The Rule of Four - Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason

The Rule of Four seems to be a book which has divided opinion very sharply. Some people regard it as little more than a Da Vinci Code cash-in, whilst others consider it superior to Dan Brown's ubiquitous book. Personally, I'm in the latter camp. It is easy to see why The Rule of Four has caused this split, though. What you make of it will very much depend on how you approach it. If you want a rip-roaring roller coaster of a ride, a novel that races breathlessly from set-piece to set-piece, constantly placing its characters in positions of peril, you'll be sorely disappointed; The Rule of Four is far more considered in its approach, ambling along at a much more ...  Read the complete review

Rules to some are like legs are to the Mafia – for breaking. The only things that ‘Rule of Four’ is likely to break is you willingness to live. I personally blame ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and the cash cow that it created. Every author with a manuscript that suggests even the smallest amount about an ancient puzzle gets the go ahead. This has lead to a huge influx of mediocre books onto the bestsellers list that give the reader little enjoyment. Some would say that this book has little in common with ‘Da Vinci’ and to that I say nonsense! Behold a book that has a good central premise that ruins it by being boring (see I told you they were similar). ‘The Rule ...  Read the complete review

I will read more or less anything, as I consider that there are few books around that could be less interesting than the view out of the window on the London Underground. That said, there are certain books I avoid like the plague. Generally speaking, if hype suggests I should read a book because everybody else either is or has, I won’t. This has kept me away from the whole of J. K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series and stopped me from reading “The Da Vinci Code”, which could be a good or a bad thing, depending who I listen to. Mind you, I did quite like the basic idea behind “The Da Vinci Code”. So when I happened across a copy of “The Rule of Four”, which ...  Read the complete review