Maybe start with science fiction?

At the time of Jules Verne, there was no extensive popular science literature and the function of popularizing scientific and technical knowledge forced to take on the emergency science fiction. Multi -page descriptions and explanations inhibited the development of action, but the novel of the 19th century was still leisurely and meaningful, but the reader received information that he would not have learned otherwise.

In the twentieth century, the need for such descriptions in genre literature disappeared-beautiful popular science books appeared. The genre literature began to shy down popularization - the descriptions slowed down and did not interest readers. In recent years, the trend has changed again - in adventure and fantastic works, the pages of descriptions, the presentation of the latest information in different fields of science, again appeared. And in order to interest the reader, the authors attract the name of the most famous scientist - Albert Einstein.

In the annotation to the novel “The Last Theory of Einstein” (in the original - just Final Theory. - 7RV) of the American author Mark Alpert (AST, Astrel, Polygrandat, 2010) says that the author is astrophysicist, journalist, poet, editor of Scientific American magazine. Alpert tells professionally and quite popular about the principles of string theory, about the work of Einstein on the unified theory of field. In principle, the novel could be attributed to “tough” science fiction, since we are talking about scientific ideas and theories, and among the characters, scientific, moreover, the world level, who worked at one time with Einstein himself. Moreover, the idea that the main characters develop, guided by the allegedly created by Einstein, unified theory of the field, is quite fantastic. The plot is typical of a block bastard, tailored according to all canons: the main character finds out that something is stored somewhere capable of changing the world (ancient manuscript, the ark of the covenant, the treasure of the Templars, etc.-no matter; in this case, a theory created by Einstein). Simultaneously with the hero, the FBI agents and hired killers (option are terrorists) learn about this. The hero is trying to get the first to get to the desired object, the agents and the murderers constantly fall into the clutches, but he, the amateur, manages to escape dozens of times, leaving professionals with his nose, killing them in the course of or dislikes. And the happy end, of course: good triumph, evil is punished.

The traditionalness of the plot does not allow, in my opinion, to classify a novel for science fiction, despite the fact that there is NF-Ide. The fact is that the plot practically does not depend on this particular idea. None of the plot turns of the novel would have changed if it was not about Einstein’s mysterious theory, but about the search, for example, the Ark of the Covenant.

As you know, Einstein of the last thirty years of life tried to create a unified field theory. But he could not. The problem was insoluble in those years, since a unified theory (“theory of everything”, as they say now) cannot be built with the help of classical physics, and Einstein partially did not recognize quantum physics until the end of days. In the novel, Einstein, of course, created the theory, realized that, with the help of this theory, bad people can destroy the world, and therefore did not publish the result, but told the students about it, demanding from them to preserve mystery.

Alpert quite scientifically sets out how, with the help of the theory of everything, this can be destroyed. Here, however, the author has many punctures, but the punctures are not visible to the reader who does not understand theoretical physics.

Astrophysicist Alpert, an editor of a venerable popular science magazine, knows very well that no modern physical theory cannot be presented in a single article using a small set of formulas that would describe the entire universe. Instead of showing the diversity of the most complex and most beautiful (in theory) theory of everything, the author chooses the simplest and easily amenable to image - how to instantly destroy humanity with the help of the theory. It is easier to write anti -utopia than works about how the ideas that can change this world could really develop in our complex world. It turned out a thriller with a fantastic idea. An exciting thriller, it’s interesting to read. And the reader will receive some information about modern physical theories. This is probably enough? Maybe there is no, what can be judged by turning to another novel - the “formula of God” of the Portuguese writer Jose Rodrigiga Santusha (printing, AST, Astrel, 2010).

In the annotation, the novel is called the "scientific thriller." And then - exactly, as in the annotation to Alpert’s novel “The Last Einstein theory”, “The plot of which takes place around the unknown manuscript of Einstein.” As in Einstein’s last theory, here the great physicist creates a mysterious theory that is extremely important for humanity in the last years of life, but very dangerous, if it is applied to evil (the English translation of the name a formula de deus - the einstein enigma. - PRV).

The Santusch shower plot, compared to the alpert, is uncomplicated. The main character should decipher the manuscript of Einstein (it is assumed that information is encoded on how cheaply and quickly make an atomic bomb). Naturally, he eventually succeeds, but it turns out that the great physicist did not come up with a bomb, but scientifically proved the existence of God, not more, less.

Why hide the proof of the existence of God behind seven seals is not very clear. Moreover, as it turns out in the final, the “proof” itself has long been known and is that “the Universe is born, lives, dies and is born again from non -being. The world is in an endless cycle ... The act of creation of the world is the embodiment of God in the world, which becomes God. "

The protagonist, Portuguese cryptograph, on the last page of the novel informs this truth to the representative of the CIA, who is delighted: "Amazingly."

For an American intelligence resident, this is probably a really amazing revelation ...

The Santush shower himself considers the idea put forward in the novel, “impudent” and writes in the afterword: “An even more daring hypothesis is proposed in this book. The point is that the cosmos is arranged for creating life, and life as such is not an end in itself, but a means of ensuring the development of the mind, which, in turn, will become an instrument for the implementation of Endheim, that is, the highest goal of the Universe, namely, the creation of God. Thus, the Universe appears here as a grandiose cyclic program developed by the mind of the previous universe in order to ensure its own return to the subsequent universe. ”

And what is the case that it was necessary to encrypt? I’m not saying that Stanislav Lem wrote about such an approximately cyclic universe in the novel “The Glass of God”. Lem, by the way, has a much more interesting idea, a much more “scientific” and told without that huge number of common places that the “formula of God” abounds.

There are few adventures in the Santusha soul novel, but the reader receives many information from the most different areas of science and religion.

In my opinion, the biggest benefit from this book is a list of scientific and popular science literature, which the author used when the novel wrote. The novel is strange, and for the Russian reader it is completely unusual: fans of the scientific -play will consider the presentation too lightly, fans of thrillers will be unhappy with the lack of adventure. For lovers of hard fiction, there is little novelty here, for lovers of realistic prose - little psychologism and a lot of frank didacticity.

But this is curious that. It seems that a new “feature” appeared in genre literature - the attention of the authors is drawn to the figure of Einstein and his incomplete work on the unified theory of the field. How could it be that the great physicist could not complete the work of his life? Is he really thirty years after creating the theory of relativity? The results of his studies are slurred, and, therefore ... Further, the imagination goes along the rolled rut: ciphers, secrets, a threat to humanity, special services against the forces of evil, and, of course, the main character alone performs what has not been possible for many years to the best scientists of our time. Plus okroshka from oriental religions and philosophical teachings. Plus, the idea that modern science was allegedly revealed now, but only confirmed that the Hinduists, Buddhists and Taoists had already known a long time ago.

Both novels (“Einstein’s last theory” and “The Formula of God”) are written by scientists. In theory, if you take from each novel that it is positive in it, discarding a negative and unnecessary one, a good example of modern hard science fiction - the same one that they are now trying to revive in Russia and which is quite normal in the West is now.

In both novels about Einstein’s mysterious manuscripts, there are shortcomings, but there are general dignity: these books attract readers' attention to the achievements of modern science. These are books about the people of science, about the achievements of science, including in areas about which, according to many authors and critics, it is popular to tell in a work of art it is very difficult or even impossible. The example of Alpert and Soul Santusha convinces of the opposite.

And if any author can still unite the advantages of both novels and avoid shortcomings, and even add a pinch of his own original ideas, he will create a new Russian science fiction.

Of course, not with the revival of science fiction will begin the revival of science in Russia. The process, generally speaking, is the opposite. But in a certain respect - and mutual influencing. Maybe it is the ideas of revived science fiction that will attract young people to the science of? And will they do everything they can revive the existing scientific schools and create new ones? And the new science will arouse interest in new science fiction, which in turn ...

Positive feedback will arise. But in order for it to "work", you need to start somewhere. If you have not succeeded yet, maybe really start with science fiction? And there, little by little, gradually ...

Why not?