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    The Rule of Four
    The Rule of Four
    The Rule of Four
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Rule of Four

    Written by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

    Narrated by Jeff Woodman

    3/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A mysterious coded manuscript, a violent Ivy League murder, and the secrets of a Renaissance prince collide in a labyrinth of betrayal, madness, and genius.
    THE RULE OF FOUR
    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 book is murdered, shot dead in the hushed halls of the history department.
    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateSep 1, 2004
    ISBN9780743543217
    The Rule of Four
    Author

    Ian Caldwell

    Ian Caldwell is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Fifth Gospel and (with Dustin Thomason) The Rule of Four, which sold nearly two million copies in North America and was translated into thirty-five languages. He lives in Virginia with his wife and children.

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    Reviews for The Rule of Four

    3/5

    119 ratings82 reviews

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    • 4/5
      An interesting mystery about an ancient book, a puzzle which slowly unfolds. It is a good read but pacing is quite uneven with the prospect of losing interest in the story. Nevertheless a good read.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      It's a complicated, intricate and sometimes difficult read. There are murders, romances, dangers and detection, and by the end the heroes are in a race not only to solve the puzzle, but also to stay alive. At times, I felt I wasn't smart enough to be reading this book; but, I stuck with it even if there were parts that I didn't understand at all. In the end, the feeling of being dumb left a bad taste in my mind and I couldn't say that I really liked the book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      The first couple chapters seemed slow and have the least effective writing, but then the plot tightens such that I couldn't put this down. These authors construct an effective mystery and a small, interwoven set of characters that interact well together. The dialogue is weak in places, but I still very much enjoyed the story and the premise.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This story provided a fun, suspenseful, intelligent romp through college with a group of smart, geeky, very real students. As enjoyable as the mystery was, the idea of two young adults pulling-off an accomplishment as sophisticated as this debut novel helped make the read even more impressive and entertaining.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Not my usual genre reading but very mind provoking. Well written personal characters.
    • 3/5
      This was a nice, low stress book! Didn't have to think too hard, just sit back and relax with a decent story. Overall, I wasn't overwhelmed... but it wasn't aweful.
    • 5/5
      When I was in high school and wanted to get rid of some pesty kid, I'd tell him I had to work on my translation of the Hypnerotomachia. When the kid said "What?" I'd reply, "You know, the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. Brother Benedict is really pushing me to get it done on time." And the kid would let me alone. So I was very happy to see The Rule of Four published, because the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili plays a big role in it. The Rule of Four was published at the same time as The Da Vinci Code, and the two books have similar subject matter. I think The Rule of Four is the better of the two books. I highly recommend it.
    • 3/5
      While fascinating and I learned so much, I was a bit irritated at the layout of the story. It jumps around a lot in a jarring sort of way. Interesting characters and intriguing back story saves it though. Really more a tale of father and son and growing up than a Dan Brown style novel which is what it came across as in the synopsis.
    • 1/5
      Really poorly written. Decided to get off the train wreck half way through -- other reviews indicate that was a good move. Could not engage with the characters, they all were very bland in their development. The premise was good, but not developed the way it could have been. Very obvious this is a first novel attempt.
    • 3/5
      Disappointing read - a promised payoff sputters and dies.
    • 4/5
      This book offers more than you ever cared to know about the day-to-day details of life at Princeton, a bit of undergraduate romance, murder, mystery and a scholar's puzzle. The problem is that often the writers give more attention to the background than to the primary theme of the work. This is not a book I will retain in my library, nor would I particularly recommend it but the authors are worth watching for future efforts.
    • 1/5
      Where Do I Sign Up for a Refund?This book is the work of amateurs. Plot elements are laid bare with only superficial attempts at building suspense. The central quartet of characters are shallow and unendearing. This reads more like a freshman guide to Princeton than a mystery novel. The 'mystery' of the book is dull and predictable, and the 'climax' was reminiscent of bad sexual experiences - unfulfilling and making me happy it was over. Instead of buying this book, light a $20 bill on fire. It will save you from wasting time on this pathetic story and you can warm your hands with it.
    • 4/5
      The was an entertaining debut novel about finding a secret code within the text of an ancient rare book. The story isn't without it's flaws but overall is told so convincingly that it actually inspired me to do the research to find out exactly where the line between fact and fiction is drawn.
    • 2/5
      Decent plot - questionable endingThe Rule of Four was not all that I thought it would be...I enjoyed the basic plot and could see the Dan Brown type writing within but it lacked the staying power that Brown has. Without too much trouble you can see the ending of this novel from page 10. I was hoping that there would be more of a twist to the ending than there was. The book was easy to read with clear language and dialogue. An average reader could get through this book very quickly. Overall I would say you get what you see from this book. There are no "big surprises" that will keep you guessing
    • 1/5
      Couldn't finish it. Too slow.
    • 4/5
      A college student, whose father was an obsessed researcher, meets a would-be disciple of his father?s. Their frendship grows and both young men are drawn into the same obsession, trying to figure out an ancient book written in code. This book reminded me a lot of A.S. Byatt?s Possession. The same sense of nearly mad obsession, the same sense of needing to solve the puzzles and devote all of one?s time and energies to the mystery.I personally loved it, but can see why others might not. I?m all for puzzles, bibliomysteries and obsessions!
    • 2/5
      This was a tricky one for the end of the year. Some of us were not up to the task of unraveling the puzzle of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili! It may well have been the time of year, or, as someone suggested, the self-indulgence of the two authors. Either way, it was a struggle for most of our group to get through this scholarly mystery. Ann, who did enjoy the challenge, felt you needed a love of history and accumulating knowledge to get the most from this book, and she loved the ?mystery within the mystery? that ran throughout. Viti also found some value within its pages and the historical tidbits that were scattered through the story. But the overall opinion was that Rule of Four did not quite make the grade for a good novel. To much work required, tedious and characters that did not connect were among the majority of views. Would it have been different if we read this book at the beginning of the year? Probably not. Our book club has a well developed sense of what they like, and are not easily convinced otherwise. So it is on to a new year of reading, which gets everyone excited about what we will discover. Keep an eye on this blog for our latest reviews of 2013.
    • 3/5
      Good book! I was a little skeptical, because there was a lot of buzz about this book, comparing it to The Da Vinci Code, but I was pleased with it. The only real comparison I saw was that it deals with art and such in the Renaissance. My only complaint is that they weren't real clear on some of the time transitions, and somewhere in the middle I lost track of the timeline. I wasn't sure if I was in the present or the past. But overall, quite interesting!
    • 3/5
      Eh....what can I say? It was ok. There wasn't anything captivating or elusive about it. I probably shouldn't even tag it as mystery. The enjoyable part was the main character's back story. The end was terrible. If you're bored and want to waste a few hours of your life, read it.
    • 3/5
      Unusually, this book is written by two authors, both young grads who have been friends since school days. The cover blurb suggested something like The Name of the Rose crossed with Da Vinci Code, but this is a more conventional book, telling a story involving a group of final year college kids. The weak point is the poor attempt to describe relationships (wooden and not very believable) but there is a good story in there, and these guys show potential. Read August 2011.
    • 3/5
      The Rule of Four was a good read once I got into it, but it started out kind of slowly. The mystery is great and builds up well, but there isn't a cliffhanger at the end of every page so it was occasionally easy to put down.
    • 3/5
      I have a hard time not comparing book-within-a-book mysteries to The Name of the Rose. Such a comparison is usually unfavorable and unfair.So that aside, I did become interested in the mystery of this book, and a few silly action scenes aside, I enjoyed experiencing the main character's struggle against academic obsession.
    • 2/5
      This book was okay. Most definitly capitilizing on the dan brown adventurous historian who uncovers a secret phenomenon. I was initially attracted to it because it is set in princeton, which isn't far from where I live. It was an unimpressive read, but a good summer 'fluff' read. I hate to say fluff, because that is usually connotated with smutty romances, but this is a book that I don't think you really have to think too much about while reading.
    • 1/5
      Difficult to access, weak characterisations, poor attempt at "Donna Tartt" mimicry. Inaccessible, and convuluted, not great, avoid
    • 2/5
      I found this book boring and repetitious. Capitalizing on the Da Vinci Code. The mystery did not interest me. The characters were predictable.
    • 3/5
      This book is about love, friendship, moving on, and striving to do what you like.
    • 4/5
      An interesting melange of The Secret History, Da Vinci Code and The Name of the Rose. A book contains secrets, some college students are studying it, crooked college politics and murder affect events.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book! It was a great mystery. I felt like I knew the main characters and could see what they saw. This book was a quick read, but a great one.
    • 2/5
      Read the back cover which said it was a mix of Dan Brown and F. Scott Fitzgerald... did not disappoint.
    • 1/5
      I have a 30 page rule; If a book or its characters do not hold my attention by page 31, I discard it. Regrettably, I violated that rule with this book and went to 60 pages in the hope that it would compel me to re-think my decision. It didnt. It was a chore to plough through the 60 pages, No stars for this stinker, and before somebody points out how great the book got later on, I remain adamant that there are so many books out there that fill me with wonder or enjoyment within 30 pages, that I can not waste my time on books that do not.