a pilgrimage across his circular planet of Anile. The dialogue between Dewdney’s fictitious students and Yendred is merely a device to link the discussions of two-dimensional physics, biology, and chemistry that are the meat of this book. Dewdney shows us Yendred’s world in great detail, from fishing boats (they require no more than a mast to be propelled by the wind) to staircases (which are hinged to the ceiling so that they can be swung out of the way when one wants to get past). The rapid-fire discoveries provide a kind of “20-Minute Workout” for the mind, stretching the imagination toward its limits. But it’s worth the effort: Dewdney’s Planiverse is a fascinating place.