Eco's stunning sophomore effort is a wild, complex conspiracy novel set in Milan. The narrator (an expert on the Knights Templar) and his co-workers in a vanity publishing house specializing in hermetics invent a stunningly contrived plot to appeal to their readers. It involves Templars, Rosicrucians, Cabalists, occultists, Freemasons, Jesuits, and more. As events progess, the book becomes a study in how fiction can influence reality. A verbose, philosophical, scholarly cross-genre predecessor to the Da Vinci Code, perfect for readers who feel up to an extremely rewarding challenge.  (ITL649, $15.95)