The Book of Fate
by Brad Meltzer
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Book Reviews of The Book of Fate
Book Review: Barely Readable, Astonishingly Empty
Summary: 1 Stars
Barely readable, astonishingly empty, The Book of Fate is an example what happens when a popular commercial author becomes so entrenched as a recognizable name that the quality of his work no longer matters to the publisher. The marketing provided a hook in the hint of a Freemason link to the White House and a Presidential assasination attempt but the story itself doesn't deliver. You learn almost nothing about the Freemasons and even less about the life of a former President and his bodyman. The build up of a trio of bad guys is so overlysimplistic that it is almost comical. Even the locations speak of a writer who has so much leisure time that he only describes the fancy palm tree lined streets that he can see outside of his condo window.
Ultimately, blame for The Book of Fate needs to fall on the Publisher more than the writer. Instead of seeking out new talent or demanding meaningful text, they took the path of least resistance and left the consumers hanging high and dry.
Book Review: Not enough research
Summary: 2 Stars
It's funny - he talks about his 3 years of research in the Masons....yet the recurring scream Wes hears (way too many times in this book) is in "C Minor." Here's the problem, any minor musical research would have told him C minor is a chord or a key signature, and requires at least 3 notes...every time I read about the C minor scream, I kept thinking "moron." You can't scream 3 notes, or a full scale, which are the only things designated as C minor.
Wes was an annoying protagonist....well into his 30s and unable to stand up for himself...even at the end.
Book was OK, but certainly not brilliant....and way too long....random dead people everywhere, and no discussion of what happened when the random bodies were found....If he spent 3 years researching what was an unbelievably minor (no pun intended) part of the story, he could have gone for realism a bit more in the other 450 pages!
Book Review: the kind of thriller I enjoy
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed "The Book of Fate". It is long and complex, some say bloated, but I had no problem reading it, all of it was interesting enough to keep me turning pages.
I liked the exploration into loyalty, both political and personal that Wes faces. I didn't find his character weak or whiny, he's real instead of a "superman" protagonist that sees everything in black and white. I also liked his friends, they are well written characters, adding to the story instead of cardboard cutouts just there to move the story along.
I won't give a plot summary, many have done it already, but "The Book of Fate" is a good political intrigue thriller, well written but long. Something I was really happy about also was that after the climactic scene, the author gives some wrap up of what happens to the characters next instead of just ending it. That is very satisfying to me as a reader.
Book Review: Fun to read with a few good twist
Summary: 4 Stars
After reading Meltzer's Millionaires I was a little disappointed in this story. But, I have come to respect his work. As a whole Meltzer's average story beats other authors good stories hands down. This story has a lot of good content as well as a nice development of the motivations and actions of Wes Hollow as President Manning's aide. I was worried that this book would be an attempt to replace The DeVinci Code by Dan Brown but I was very happy to find out that it wasn't drowned in secret/hidden meaning or secret society hunts. This was a great story it mythology related to masonry and tied it to a set of believable events. The plot twist and search for a mole within this novel will keep you reading page after page. I can't say more about the story without giving away some of the mysteries that make this book so fun to read. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.Book Review: Rip off of symbol
Summary: 1 Stars
I purchased Brad Meltzer's "The Book of Fate" because I was looking for something to read and the cover had the image of a square and compass. As a Freemason, I am familiar with the square and compasses and was interested in seeing his fictional interpretation of Masonic working and fate. What a rip off. Meltzer is attempting to follow the success of Dan Brown. Yes, I know that this book was published well before "The Lost Symbol" but after at least after one of Brown's other books.
My point is that the Masonic Fraternity is mentioned only a few times and one instance is a list of men who served our country and were Masons. There is also a character who has a Masonic tattoo. Congratulations Meltzer for getting me to spend my hard earned case on a book that is written on a low reading level and to misrepresent a symbol of my Fraternity.