Codex
By Lev Grossman
(Mariner Books, Paperback, 9780156028592, 368pp.)
Publication Date: May 2005
Other Editions of This Title: Paperback, Hardcover
Categories: Thrillers
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About to depart on his first vacation in years, Edward Wozny, a hotshot young investment banker, is sent to help one of his firm's most important and mysterious clients. His task is to search their library stacks for a precious medieval codex, a treasure kept sealed away for many years and for many reasons. Enlisting the help of passionate medievalist Margaret Napier, Edward is determined to solve the mystery of the codex-to understand its significance to his wealthy clients, and to decipher the seeming parallels between the legend of the codex and an obsessive role-playing computer game that has absorbed him in the dark hours of the night.
The chilling resolution brings together the medieval and the modern aspects of the plot in a twist worthy of earning comparisons to novels by William Gibson and Dan Brown, not to mention those by A. S. Byatt and Umberto Eco. Lev Grossman's Codex is a thriller of the highest order.
LEV GROSSMAN is Time magazine's book critic. He has written articles for the New York Times, Salon, Entertainment Weekly, Time Out New York, and the Village Voice. He lives in Brooklyn.
PRAISE FOR CODEX
"A genuine treat, with its sneaky plot and richly textured storytelling. Moves so fast that readers won't realize how smart it is." -SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"Fascinating, compelling, and deliciously disturbing." -THE BOSTON GLOBE
"Takes its place on the shelf of self-referential, bibliophilic page-turners like The Name of the Rose, Possession and A Case of Curiosities, and it's as entertaining as any of them."
-THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"An exhilarating literary tour de force … mesmerizing from start to finish. A fabulous double-helix of a novel."
"Alluring and meticulous. Replete with a sexy duchess, a jaded academic ... and a shadowy programmer."
"Plays around with narrative in classic postmodern fashion."
"A genuine treat with its sneaky plot and richly-textured storytelling. Moves so fast you won''t realize how smart it is."
"Blisteringly hot .... Put Codex on your list."
"Takes its place on the shelf of bibliophilic page-turners like Name of the Rose and Possession. Such a good story."
"Transcends the current vogue for the archaic--linking the 14th and 21st centuries by considering the powers of parchment and PlayStation."
This book is on these lists:
List 4 by sdunbar12ERoseAnderson's Wish List by ERoseAnderson
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