Mysterion, July 2024
“Irrationality” by Stephen Case
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
Two stories featuring apparent miracles appear in this issue.
In “All Eyes” by Pamela Love, a woman receives a vision telling her to draw multiple eyes on a painting of an angel done by her son. The narrator, who is the young man’s grandmother, witnesses the extraordinary result of what seems like senseless vandalism.
This synopsis fails to capture the story’s mood, which is one of very light comedy. Best described as sweet, this gentle little tale might be best suited for younger readers. More sophisticated adults may find its warmhearted innocence a bit simplistic.
In “Irrationality” by Stephen Case, computers determining the value of pi to an immense number of digits reveal a pattern of repeating zeroes. As the calculation goes on, other patterns emerge that suggest the famous irrational number was designed with a message from God.
The narrator is a mathematician who believes in God. The story ponders the question of whether the kind of evidence found in the apparently miraculous value of pi, which might be an extraordinary coincidence, is more powerful than simple faith. The premise is provocative, but readers of Carl Sagan’s 1985 novel Contact will find it familiar.
Victoria Silverwolf thinks the film adaptation of Contact was quite good.