The Gutenberg Rubric

The Gutenberg Rubric
Nathan Everett
NWE Signatures, 2011

I won a signed galley of The Gutenberg Rubric through ArmchairBEA, and happily my reading schedule worked out to be able to post the review during Nathan Everett's blog tour. (Speaking of, did you see his guest post yesterday? Check it out!) Now then, back to the book...I was intrigued by this one from the back cover blurb - as a History major and Librarian, how could I pass up a book about Gutenberg and hidden clues? Even though it's labeled as a 'thriller' and I tend to avoid those, it seemed similar enough to The Librarian and National Treasure movies that I had to give it a chance. (Yes, movies got me to read a book. What can I say? I absolutely love those movies!)

Keith, an expert in "old books," is a man with a secret - he's part of a Guild with mysterious, well-protected ties to Gutenberg - and the secret knowledge he may (or may not) have left unshared. Keith's ladylove, Maddie, is a rare books librarian with her own associations with the mysterious and secretive Guild. (Needless to say: they're a match made in Heaven). Together they are a force to be reckoned with - and also somehow the target for library bombings? The Gutenberg Rubric is one of those quick, engrossing reads you don't want to put down because you Have. To. See. What. Comes. Next! There's a lot of mystery and intrigue, many layers that overlap and come together in surprising ways. There's a colorful cast of characters, and tidbits and morsels of historical trivia that had this History graduate actually missing the History classroom.

It's an elaborate-yet-simple story: mysterious fragment of a letter or manuscript, clues hidden in texts, alchemical challenges to determine worth, and an international scavenger hunt of epic proportions. Not to mention all the inter-character drama. I'm not going to go into too many details, because a lot of the fun of The Gutenberg Rubric is the thrill of the hunt! I honestly wasn't sure where any of it was going until I got there, and I don't want to spoil that adventure and the "thinking process" for anyone. Just know: if you loved the National Treasure or The Librarian movies, chances are exceedingly good you'll enjoy this novel!

Galley provided by my personal library.