100 Reviews #2 - The Rule Of Four So "the Rule of Four" by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason was complex. It was quite enjoyable and I was compelled to read on, however I found the hypercernia/consortia ( whatever its called) very confusing and it was to the point that I almost became disinterested in it. The ending set up for a sequel which I believe never happened but I think that I would have enjoyed *SPOILER* unlocking the crypt more is just more exciting than unlocking the book. The characters are ok, but none of the primary characters are female and there are few female secondary characters, which are at all relevant except Katie(who is pretty useless in the scheme of things, which is hugely sexist in my opinion wether not the writers are aware of this IDK, but still. Tut, tut!) I also found the majority of the characters one dimensional and rather irritating as a result, as they abandoned likeness to a real person. The fact that there were so many characters was also a bit baffling and confused me quite a bit, especially as the friends who didn't work on the code breaking became interchangeable in my mind and didn't actually have much to distinguish them from one another at all. Regardless of the poor characters, the style was decent although I found the flashbacks distracting and I had to keep rereading to make sense of it all. Not as good as I had expected and I was hoping for something I couldn't put down - a better "Da Vinci Code", instead I got a mediocre attempt at a shameful and unfabulous plot. That being said it was better than the Da Vinci Code, it was complex enough that I was surprised with the solutions but also simple enough that I understood how they got the answer. The "villains" we're good enough, and like the other characters one dimensional but also gave the plot some motivation and a quickened pace, which would otherwise be swallowed by flashbacks. From me it's a four out of ten.(funny how that worked huh?) Decent writing. Interesting theme and plot. Illly Portrayed characters and substandard fluidity and pace. criteria: 1)Read again? -ok 2)Good writing? -yes 3)Good characters? -no 4)Good plot? -ok 5)Good development of idea? -ok 6)Appropriate ending? -no 7)Suitable style? -no 8)Interesting? -yes 9)Easy read? -ok 1Decent and Appropriate pace? -no Book suggestions would be welcome! Next I will review "the Perks Of Being a Walflower" in anticipation of the film release. Hopefully the review will be up on Friday or Saturday. Also go to liareads100.blogspot.com for the reviews featured here and the all important list which is updated weekly. You can also vote for the next book! Thanks, Lia. R