The rule of four

by Ian Caldwell

450 pages

English language

Published Jan. 6, 2005 by A Dell book.

ISBN:: 978-0-440-24135-5
OCLC Number:: 440003694

(13 reviews)

Princeton. Good Friday, 1999. On the eve of graduation, two students are a hairsbreadth from solving the mysteries of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. Famous for its hypnotic power over those who study it, the five-hundred-year-old Hypnerotomachia may finally reveal its secrets -- to Tom Sullivan, whose father was obsessed with the book, and Paul Harris, whose future depends on it. As the deadline looms, research has stalled -- until an ancient diary surfaces. What Tom and Paul discover inside shocks even them: proof that the location of a hidden crypt has been ciphered within the pages of the obscure Renaissance text.

Armed with this final clue, the two friends delve into the bizarre world of the Hypnerotomachia -- a world of forgotten erudition, strange sexual appetites, and terrible violence. But just as they begin to realize the magnitude of their discovery, Princeton's snowy campus is rocked: a longtime student of the …

A tale of timeless intrigue, dazzling scholarship, and great imaginative power, The Rule of Four is the story of a young man divided between the future's promise and the past's allure, guided only by friendship and love.

10 editions

Chris Aldrich reviewed The rule of four by Ian Caldwell

Review of 'The rule of four' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A nice little thriller about an obscure text from the Renaissance (quattrocento) set in modern times. This falls into the genre of historical fiction that's similar to [a:Dan Brown|630|Dan Brown|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1399396714p2/630.jpg]'s Robert Langdon series or films like the Nicolas Cage National Treasure series, though not quite as "rompish". I have to imagine that those who liked [b:Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore|13538873|Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore|Robin Sloan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345089845s/13538873.jpg|6736543], [b:Gentlemen and Players|15102|Gentlemen and Players|Joanne Harris|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1428545269s/15102.jpg|1099308], and [b:The Thirteenth Tale|40440|The Thirteenth Tale|Diane Setterfield|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346267826s/40440.jpg|849453] will enjoy this quite a lot.

Spoilers follow:

The Vincent Taft character could have been a better "heavy" but was pretty functional in the story given his limited appearances in the actual plot. I saw the Savonarola portion of the plot a mile away, but to most this will be an interesting historical diversion/lesson. I thought the ending was a bit too literary given the more plot-motivated feel of the rest of the narrative, …

airdog reviewed The rule of four by Ian Caldwell

Review of 'The rule of four' on 'GoodReads'

4 stars

Very well written book that tells the story of Princeton students deciphering a renaissance book by solving different riddles contained in the book itself.

I was a bit bothered by the place taken by the friendship and love anecdotes between the students, the difference between the two levels of discourse and the somewhat inflated importance of a trivial love relationship revealing maybe the youthfulness of the authors.