The Rule of Four

Rating:
Summary: Different and worthwhile
Review: The reviews here have focused a lot on similarities between this book and The Da Vinci Code. There are some similarities, but what I mainly enjoyed here was a fun, well written tale of friends coming of age. The adventure and history, and the authors' great job of making the Hyperotomachia book come to life, just makes it that much more of a page turner. Readers who feel this is not as well written as The Da Vinci Code must have been reading a different book. How Rule of Four stacks up against Donna Tartt is more debatable, but however you look at it, the writing here is pretty much the gold standard for a thriller. Very smart, and very enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing to get excited about.
Review: This book is like the person who thinks they have it all -- looks, personality, charm, charisma. But, the realty is that they are unoriginal, boring and try too hard. When I finished The Rule of Four I thought nothing. I didn't hate it and I didn't love it. It was forgettable. The book starts off with the main character, Tom Sullivan, telling the reader about the Hyperotomachia, the mysterious book that is the center of the story. This would be great, but the authors fail to give the reader a reason to care. They seem to be so caught up in writing the story with it's complicated riddles and details of snobby ivy league students that they forget that a story is only compelling and passionate to the reading public if they can in some way identify or empathize with it. Therefore, I read the book always feeling like I was waiting for something to happen. Something with real emotion. Something truly intriguing. Something I could care about. Sadly I never got that.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed it despite the negative reviews
Review: Understandbly some people are going to dislike this book for no reason other than the fact it has been "hyped." So many books seem disappointing for this reason: Someone has "told" us we're going to like it. Franzen's THE CORRECTIONS fell to this sad fate. But THE RULE OF FOUR is really an interesting book if you get past that. It's slightly like DA VINCI, but then so are about six or seven other books out there. Anagrams and clues are nothing new in books--authors have been putting them in for years; some blatant, and some, subtly. FOUR is more subtle than DA VINCI, but still catches your attention. What I liked most about this Caldwell/Thomason book was the attention to detail and the fact that the writing was better than CODE. But the only way you're really going to know if this is as good or bad as everyone says, is if you buy it yourself.

Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD

Rating:
Summary: this book is overhyped crap
Review: boy do publishers like to cash in. "people" compare this to "great writing." then people are really stupid. Where does that leave the thirty nine steps, sign of the four(please note the steal of the title), eye of the needle, marathon man, or writers like john mcdonald. robert parker, and grisham. this is the american idol version of a good thriller.

Rating:
Summary: The Rule of Four
Review: What a fantastic first novel for Thomason and Caldwell. For those who think they are jumping on the band wagon of the Da Vinci Code you should read a little closer and see that they started writing the book right after graduating in '98. An absolutely great read.

Rating:
Summary: Facinating thriller!!!!
Review: This is a facinating mystery that envolves solving the mysteries of the five-hundred-year-old Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, famous for its hypnotic powers over those who study it. Two Princton students nearing graduation, are under the spell of the Hypnerotomachia but not getting anywhere when they discover an ancient diary that begins to unlock the secrets! The fun of this book is trying to unlock the riddles and Mystries as you read along. I noticed that some of the other reviewers compare this book to the Da Vinci code, some not to kindly, but I have not read Da Vinci so it did not effect my view of this book. If you like historical riddles, and/or thrillers, and/or a good adventure story I recomend this book. In fact check out another good thriller: "A Tourist in the Yucatan" right now you can buy it together with "RULE OF FOUR" for $27.27! (Amazon's better together promotion).

Rating:
Summary: Good, Not Great
Review: I read this book with a great deal of anticipation having heard it was a cross between Donna Tartt's OUTSTANDING "The Secret History" and The DaVinci Code. Turns out to be different from both for different reasons. While it's true that like "The Secret History" the book revolves around overachievers at a higher level university, the characters simply are not as interesting as those in Tartt's book nor is this book nearly as well written. That doesn't mean it's not well written but comparisons to Tartt's beautiful prose are off base. It's different from DaVinci Code in that it is less of a page turner. DaVinci is more in line with a Grisham book in that once you start you can't stop but at the end you feel somewhat cheated from a literary perspective.

In a lot of respects this book is far more about the relationships between the main characters as well as the relationship between the narrator and his dead father, as well has his best friend and his "mentors" than it is a fast paced mystery along the lines of DaVinci.

For a first novel, it's quite good and I really am looking forward to see what the authors are able to produce in the future.

Rating:
Summary: entertaining read
Review: This is an entertaining read. The breezy writing style makes this book hard to put down. The intriguing plot kept me turning the pages. While it's not quite The Da Vinci Code, it's still a great summer poolside read. Debbie Farmer, author of 'Don't Put Lipstick on the Cat!'

Rating:
Summary: NOT DA VINCI!
Review: In spite of the over hype and attempts to cash in on the back of another bestseller, this book is no where near as good as The Da Vinci Code. It is entertaining but it does not deserve the bestseller status it has assumed. The writing style, while not terrible, is obvious that of a first time novelist. Character development is weak, and the dialog sophmoric. It is obvious that many of the early positive reviews were planted by the authors. I also note that any of the reviews that mention any negatives of the book already have a ton of negative votes? also planted by the authors? The authors need to grow up if they are going to be in the big time and learn to accept constructive critisim. In conclusion this is a breezy little book that does have some entertainment value, but is not an equal to the tombs of Dan Brown, Mike Crieghton etal.

Rating:
Summary: Very Well done!
Review: I came to this book in an unusual way: I knew nothing of the "Da Vinci" code comparasions, and probably for this reason I enjoyed it. A Princeton Senior is the main character in this thriller that is more like the academic part of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" than "Code." The writing is excellent and the plot is well thought out, like McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood" or possibly some of Grisham's books. But then, that's just my opinion. Read it for yourself--it's fun, not too long, and goes quickly.