Umberto Eco’s combination of comedy and serious thought shines a new light on how speculative fiction can be written. Foucault’s Pendulum is a novel written by Umberto Eco in 1988. Umberto Eco was an Italian medievalist and philosopher who was always interested in secret societies and stories in the medieval ages. The book describes the story of Casaubon, a young student in Milan, Italy who uncovers a secret plan of the Templars to take over the world. Casaubon received this plan from Colonel Ardeti who randomly disappeared right after sharing it. With the help of his friends, Jacopo Belbo and Diotallevi, Casaubon tries to solve this using their own plan but when trouble arises they are all spread out to go fight on their own. Foucault's Pendulum is a wondrous combination of history, philosophy, and comedy. At every turn of the page, you learn something new about the Templars and the implications of what they did. As the story grows the characters do as well so we get to hear how they think and read their new philosophies whether they be satirical or serious. Finally, comedy is the last piece to the puzzle of this book, Casaubon with his friends makes countless jokes at the expense of everyone bringing a fun side to an otherwise serious book. All in all, Foucault Pendulum is a perfect choice if you are interested in history or just want a long story to fill your inner explorer desire.
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