The Rule Of Four - another historical folly......?

OK dudes, if you intend to read The Rule Of Four and have not yet done so, or still have not read Da Vinci (groan) Code or Angels and Demons, you may wish to skip this posting.

I have just finished The Rule Of Four, and yet again it is a book that heads for the trustable Raiders Of The Lost Ark ending. this follows in the path of Dan Brown's mega selling works, the mentioned Da Vinci and of course Angels and Demons.


all three are damn enjoyable reads, right up to the end. when it cannot have any conclusion but the Indiana Jones one of having the ark of the covenant (or the equivalent in the three books) 'mysteriously' boxed up and kept a secret. the problem, peeps, with manipulating history to suit your story is that you have to either :

(a) have "but it was all kept a secret still" as the ending

or

(b) come up with such an outlandish ending that it undermines the whole book (something that Angels and Demons flirts well with)

or

(c) have Pam wake up, find Bobby in the shower and declare it all to be a dream.

the "big" titles of literature at the moment are filled with astounding stories and incredible thinking, blending fiction and fact with relative ease. I do love this kind of fiction, the kind that turns around conventional thinking.

could I reccomend that Mr Brown, and indeed the two authors behind Rule of Four, take my advice and consult the great weaver of fact/fiction literature? that would be the late Anthony Burgess, of course. he came up with some unusual and certainly unconventional twists to history by leading the authour to question how we interpret actual historical conclusions, and not by playing with the steps taken to those conclusions. a slight, but effective, twist to this latest publishing craze.

if i have to read one more book which reminds me of Professor Jones being assured that the "top men" are looking after the conclusions of a great deal of time sacrificed by reader/audience, i will give it a real hiding on this page. that said, Dan Brown's Deception Point could well be my next read. you have been warned in advance.

ho hum, Lunar Park by the great great great great Bret Easton Ellis should be with me soon, as well as "Haunted" by Chuck Palithinuck (or however you spell his name, sorry), and indeed My Side Of The Mountain and Farenheit 451. some works of literature that I can trust and read with joy!!

right, off to bed!

be excellent to each other!!!