Codex : A Novel

#1 New York Times –bestselling author of The Magicians : A "fabulously entertaining" novel of a medieval manuscript, a modern video game, and a man obsessed ( The Boston Globe ). 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. When he's asked to uncrate and organize a personal library of rare books, Edward's indignation turns to intrigue as he realizes that there may be a unique medieval codex hidden among the volumes, a treasure kept locked away for many years and for many reasons. Meanwhile, as friends draw Edward into a peculiar and addictive computer game, his obsession deepens as he discovers surprising parallels between the game's virtual reality and the mystery of the codex. An accomplished and entertaining thriller, Codex explores the mysterious power of books in the medieval and modern ages. "Captivating . . . [An] intelligent, enjoyable novel." — Publishers Weekly "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." — Baltimore Sun

When hotshot young investment banker Edward Wozny is called to the home of an important and mysterious client, the last thing he expects is to be ordered to uncrate and organize a library of rare books. Edward's indignation turns to curiosity when he learns that among the volumes there may be hidden a unique medieval codex, a priceless treasure kept sealed away for many years and for many reasons.

Enlisting the help of Margaret Napier, a passionate and brilliant medieval scholar, Edward learns the strange history of the codex's author, Gervase of Langford, as well as the dark, intricate tale that lies within the missing medieval text. As Edward's obsession with the codex deepens, friends introduce him to MOMUS, an addictive computer game set in a fantasy world that, perplexingly, begins to parallel the legend of the codex. Yet MOMUS confounds more than it clarifies, and it becomes evident that someone is trying to prevent Edward and Margaret from ever finding the elusive codex. As they race against an unknown enemy, the two begin to uncover secrets that the codex's powerful owner will do anything to keep hidden.

An accomplished, powerful literary thriller, Codex explores dark mysteries of both the medieval era and the present, keeping readers guessing right up until its astonishing conclusion.

The New York Times

Codex 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. — Polly Shulman

"About to depart on his first vacation in years, Edward Wozny, a hot-shot young banker, is sent to help one of his firm's most important and mysterious clients. When asked to uncrate and organize a personal library of rare books, Edward's indignation turns to curiosity as he realizes that among the volumes there may be hidden a unique medieval codex, a treasure kept sealed away for many years and for many reasons." "Enlisting the help of Margaret Napier, a passionate and brilliant medieval scholar, Edward discovers the strange history of the codex and the dark, intricate tale that lies within its pages. His fascination becomes an obsession that only deepens as friends draw him into a peculiar and addictive game with mystifying parallels between the game's virtual reality and the legend of the medieval codex."--Jacket. 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. An investment banker is sent by his firm to organize a collection of rare books for a mysterious client and realizes that there may be a medieval codex hidden among the volumes that parallels a computer game's addictive virtual reality world EDWARD WOZNY STOOD squinting at the sun as crowds of people excused themselves past him in both directions.