Baudolino, By Umberto Eco

It’s fittingly ironic that Umberto Eco finds such rich soil in which to plant his postmodern mysteries back in the Middle Ages. In his fourth novel, 12th-century Italy is a backdrop for the tale of Baudolino, an Italian peasant who becomes the adopted son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, known as Barbarossa. Mixing fiction with meticulously researched history, Eco inserts his imaginary rogue deeply into some of the 12th century’s most momentous events. Unlike Forrest Gump, Baudolino’s no passive fool, but a clever, spontaneous liar who uncorks a scheme that could change the course of European history. The plan: to perpetrate a massive hoax on Frederick’s enemies by forging a letter involving the Holy Grail and the mythical utopian kingdom of Prester John. It may not be as compelling as The Name of the Rose or Foucault’s Pendulum , but if you’re looking for more of Eco’s mix of political conspiracy, abstruse theology, and murder mystery you won’t be disappointed here. Eco makes the 12th century spring to life, setting his story in the fascinating larger framework of how the Renaissance grew out of the Dark Ages.