Mr.Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (spoilers)

[GilliC]

I just finished it, and I was underwhelmed.   I expected to love it. Book stores, programmers, and a centuries-old treasure hunt? These are a few of my favorite things! And in the beginning I thought it was amazing!

But I feel like the book didn't live up to its potential. The programming aspect changed from refreshingly realistic to downright outlandish (and what's with the excessive Google love?), and then the ending just fell flat for me.

Also, it didn't really sit well with me that they cheated to solve the first puzzle.  I actually related better to Corvina than I did anyone else.  Maybe it was the search itself that was keeping all those old people alive and healthy.  The days after Christmas have the highest mortality rates of the year in the US, because people can will themselves to keep going when there's something to look forward to.  Perhaps the whole point was the search for the answer rather than the answer itself.  Especially since the fantasy author found the answer and didn't tell anyone.  I feel like he had it right.  You learn that the answer isn't anything terribly profound, and you just leave a few extra hints behind to help others find it rather than having a PowerPoint presentation in a bookstore to tell everyone the answer they've spent a lifetime trying to find.

I guess this is just like the people in the Unbroken Spine.  I wanted the book to be insightful and rewarding, and in the end it wasn't anything spectacular.

[rootbeerfloat]

I didn't really have any expectations going in, so I wasn't disappointed. I understand what you mean by cheating and that it was mostly about the search, not the answer, which is why I didn't like Kat that much. But there weren't any "rules" about not using technology; Covina wanted to control how everyone solved the puzzle, which I felt went against the spirit of things, too.