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79th out of 5,116 books
—
14,179 voters
The Rule of Four
by
Ian Caldwell,
Dustin Thomason (Goodreads Author)
An ivy league murder, a mysterious coded manuscript, and the secrets of a Renaissance prince collide memorably in The Rule of Four—a brilliant work of fiction that weaves together suspense and scholarship, high art and unimaginable treachery.
It's Easter at Princeton. Seniors are scrambling to finish their theses. And two students, Tom Sullivan and Paul Harris, are a hair's...more
It's Easter at Princeton. Seniors are scrambling to finish their theses. And two students, Tom Sullivan and Paul Harris, are a hair's...more
Paperback, 464 pages
Published
June 28th 2005
by Dell
(first published January 1st 2004)
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Jul 11, 2007
Keith
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who are nostalgic about their ivy league college days
This book was billed as a more intellectual version of The Da Vinci Code, and while I suppose it is essentially that, I honestly did not enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Dan Brown's book. The story is about a Princeton student who inherits from his father an obsession with an ancient text called the Hypnerotomachia, purported to contain directions to a vault of treasure.
Unfortunately, less than half the book was really devoted to the treasure hunt itself, with the remainder consisting of too-extens...more
Unfortunately, less than half the book was really devoted to the treasure hunt itself, with the remainder consisting of too-extens...more
A Mr. Nelson DeMille writes on the back of this book that, "If Scott Fitzgerald, Umberto Eco, and Dan Brown teamed up to write a novel, the result would be The Rule of Four." I don't believe...I just can't...words fail me. F. Scott Fitzgerald must be spinning in his grave right now. Comparing Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason to Fitzgerald? Blasphemy. As for comparing them to Dan Brown, they're not even the poor man's Dan Brown - more like the homeless man's, if that. (I haven't read Umberto Eco,...more
23 likes · like · see review
the short version:
As trashy as you'd expect, with the unfortunate surprise of being almost completely uninteresting. Also, the end of the book thinks it is romanticizing academics, but it's really insulting them.
the long version (what I wrote about the book when I first read it):
Another Ivy League Education Gone to Waste
There's a small selection of English language books in the lounge at work, and I picked up The Rule of Four the other day. I recalled reading a -- mostly positive -- review of...more
As trashy as you'd expect, with the unfortunate surprise of being almost completely uninteresting. Also, the end of the book thinks it is romanticizing academics, but it's really insulting them.
the long version (what I wrote about the book when I first read it):
Another Ivy League Education Gone to Waste
There's a small selection of English language books in the lounge at work, and I picked up The Rule of Four the other day. I recalled reading a -- mostly positive -- review of...more
12 likes · like · see review
I strongly, strongly disliked this book.
After I first finished reading it, I wondered if the reason I hated it was because it had been mismarketed as a Da Vinci Code analogue, and I do love me some sleuthing among historical artifacts. But no.
I hated it because I disliked the pretentious characters. I disliked the plot and the constant, preening, self-indulgent homage to the hallowed halls of Princeton. I am always thrilled to hear that people love their alma mater. Really. But I don't need a c...more
After I first finished reading it, I wondered if the reason I hated it was because it had been mismarketed as a Da Vinci Code analogue, and I do love me some sleuthing among historical artifacts. But no.
I hated it because I disliked the pretentious characters. I disliked the plot and the constant, preening, self-indulgent homage to the hallowed halls of Princeton. I am always thrilled to hear that people love their alma mater. Really. But I don't need a c...more
15 likes · like · see review
This book is incredibly creative; I love how Ian takes the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and creates a compelling story built around history and detective work. If you loved Dan Browns books because you where excited to figure out the clues and solve the mysteries then you will love this book. The story itself included just enough drama to not take away from the underlying teaching of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (I’m sorry, once I taught myself to say it once I can’t stop saying it now). This anci...more
14 likes · like · see review
I am mystified by the great reviews that this book got...for instance, i believe the nyt said "stunningly erudite," where i think what they meant was "pretentiously psuedointellectual", or, in more common terms, "dull". other people have said that this is similar to the da vinci code, only written well, whereas i would say that it is more of a modern "name of the rose," written by two people who are boring. my only way of understanding the reviews is to think that book reviewers enjoy the consta...more
Second time through; still one of my all-time favorites. The prose is elegant and witty, despite being billed in the "literary thriller" genre (think The Da Vinci Code). The characters are rich, deep, and believable, especially Tom Sullivan, the narrator, on whom I think I have a wee crush. His observations on the dangers of loving things that cannot love you back—in his case, books—have stayed with me since I first read this last summer. The Rule of Four reads like a memoir, a careful blend of...more
I don't even think this should have been published. This was the biggest waste of time. The book focuses on a manuscript (you never really learn how to pronounce it, even with the pronunciation guide) that has secret clues hidden in it that are uraveled by some friends. It's stupid. The plot is terrible and just as you think the climax of the book is coming up, it ends. This is one of the few books I tell everyone to steer clear of. Totally worthless.
I think I once read a more poorly written book.
Let me think for a minute.......hmm........er........uh....... No, I guess I was wrong.
Many books may suck, but few can exceed this one for true crappiness.
Let me think for a minute.......hmm........er........uh....... No, I guess I was wrong.
Many books may suck, but few can exceed this one for true crappiness.
9 likes · like · see review
Oh, "The Rule of Four." It's been a while since I read this, but I thought about it again when I saw not one, but two copies at my local thrift store yesterday. It came out in 2004.
Yes, it's that awesome. This treasure was published on the heels of The DaVinci Code- it was rushed out, and the editing and extremely poor writing style reflect this. Take one member of academia (Tom, a college student!), add a mysterious tome (the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili- it's got codes!), and all of the other peo...more
Yes, it's that awesome. This treasure was published on the heels of The DaVinci Code- it was rushed out, and the editing and extremely poor writing style reflect this. Take one member of academia (Tom, a college student!), add a mysterious tome (the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili- it's got codes!), and all of the other peo...more
Sep 12, 2007
Rachel
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
thrill seekers left wanting by The daVinci Code.
After listening to me complain about the terrible writing in The Da Vinci Code, my roommate recommended this book as a more satisfying read that blends art history with a murder mystery. I liked it (and greatly preferred the authors' style over that hack Dan Brown's), but I didn't love it.
Nearly as interesting as the book itself is the story of the two young authors, Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, childhood friends and recent college graduates, who collaborated for years to write The Rul...more
Nearly as interesting as the book itself is the story of the two young authors, Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, childhood friends and recent college graduates, who collaborated for years to write The Rul...more
You can compare it to the Da Vinci Code, in that it has the same sort of genre. The difference is that The Rule of Four has more character development, and less thriller action. To me, the book seemed similar in pretense, but was smarter in the content. It had a scholarly feel, and not just a governmental action feel.
Beautiful analogies and allegories are utilized by the two writers to convey the character’s thoughts and musings. These were a pleasure to read and effectively added to the emotion...more
Beautiful analogies and allegories are utilized by the two writers to convey the character’s thoughts and musings. These were a pleasure to read and effectively added to the emotion...more
Seemed like a pathetic attempt at ripping off Dan Brown's success, which is nothing short of delusional. While I could see why someone would want to recreate that amount of success, I see no point whatsoever in writing something as shitty as he did in order to achieve that goal.
Fortunately, this book is better than The Da Vinci Code. Unfortunately, that's really not saying much at all. The twist at the end is actually a doozy, and the concept of the puzzle-ridden text is quite intriguing, but th...more
Fortunately, this book is better than The Da Vinci Code. Unfortunately, that's really not saying much at all. The twist at the end is actually a doozy, and the concept of the puzzle-ridden text is quite intriguing, but th...more
The comparisons to The DaVinci Code are inevitable, and the substandard copyediting seems to indicate that The Rule of Four was rushed out in order to capitalize on the Dan Brown furor. That the mistakes weren't fixed for the paperback edition is rather puzzling. The reviews do seem overenthusiastic, though it figures that the New York Times would seize on this more erudite text given the opportunity to steer readers from Dan Brown. Overall, this book was less thriller, more bildungsroman, and I...more
Really badly written and poor - how on earth did this get published?
The Rule of Four is an extremely erudite thriller set on the campus of Princeton University and constructed around a famously arcane text from the 15th century. This novel's two authors are exquisitely educated and very smart. The text at the center of the novel ''is the world's longest book about a man having a dream,'' Tom explains ardently, ''and it makes Marcel Proust, who wrote the world's longest book about a man eating a piece of cake, look like Ernest Hemingway.'' One remarkable thing ab...more
Confession: This book was so dreadful that I was moved to create a new readometer especially for it.
Another confession, I never finished this book, it is unbelievably dull. Sure I never got to the end, although several reviews suggest that there isn't really an end anyway but as far as I got it seems to be a pseudo intellectual group masturbation about the wonders of going to Princeton. Quoting as many classics as can be crammed into the storyline (there was a storyline wasn't there?). The whol...more
7 likes · like · see review
Aug 17, 2008
La Petite Américaine
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People who think dust is exciting
Shelves:
sucked
"The Da Vinci Code for people with brains." The Independent.
Sigh. Yeah. More like a book for anyone who passed English 101 freshman year of college. At least the Da Vinci Code was a page-turner ... an idiotic and predictable page-turner, but still entertaining. In The Rule of Four, it takes 268 pages for two hours to pass. The male protagonists are four college guys who drink wine (yeah right) and watch Audrey Hepburn movies (suuuuuure), and one is such a genius that he can easily translate a 1...more
Sigh. Yeah. More like a book for anyone who passed English 101 freshman year of college. At least the Da Vinci Code was a page-turner ... an idiotic and predictable page-turner, but still entertaining. In The Rule of Four, it takes 268 pages for two hours to pass. The male protagonists are four college guys who drink wine (yeah right) and watch Audrey Hepburn movies (suuuuuure), and one is such a genius that he can easily translate a 1...more
9 likes · like · see review
Touted as a "coming-of-age" DaVinci code, this story of 4 Princeton roommates and their obsession with and struggles to decode a medieval text with major historic ramifications got a bit tedious for me. The complex codes and various ways medieval writers used them was interesting (if indeed they did, haven't researched that part) but I found myself saying more than once, "Who cares?! Just stop stringing me along!"
Sep 22, 2007
Jeff
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Suspense Enthusiasts
I enjoyed this book immensely. The Rule of Four came out around the same time as when the Da Vinci Code was a big deal, and other authors were jumping on the suspense/ historical fiction bandwagon. This was one of those books on that bandwagon. That being said, this is still a good read. The setting is Princeton. Tom Sullivan and Paul Harris are friends that have ties to a 500 year-old Renaissance book they are researching. The research is followed by many surprises, clues, solutions, relationsh...more
I didn't think this book lived up to it's billing. In fact, I'd have to go ahead and disagree with the statement from the publisher: "a brilliant work of fiction that weaves together suspense and scholarship, high art and unimaginable treachery." It was a mystery, yes. It incorporated scholarship, yes. It had moments of suspense. It wasn't really that suspenseful, though. I thought the story actually moved rather slowly. I was interested, but not enthralled. There was also the aspect of believab...more
Not sure how to describe this book - it's about 4 friends in college, one is obsessed with unravelling the mystery of an archaic Medieval publication, the other's father was similarly consumed by the work in his day, and the two other friends are just there. The book bounces around a bit, and it's very dark and gloomy, but you keep reading b/c you want to find out what the deal is with this ancient book - what's the big mystery. I never really got the sense that the 4 friends were really that ti...more
While not the first, the Da Vicni Code spawned any number of look-alikes in the ancient-secret-society, solve-the riddle-and-get-the prize genre. This riddle, however, is based on a 500 year old text, The Hypnerotomachia. Scattered throughout this seemingly deadly boring book are a series of clues that lead to& A Treasure. Like they all do.[return][return]As usual, it isn� t the treasure at the end that is the point of such books, but the process by which the riddle is solved. Actually findi...more
Prior to beginning "The Rule of Four", I read some of the Amazon reviews which were very mixed resulting in 2.5 stars. Perhaps I would have given up on the book if it hadn't been a selection for a book club. Reading it on my Kindle, I was able to note that I was 40% through the book before it really grabbed me.
The "Rule of Four" is an intricate mystery that revisits the Renaissance era book, Hypnerotomachia Poliphili published in 1499. A Princeton University student is painstakingly conducting r...more
The "Rule of Four" is an intricate mystery that revisits the Renaissance era book, Hypnerotomachia Poliphili published in 1499. A Princeton University student is painstakingly conducting r...more
I was curious about this book with the fact that it is being compared to Dan Brown and Umberto Eco. I bought a copy at BookSale for only 105 Php...piled it in mah collection for months...and decided to read it last Halloween. Jeez! Why didn't I read it right away?
In Brown's Angels and Demons, it's Science Versus Religion.
In The Da Vinci Code, it's Facts Against Religion.
In The Rule of Four, it's ART VERSUS RELIGION.
Gawd, who would have thought about that? I mean, most of the paintings and mga st...more
In Brown's Angels and Demons, it's Science Versus Religion.
In The Da Vinci Code, it's Facts Against Religion.
In The Rule of Four, it's ART VERSUS RELIGION.
Gawd, who would have thought about that? I mean, most of the paintings and mga st...more
What’s a Princeton senior to do? Should he follow his father’s dream, hang with with buddies, or get serious with his girlfriend? Tom Sullivan may or may not give a timely or satisfactory answer to that question, but there’s no doubt that The Rule of Four is adroit at framing it. Caldwell and Thomason paint a convincing picture of a young man faced with impending adulthood—represented here by Tom’s upcoming graduation—and torn in heart and mind by the choices it forces into his life.
On the one h...more
On the one h...more
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click here.
Maybe I should compose a nonsensical piece of literary mumbo-jumbo with no foreseeable solution unless someone were to spend thousands of hours, spend all the money they have, lose any chance of a normal life, and risk life and limb to find the "solution". And even then.....maybe I STILL won't give him all the answers. But surely, the fact that such an article exists means its contents MUST be worth it (ground breaking and nothing the world has seen before.) Right? Not really. I was more inspire...more
The cover of the books say 'The Da Vinci Code' for those with brains-that's what caught my eye. Started reading it on Monday and I gradually came to understand why this is so amazing. Again, similar to the DVC, it's about a secret but in contrary, the secret is written in a coded language hidden within the paragraphs and chapters of an old text, not like the characters in DVC where they had to go around to different locations. Like any other books about adventure/mystery, the story involves a mu...more
I read this book because I love the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, and have seen a few copies (always behind glass, alas). The mystery of that book as unraveled (invented, really) here is uninteresting to me, because with the assumption that there is one is the tacit admission that the real Hypnerotomachia is uninteresting or unfulfilling in its own right. That somehow its destiny is unfulfilled, its binding unbroken, its pages not properly read yet. That it is not final as it sits.
Maybe there is a...more
Maybe there is a...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's The Name o...: College student and friend try to solve puzzles in old book. [s] | 5 | 123 | Nov 04, 2012 05:52pm | |
| In and of itself | 9 | 99 | Sep 19, 2012 12:18pm | |
| Goodreads Librari...: Books Should Not Be Combined | 11 | 179 | Jul 18, 2012 01:06pm |
Ian Caldwell is an American novelist. After graduating from Princeton University in 1998, he and his childhood friend Dustin Thomason co-wrote the semi-autobiographical The Rule of Four, which was published in 2004.
Caldwell and Thomason graduated from the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1994. Caldwell was a Phi Beta Kappa in history at Princ...more
More about Ian Caldwell...
Caldwell and Thomason graduated from the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1994. Caldwell was a Phi Beta Kappa in history at Princ...more
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“Hope,... which whispered from Pandora's box after all the other plagues and sorrows had escaped, is the best and last of all things. Without it, there is only time. And time pushes at our backs like a centrifuge, forcing outward and away, until it nudges us into oblivion... It's a law of motion, a fact of physics..., no different from the stages of white dwarves and red giants. Like all things in the universe, we are destined from birth to diverge. Time is simply the yardstick of our separation. If we are particles in a sea of distance, exploded from an original whole, then there is a science to our solitude. We are lonely in proportion to our years.”
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“Never invest yourself in anything so deeply that its failure could cost you your happiness.”
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