Books: The rule of four
The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
It's too bad that this book was constantly compared to the Da Vinci Code, not that the Da Vinci Code isn't good or anything. They excite readers in different ways. Contrary to solve-the-mystery-or-you-will-die premises, the decoding of the prized book Hypnerotomachia Poliphil in the Rule of Four is a thread that interweaves the characters and events of a journey, Tom's coming of age and coming to terms with his past, much more than that of an ancient secret to be revealed, innocent lives to be spared or grave consequences to be faced with.
I enjoyed very much all the tidbits of the Princeton campus, Nude Olympics, the ancient and well preserved rituals of bidding for an eating club, dorm life, college romance and all that. The opening paragraph captured it so well I literally felt my heart twitch in a yearning for years past that will never return.
“Strange thing, time. It weighs most on those who have it least. Nothing is lighter than being young with the world on your shoulders; it gives you a feeling of possibility so seductive, you know there must be something more important you could be doing than studying for exams”
My favorite character is Paul, although the book seems to put Tom, the first person protagonist front and center. Charlie is everything good embodied in flesh and it feels unreal. And Gill. Gill has some major issues, and the authors were cruel not to give him a second chance for redemption, in my opinion. Paul is relentlessly wading through a dark tunnel alone, trapped, enchanted, discouraged, but never distracted. His intellectual capacity also amazes me—I mean obviously the authors were behind this, so they decoded Hypnerotomachia Poliphil supposedly. Paul was depecited brilliant, sharp, organized and soooo articulate and eloquent. How does a 22-year old do that? I often wonder is there any real purpose for imposing Gen-ed classes on people like Paul, even in Princeton? It will just be a waste of time for anyone THIS focused.
Romance between Katie and Tom is tepid at best, and unfinished. The ups and downs of their relationship present a tcontrast that's too sharp to illicit real sympathy from the readers (e.g. me). It feels like a well rehearsed musical played one too many times. Everything was done exactly right---acting, stage and costumes are brilliant, yet the true emotion and poignancy was lost in the formality of things. It did serve its purpose though, to act like yet another hurdle Tom has to jump to reach his final awakening. But that is just it. I almost felt as though the authors have intended to focus on Tom initially, but during the creative process of fleshing it out, the personal charisma of Paul was turning up so overwhelmingly the direction was altered unexpectedly.
It's too bad that this book was constantly compared to the Da Vinci Code, not that the Da Vinci Code isn't good or anything. They excite readers in different ways. Contrary to solve-the-mystery-or-you-will-die premises, the decoding of the prized book Hypnerotomachia Poliphil in the Rule of Four is a thread that interweaves the characters and events of a journey, Tom's coming of age and coming to terms with his past, much more than that of an ancient secret to be revealed, innocent lives to be spared or grave consequences to be faced with.
I enjoyed very much all the tidbits of the Princeton campus, Nude Olympics, the ancient and well preserved rituals of bidding for an eating club, dorm life, college romance and all that. The opening paragraph captured it so well I literally felt my heart twitch in a yearning for years past that will never return.
“Strange thing, time. It weighs most on those who have it least. Nothing is lighter than being young with the world on your shoulders; it gives you a feeling of possibility so seductive, you know there must be something more important you could be doing than studying for exams”
My favorite character is Paul, although the book seems to put Tom, the first person protagonist front and center. Charlie is everything good embodied in flesh and it feels unreal. And Gill. Gill has some major issues, and the authors were cruel not to give him a second chance for redemption, in my opinion. Paul is relentlessly wading through a dark tunnel alone, trapped, enchanted, discouraged, but never distracted. His intellectual capacity also amazes me—I mean obviously the authors were behind this, so they decoded Hypnerotomachia Poliphil supposedly. Paul was depecited brilliant, sharp, organized and soooo articulate and eloquent. How does a 22-year old do that? I often wonder is there any real purpose for imposing Gen-ed classes on people like Paul, even in Princeton? It will just be a waste of time for anyone THIS focused.
Romance between Katie and Tom is tepid at best, and unfinished. The ups and downs of their relationship present a tcontrast that's too sharp to illicit real sympathy from the readers (e.g. me). It feels like a well rehearsed musical played one too many times. Everything was done exactly right---acting, stage and costumes are brilliant, yet the true emotion and poignancy was lost in the formality of things. It did serve its purpose though, to act like yet another hurdle Tom has to jump to reach his final awakening. But that is just it. I almost felt as though the authors have intended to focus on Tom initially, but during the creative process of fleshing it out, the personal charisma of Paul was turning up so overwhelmingly the direction was altered unexpectedly.
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