Da Vinci meets Oprah

I have just finished reading "The Rule of Four" by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason, the book everyone loves to compare to The Da Vinci Code. Which is unfair really because the only thing they have in common is that both deal with a cryptic Renaissance mystery. In TROF the secret revolves around a 15th century book called Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (I kid you not) which is a massive book with an unkown author and strange illustrations. Other than that, it's apples and oranges. In some parts you feel the mystery is insignificant and neglected, more of a side-story to keep you reading. Which is why all the DVC fans were probably disappointed. Sure, I enjoyed the fast-paced action of DVC, but this new book offers much more insight and really gets you into the mindset of the characters.

Case in point: One beautiful discussion between the main character Tom and his dad describes the geometry of love. I don't want to give it away - but it leaves you nodding your head in silence, tracing triangles in your mind.