The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

This was part of a large donation from an alumni.  Mrs. Taylor had read it and thought I would like it.  She said it was similar to the Langdon series by Dan Brown in that there was much historical mystery and medieval symbology.  While that was in fact true, and I liked the premise, I did not like the novel overall.

Two Princeton roommates are attempting to decipher the codes and riddles of a Renaissance text.  Paul graduate thesis is based upon the work, and Tom is the son of an expert on it.

What follows is in fact a Langdon-esque quest to solve the puzzle.  The two men and their other roommates, though, are thoroughly unlikeable.  There was nothing about any of them that made me care if they lived or died.  I was underwhelmed by the character development and the interpersonal relationships.  The story is also told in flashback and flashforward with no delineation telling the reader we are in the past or present.  It muddled the plot significantly.

Not a book I'd recommend.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

Tweet what you're reading #whhs #read

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.