The Rule of Four

I've tried writing about this book two times already and blogger has been silly and hasn't let me post it! Anyways.... I had heard good things about the Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. I had heard that it was compared to the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown... Honestly, it was an interesting story but it just didn't seem to hold my attention as well. I wanted to know what happened and the secret that the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili held but I didn't NEED to finish it in on sitting. With the Da Vinci Code I HAD to finish it and the way that Dan Brown writes you are compelled to read as much of it that you can at once. He has a fast passed style that makes the pages fly. Coldwell and Thomason- not so much. I was also disappointed that you, as the reader, weren't given the opportunity to figure out the puzzles and codes listed in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. You merely have the role of observer. With the Da Vinci Code the reader gets the chance to solve the mystery along with the hero. (I know I'm slightly biased in my opinion- but its just that- My opinion)

There were also parts that weren't written as clearly as they could have been, others felt too bogged down with details that I didn't think were necessary. How much does it add to the character to know that when he looked at his watch that it was a digital watch and not some other kind of watch. I realize that I'm being petty and that in some situations those details could tell you more subconsciencly than you think, but more times than not, those little details just got on my nerves. Maybe I'm a bad one to judge it- I tried readint Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series and just couldn't get through his descriptive pages. I would find myself rereading passages over and over just trying to find out what had happened (and more times than not, putting myself to sleep quicker than any college text I've had to read).

Would I recommend The Rule of Four to someone else? Yes. I did enjoy that there were discriptions of events (mainly the Bonfire of the Vanities) that were talked about in detail in the The Birth of Venus. I like when a series of books that I've been reading comes full circle like that, esp since they weren't by the same author. The story line that is presented is interesting, it was just hard to follow at times. There are a lot of flash backs to events that happened in Tom's (main character) life. I had also read that they the option to make The Rule of Four into a movie has already been sold. I think that there is a great potential to make this book into an awesome movie.