News from the Fourth Dimension
The Rule of Four – Ian Caldwell
I read this particular book (it is along ‘The Da Vinci Code’ lines) in the first semester, August 2004 to be exact. So why write the review now? For one, Nisha gave me a deadline that seemed almost impossible to meet given the fact that I’m suffering from a syndrome that most of the wannabe writers complain of, a ‘writer’s block’. So, I decided to move away from the verbal accolades that I’ve been showering the book for the past twelve months to something more concrete. The second one, and more important, I still can’t get over it.
The words stay with you and haunt you once you’ve finished reading it. The ideas become a part of your daily existence, goading you deeper and deeper into the recesses of the paragraphs, making you search for the sentences that you missed the last time you read it, a particular string of words that would answer the latest question that life has posed to you.
The book is about the obsession of one man with a book (sounds vaguely familiar) called Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (literally translated as ‘the story of Poliphili falling in love in his dreams’) and the impact of this obsession on his life and the life of three of his friends (all four studying in Princeton). The author takes the reader on a virtual rollercoaster ride through the lives of the main protagonist, his past, present and future melting into nothingness in utter devotion to the love of his life, the book in question.
Trust me, when I say that the book is not for the faint hearted. It pushes you away, and then draws you near, makes you laugh, makes you cry: the ultimate seductress. If you seek instant gratification that so many of the present bestsellers offer, this book might not be your calling.
‘No matter how fast you go, you’re still falling like a rock. It makes you wonder if horizontal motion is an illusion. If we move just to convince ourselves we’re not falling.’ – Ian Caldwell, The Rule of Four.
Phi says: After reading this book, Phi is bereft of words. So no gyan from him this time. But for those who want to be as dumbstruck as I am, mail me at phi.sibm@gmail.com and I’ll send you a pdf copy of the same.
I read this particular book (it is along ‘The Da Vinci Code’ lines) in the first semester, August 2004 to be exact. So why write the review now? For one, Nisha gave me a deadline that seemed almost impossible to meet given the fact that I’m suffering from a syndrome that most of the wannabe writers complain of, a ‘writer’s block’. So, I decided to move away from the verbal accolades that I’ve been showering the book for the past twelve months to something more concrete. The second one, and more important, I still can’t get over it.
The words stay with you and haunt you once you’ve finished reading it. The ideas become a part of your daily existence, goading you deeper and deeper into the recesses of the paragraphs, making you search for the sentences that you missed the last time you read it, a particular string of words that would answer the latest question that life has posed to you.
The book is about the obsession of one man with a book (sounds vaguely familiar) called Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (literally translated as ‘the story of Poliphili falling in love in his dreams’) and the impact of this obsession on his life and the life of three of his friends (all four studying in Princeton). The author takes the reader on a virtual rollercoaster ride through the lives of the main protagonist, his past, present and future melting into nothingness in utter devotion to the love of his life, the book in question.
Trust me, when I say that the book is not for the faint hearted. It pushes you away, and then draws you near, makes you laugh, makes you cry: the ultimate seductress. If you seek instant gratification that so many of the present bestsellers offer, this book might not be your calling.
‘No matter how fast you go, you’re still falling like a rock. It makes you wonder if horizontal motion is an illusion. If we move just to convince ourselves we’re not falling.’ – Ian Caldwell, The Rule of Four.
Phi says: After reading this book, Phi is bereft of words. So no gyan from him this time. But for those who want to be as dumbstruck as I am, mail me at phi.sibm@gmail.com and I’ll send you a pdf copy of the same.
posted by The Mad Magazine at
9:58 PM
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