The Rule of Four

Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

Tom Sullivan, the first person narrator of this tale, is a senior at Princeton. His roommates are Paul Harris, Charlie Freeman and Gil Rankin. Tom's father was a lifelong student of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphilia by Francesco Colonna, an Italian fifteenth manuscript full of mysteries. His father died in a automobile accident that left him almost paralyzed. Tom has recovered and has avoided the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili since then.

When Tom and Paul started at Princeton four years earlier, Paul purposefully sought Tom out. Paul is also a student of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and was a student of Tom's father's work. Paul believes the same as Tom's father, an unpopular view among most Hypnerotomachia Poliphili students . Charlie, a medical student, and Gil, a bright wealthy man without a planned purpose for his life, joined then over the next year. They decided to share a room for the rest of their time at Princeton, a benefit for all four of them.

It is near the time the senior thesis is due. Gil, Charlie, and Tom have finished theirs. But Paul, acknowledged as one of the brightest students in that year of students at Princeton, is finishing up now to hand the thesis in within the next day or two. Of course his thesis is about his passion, the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili . His advisor, Professor Vincent Taft, was also a student of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili but his views are opposite of Paul's and Tom's Father. Paul stayed with Taft despite the difference of opinion and Taft's derision. Only two men living are students of the manuscript, and one had desisted his studies after running into too many dead ends.

The study of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili is a siren call to Paul, Taft, and eventually, Tom. Tom finally realized that he couldn't work on the hidden mysteries and riddles and maintain a normal life, so he gave up the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. Unfortunately, the study of the manuscript hasn't given up on him. On the night the book starts, Paul's thesis is due the next day. The four young men have stressed over their theses and been working extremely hard this final year of school. Before they joing the school's Easter festivities, they decide to sneak into the tunnels below Princeton to relax with an illicit game of laser tag.

After nearly getting caught, they proceed through the evening and through the weekend. Tom's narrative switches from present to memories of the four of them, but especially Paul, during their years at Princeton. The present wouldn't make sense without the past. The four men have formed a close bond; they support each other in their endeavors. So when Paul has some last minute information about the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili all are ready to help him discover the truth. But when a man is killed and pushed out a tower, the quest takes a nasty direction.

The Hypnerotomachia Poliphili is a real manuscript full of mysteries not yet solved. It is the center of The Rule of Four, yet the novel is about the relationships of the men. Caldwell and Thomason have created an intricate mystery as well as having a rich description of life at Princeton. The novel is a quieter novel, full of action yet not an action novel. The intelligence of Tom, Paul, Gil, and Charlie shape the feel of the novel. I found it slow reading because I never felt involved with the characters. I wasn't going to put it down, either. It still held my interest.