Published: 20 Dec 2025
The Annotated Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
Quick storygraph summary:
- Q: Plot- or character-driven? - A: Plot driven
- Q: Strong character development? - A: Its complicated
- Q: Loveable characters? - A: No
- Q: Diverse cast of characters? - A: No
- Q: Flaws of characters a main focus? - A: No
This book is certainly a novel and unique experience, using the vehicle of the early Science Fiction genre to both explain the concept of higher dimensions (done via the ‘allegory’ of what our 3-dimensional world would look to a 2-dimensional being) and how different dimensional worlds would function (with remarkable mathematical accuracy), whilst simultaneously including scathing social critique of contemporary Victorian society (with the 2-dimensional society outlined being rigidly class-based, misogyny and the euthanasia of ‘irregulars’). Whilst the social critique aspect feels outdated and clunky to my personal modern eyes (not helped by all the necessary world building of this fictional 2-dimensional society in order to supplement the mathematical aspect of the book), which is unfortunately front-loaded in the book, the second-half is far more interesting when playing with the different dimensional universes. The titular A. Square being transported to the 3rd dimension and being totally and wholly unable to comprehend the extra dimension despite all evidence (an obvious contrast to where A. Square was similarly exasperated at seeing the line/1-dimensional world and the denizens not being able to comprehend, what was obvious to him, the 2nd dimension) - is fantastic, a reminiscent of the allegory of Plato’s Cave and also a reminder of the difficulty envisioning worlds with dimensions differently to our own.
Ultimately, judged as a standalone novel through conventional means, its not a great read - frequently being laboured and unsubtle about what the author wants to get across, with the thinnest veneer of plot layered over to not be a raw mathematical text. However, the concepts are interesting enough to take and run with from their initial presentation. I would also recommend to seek out the annotated version explicitly due to the added context and explanation around this text, which greatly clarifies some of the more obtuse passages.
