Foucault's Pendulum
by Umberto Eco
translated by William Weaver

Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (New York): 1989. Hardcover: viii, 641 pages. ISBN-10: 0-15-132765-3 Suggested retail price: $22.95 (US) Tag: Mainstream Tactical strength: [7/10]

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The editors at a small scholarly press (actually a vanity press, but the author's don't know that) decide to make a text more interesting by filling it with as many references to the Knights Templar and other occult groups as they can. But the joke only lasts until certain occult groups start to believe that the editors have many more secrets of the ages than appeared in the text.

Eco demonstrates that ideas do have a life of their own. Often the text gets bogged down by relevant but unnecessarily long historical discourses. Also, Eco writes almost no physical action. His characters make great mental gyrations that only at the end bring about some real danger.

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