Codex Asda Exclusives - Softcover

The cerebral thriller Codex drops up-and-coming investment banker wunderkind Edward Wozny into the musty realm of medieval literature, where he finds an unexpected break from the rat race--a powerful client's commission to uncrate and organise a library. The diversion quickly becomes an obsession after he enlists the help of the quirkily attractive scholar Margaret Napier. Together they discover his employer, the mysterious Duchess of Bowmry, is in a race with her husband to locate an apocryphal codex that could destroy the Bowmry name. Meanwhile, Edward becomes engrossed in an addictive computer game that bears an uncanny similarity to the object of his search and accelerates his transformation from Wall Street wizard into shiftless dreamer.

For the most part, Edward moves through his adventure merely following Margaret's dedicated lead. As each new twist unfolds, he slips further into the comforting daydream of a life that isn't his but is as thrilling as the race for the codex. Codex wrestles with notions of dreams and reality that commingle as Edward finds himself adrift in a sea of passionate scholars and Old World plots. Lev Grossman's novel is an excellent entry point into the emerging genre of literary history thrillers with an added twist for the technophile. --Jeremy Pugh, Amazon.com

"Transcends the current vogue for the archaic--linking the 14th and 21st centuries by considering the powers of parchment and PlayStation."

"Blisteringly hot .... Put Codex on your list."

"Plays around with narrative in classic postmodern fashion."

"A rare treat for readers and bibliophiles." --Margot Livesey
"A fast-paced, cerebral thriller. Unique. Astonishing." --Katherine Neville, author of "The Eight"
"An exhilarating literary tour de force . mesmerizing from start to finish. A fabulous double-helix of a novel."

""Codex "packs an undeniable wallop. Read it." --Darin Strauss, author of "Chang and Eng" and "The Real McCoy"
"A thought-provoking and compulsively readable novel." -- Iain Pears, author of "An Instance of the Fingerpost"
"Takes its place on the shelf of bibliophilic page-turners like Name of the Rose and Possession. Such a good story."

"Alluring and meticulous. Replete with a sexy duchess, a jaded academic ... and a shadowy programmer."

""M"akes the game of writing seductive; Lev Grossman has created a page-turner."" "--Glen David Gold
"A genuine treat with its sneaky plot and richly-textured storytelling. Moves so fast you won''t realize how smart it is."

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
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
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