It is beyond me how people are comparing this book to the Da Vinci Code. The only similarity they share is that they each involve an ancient mystery that the protagonists attempt to solve. The differences are many. Whereas the Da Vinci Code embraced its mystery and suspense, the Rule attempts to combine its element of mystery and suspense with the coming of age of its characters. Be one or the other, but don't try to be both -because you might fail. The qualities of the Rule which would have been otherwise attractive are suffocated by the writers' attempt to create more than just a suspense novel. Too much pretense.