I will start by saying that this book is incredibly dense, as most reviewers have mentioned. However, if you are willing to not understand every last historical and occult reference, this book is absolutely fascinating. I fell completely into Eco's trap. I tried to follow his descriptions of the occult, puzzling out what it could all mean. I was intrigued by hints at "the Plan" and attempted to figure out just what this plan could be. Upon reaching the end of the novel, I felt like I had been duped, but brilliantly so. There is no plan, it is all fiction, yet I, just like characters such as Aglie and Bramanti, had fallen into the trap of believing. Eco truly got the last laugh.