Enrique Joven ends his prologue with "However, reality sometimes surpasses fiction." This is probably true, however, the techniques of writing good fiction may be what it takes to make that reality interesting to a reader. Although I felt the voice of the narrator charming throughout, I did not feel the real-life mystery of the Voynich Manuscript sufficient to sustain a work of fiction that lacked both tension and drama. I felt the dramatic connections the author intended between fiction and fact were no more than that, intentions. Interesting concept but dramatically flawed.