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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “I picked up the audio tape of this book at the library and was immediately hooked. I love puzzles and I loved the puzzle of an ancient text--it has the same pull as buried treasure. The Hypnerotomachia is an authentic Renaissance text and the fact that someone would go to so much trouble to...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Can I give a book "0" stars? Unanimous bad reviews from our book group. Best comment of the night - "If you took the first letter of the 8th word in each chapter and anagrammed the letters, you'd get - SUCKER" |
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“At the end of the Author’s Note, Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason state that they are “deeply indebted to those two [Italian Renaissance and Princeton] settings of the the mind.” In the end, I think this book was more about its setting at Princeton than anything else. The setting overwhelmed the plot.
Dana Huff wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I think The Rule of Four suffers from its frequent comparisons to The Da Vinci Code. The latter is part of a relatively new genre. I’m not sure what you’d call it — historical research thriller? The Rule of Four is less about a centuries-old mystery surrounding a Renaissance book than it is about Princeton and four guys who became friends there.
In The Da Vinci Code, you see characters working on puzzles and watch as they figure out the answers in real time. The biggest mistake the authors of The Rule of Four make is they don’t do that. In this book, a character will solve a riddle offstage and share it with another character later. That made me feel cheated because I didn’t see it happen. The authors also frequently jump back and forth between time. It wasn’t difficult to follow, but it stopped the forward momentum of the plot. As I mentioned earlier, though, the real star of the book in the authors’ minds is the setting. The setting is lovingly, painstakingly rendered in this book to the point that it overwhelms the plot. The writing was good if you’re looking for description, but aside from that, it was mainly allusory (and for the dummies reading the book, the characters describe where the allusions came from).
I almost laughed out loud at the poor narrator at the end. I don’t think it would be giving too much away to say that a 26-year-old man waxing retrospective about events that happened only four years ago and attempting to sound as wizened and reflective as if it happened 40 years ago just didn’t work for me. That, to me, was the youth of the authors showing. I suspect they’ll cringe when they read that chapter in say 20 years or so.
I think the novel is being done a real disservice when it’s compared to The Da Vinci Code. As a coming-of-age novel, it works fine. It wasn’t a real page-turner, per se. I had trouble really caring about the characters. They’re much more realistic and less wooden than Dan Brown’s cardboard cutout stand-ins for plot advancement, but there was still something lacking. Even when I learned Paul is an orphan or Tom nearly died in the car accident that killed his father, I didn’t really feel affected by that. Later on, during the novel’s climax, several bad things happen all at once, and I just didn’t care.
I’m not really sure why this book is the darling of the critics right now. I don’t want to send the message that this book was awful. It wasn’t, or I wouldn’t have finished it. I think I’ve only ever forced myself to finish one awful book (if you follow that link and know me from my former screen name, you’ll see my review). At the same time, the book shows a lack of maturity on the part of the writers. They must not be long out of college, and it shows, because they are still mired in that love-affair with academia. They don’t know about poopy diapers or bills, and it shows. There is little that resembles real life for the over-30 set, but I imagine younger twentysomethings will find much to love in this book. Had I read it at that age, I might have enjoyed it more. It did make me wax nostalgic for college, I admit. But as Thomas Wolfe noted, you can’t go home again. Even if places don’t change (though they often do), we do, and our perspective makes it difficult for us to see things the same way as we once did. Maybe that’s my problem with this book. I’m too far removed from 22 to appreciate it. If I do decide to release this book, I will have to do it on a college campus to be sure it reaches its intended audience.”“Very good book about campus life, friendship and weird book from reneissance. Much better written than famous Da Vinci Code. Authors learned more, obviously, from Umberto Eco's love for literature and books in "The Name of Rose" then from "investigative" journalism from "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail ". ”
D C wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Fun in the style of Dan Brown (but better written) slash Kate Mosse”
Angela wrote this review Monday, November 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I realized about twenty pages in that I've read it before, but I can't remember the ending. And, it's really good at hooking you in. It's like "The DaVinci Code" without all the church secrecy. Read it if you like mysteries or exciting plots.”
Mrs. C wrote this review Monday, November 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Intruiging, but i think will suit serious readers only”
Rohan k wrote this review Sunday, November 1 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Took forever for this book to get going for me. Interesting in spots but bogged down again at the end when it should've really had you on the edge of your seat. Not a very satisfying read.”
Anne W wrote this review Friday, October 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The Rule of Four is set at Princeton, very obviously at Princeton. On the eve of graduation, two students are about to discover the mysteries of a renaissance text that baffled scholars for centuries. The hypnotic power of this book is revealed to Tom Sullivan, whose father was obsessed with the book and Paul Harris, whose future depends on it. The research is coming together after a long lost diary may prove to be the clue to decipher the text.
ctmock wrote this review Tuesday, October 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Death ensues--a chilling cycle of them one that will push the protagonists into a fiery drama.
It's a first novel, and these two writers are very young. It will be interesting to watch them mature as writers.
Comment”
“The puzzle that forms the backdrop of this book is fascinating-the characters that inhabit the book are a lot less fascinating. Also this work really drags in places-the first two thirds of the novel, to be precise. ”
Nighthawk wrote this review Monday, October 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“One of the best thrillers,great characters and a wonderful mystery”
Robert N wrote this review Saturday, October 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A very intriguing book, and it captured my imagination right from the start. From the history to the politics and relations of the students, I loved every aspect of it. ”
Richmond W wrote this review Thursday, October 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
