The Rule of Four
By Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason
- Release Date: 2004-05-11
- Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Description
“One part The Da Vinci Code, one part The Name of the Rose and one part A Separate Peace . . . a smart, swift, multitextured tale that both entertains and informs.”—San Francisco Chronicle
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Princeton. Good Friday, 1999. On the eve of graduation, two friends are a hairsbreadth from solving the mysteries of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a Renaissance text that has baffled scholars for centuries. Famous for its hypnotic power over those who study it, the five-hundred-year-old Hypnerotomachia may finally reveal its secrets—to Tom Sullivan, whose father was obsessed with the book, and Paul Harris, whose future depends on it.
As the deadline looms, research has stalled—until a vital clue is unearthed: a long-lost diary that may prove to be the key to deciphering the ancient text. But when a longtime student of the book is murdered just hours later, a chilling cycle of deaths and revelations begins—one that will force Tom and Paul into a fiery drama, spun from a book whose power and meaning have long been misunderstood.
BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Dustin Thomason's 12.21.
“Profoundly erudite . . . the ultimate puzzle-book.”—The New York Times Book Review
Reviews
Great Until the End
3By HhubbzIt's like the authors were given a page limit and 98% of the way through they realized they hadn't wrapped it up yet. The ending is almost as bad as "it was all a dream". Admittedly the majority of the book was pretty good. I had just finished reading all of Dan Brown's books so I was looking for another story that featured historical puzzles or codes and symbols. The book had elements of this, as well as good character development. But the resolution sucked. No questions were answered. It ends like there was a sequel for it that has yet to be published. And that soured the entire novel for me.Alioh
5By Alioh61A great read. Very complex and at times difficult to understand by a dunderhead like me, but the story and characters are so exceptional that the read was worth the extra work. I'd recommend the book to anyone.Disappointing
1By CrazyinKarachiI expected a mystery in Rome, but instead read a recollection of good ole student days at Princeton. For those of us who did not go to Princeton, it's a pretty dull novel.Good book
4By SdfrdeghfrjedNot a Dan Brown, but a decent readI didn't just puke a little, I just puked.
1By SA FridayOh my god. I thought only Stephen King could write 300 pages of character building and 50 pages of plot. Well, I was wrong. This book is the proof. Then when things did progress, the plot itself was grade school predictable. Add in Caldwell's never ending penned love affair of Princeton and over flowery descriptions of everything and you have one of the worst best sellers I've ever read.SLOW!!!!
1By Newsie TXEveryone says this is a great book. I wouldn't know. It is SO slow. I'm on page 200 and nothing has happened. I am not a fan.
