If you’re looking for a Da Vinci Code fix, skip the countless knock-offs that have spawned in the wake of Dan Brown’s megaselling book; Umberto Eco’s Foucault’s Pendulum is like The Da Vinci Code with brains. (I really hate comparing Foucault’s Pendulum to The Da Vinci Code, but there you have it.) The story centers around a group of bored occult book editors who begin feeding random bits of data into a supercomputer, only to have their little game infiltrate every aspect of their lives and spiral out of control. Secret societies, such as the Jesuits, Rosicrucians, Freemasons, and Knights Templar, figure heavily in the plot, but Eco has a refreshing sense of humor about it all.

Although Foucault’s Pendulum is very dense and extremely difficult to get into, stick with it—the book comes together eventually, making for a fascinating and unforgettable read. And the best part? The book was published almost fifteen years before The Da Vinci Code. It outshines Brown’s novel in every respect.