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Dustin Thomason

Ian Caldwell

The Rule Of Four Hardcover – 6 May 2004

by Ian Caldwell (Author)

3.7 973 ratings

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Tom Sullivan is about to graduate from Princeton. He's intelligent and popular, but haunted by the violent death several years earlier of his father, an academic who devoted his life to studying one of the rarest, most complex and most valuable books in the world. Since its publication in 1499, the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili has baffled scholars who have tried to understand its many mysteries. Coded in seven languages, the text is at once a passionate love story, an intricate mathematical labyrinth, and a tale of arcane brutality. Paul Harris, Tom's roommate, has deeply personal reasons of his own for wanting to unveil the secrets the book hides. When a long-lost diary surfaces, it seems the two friends have found the key to the labyrinth - but when a fellow researcher is murdered only hours later, they suddenly find themselves in great danger. And what they discover embedded in the text stuns them: the passion of a Renaissance prince, a hidden crypt, and a secret worth dying to protect-

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Century
Publication date

6 May 2004
ISBN-10

1844130053
ISBN-13

978-1844130054
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Product description

Review

'An engrossing read... you won't be able to put this down' -- Eve, June 2004

..an assured piece of fiction that weaves together the past and the present seamlessly. I enjoyed it tremendously. -- Peter Guttridge, Observer, June 2004

An extremely erudite thriller -- New York Times

Prepare for an engrossing read.If you loved Donna Tartts The Secret History you wont be able to put this down. -- Eve

a Da Vinci Code for people with brains. -- Independent

this years biggest publishing sensation -- Guardian

From the Publisher

THE SECRET HISTORY meets THE NAME OF THE ROSE in this riveting novel about power, obsession, a priceless Renaissance book and a centuries-old mystery -

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Century; 1st edition (6 May 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1844130053
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1844130054

Best Sellers Rank: 2,426,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 39,353 in Crime, Thriller & Mystery Adventures
- 81,545 in Adventure Stories & Action
- 108,024 in Historical Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews:
3.7 973 ratings

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Dustin Thomason
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Ian Caldwell
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Ian Caldwell is an American novelist known for co-authoring the 2004 novel The Rule of Four. His second book, The Fifth Gospel, was published in 2015.
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A. P. Babichev
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L. K. Gillespie
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Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5

973 global ratings

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RogerB

If you like Dan Brown's books you will like this

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 10 September 2016

Verified Purchase

I got this title having done one of those "what-shall-I-read-next" searches looking for Dan Brown type fiction. Not at all disappointing in terms of story line but I did find some of the "in-fill" bits longwinded and, to my mind anyway, unnecessary. As always I had difficulty in keeping up with the who was who and why what they were doing was so important, but that probably says more about my powers of concentration than anything else. If you like Dan Brown's books you will like this, just be prepared to skip a few pages.

One person found this helpful

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Mark B

Avoid at all costs - the worst book I've read!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 31 July 2015

Verified Purchase

I've never felt the need to write a book review before but I've decided to write this to hopefully spare anyone else from reading this dreadful book.
The book is dull, incredibly slow moving and tedious... Need I go on?
This is perhaps the worst reading experience I've had. I've never given up on a book before but I came close to it page 300. I stuck it out only so that I could say I've never given up on a book! I wish I hadn't bothered - that's time I'll never get back. My father told me it was a good read so I bought the book. All I can say is he must have confused it with another book.
If you studied at Princeton then perhaps you will get something from this book but for everyone else, avoid this book at all costs unless you are a masochist. Pity I can't leave zero stars as this book is an insult to one star.

One person found this helpful

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Gewitty

A VERY slow burn

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 28 August 2016

Verified Purchase

If you like your mysteries high on detail, slow on pace and focused mainly on the relationships between the characters, this is the book for you.

Personally, the only reason I got to the end was sheer bloody-minded determination.

It's not that the actual writing is poor; just that it's dense. Rather like wading through treacle.

Do not expect Dan Brown.

One person found this helpful

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Inthenavy

Engrossing - I really liked it

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 23 May 2016

Verified Purchase

I really like this book, and cannot agree with the negative reviews at all.

The word I would use to describe it is 'engrossing'.

Less action-packed and more intellectual than the Da Vinci Code, but there is some action nevertheless. For me it was definitely a page-turner, but more for the intrigue and suspense than for 'fast-paced thrills'. While some people criticise the 'Princeton love-in', I appreciated the level of detail which allows the reader to be transported into the intensity of this particular college world (disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Princeton, have never been there, and until this book, knew nothing about it).

6 people found this helpful

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grandmother

Three Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 20 August 2017

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did not finish the book

One person found this helpful

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Billy

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 April 2018

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Excellent

2 people found this helpful

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MB Price

Well written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 18 February 2017

Verified Purchase

Surprised by the 'meh' responses so far.
Thought it was really well written, and at its heart a story about four friends at one point in time, rather than a clever puzzler. A really enjoyable read that I'm happy to recommend, and read again in the future.

2 people found this helpful

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Jill K. Andrew

OK

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 November 2017

Verified Purchase

OK read.

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The Rule Of Four Hardcover – 6 May 2004

Product description

Review

From the Publisher

About the Author

Product details

About the authors

Dustin Thomason

Ian Caldwell

A. P. Babichev

L. K. Gillespie

Customer reviews

Top reviews from United Kingdom

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