very simple

Finished reading The Rule of Four, which I actually picked up on a whim after it pretty much invaded my local Barnes & Noble. I did think the style of writing was on a higher level than The Da Vinci Code, but then again, DVC read like it was written by a 12-year old in places (particularly whenever Brown attempted to write something resembling romance). I do agree with some of the other criticisms, in particular that it ended too early. I like the possibilities that it left open, but at the same time, like The Quincunx, it’s somewhat annoying to read through an entire book, actually invest yourself in the characters’ quests, and then be left hanging, not sure what step they’re going to take next, and not knowing if they ultimately reach the goal they’ve been striving for over several hundred pages. I personally think that kind of ending is a cop-out. It’s like the writers don’t want the cliche "happy/resolved ending", and they don’t trust themselves to be able to write something that overcomes the cliche, so they don’t give us an ending at all.

And to be honest? sometimes people like the cliche. That’s pretty much why it’s become cliche in the first place.

Tags: books