Rating: 
Summary: Concur With the Poor Reviews
Review: A disaster when measured against the hype and six pages of glowing reviews (not to mention a surplus of 5 star reviews by Amazon browsers). A dearth of rich characters. Uncompelling narrative that stalled all too frequently. Better historical fiction exists by writers such as Murdoch, Eco, Du Maurier, and nearly everyone else touted in high school and college literature courses. For reviewers who rate this as the "best historical mystery ever," go easy on the superlatives. Of the greatest historical suspense novels, this does not rate. For an example of what a powerful narrative can do -- and to feel what it's like to be shot out of a gun based on the power of word alone -- I direct all admirers of Pears' work to read Pallisner's The Quincunx. This is a modern miracle of historical mystery.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating
Review: I usually read historical fiction more in the line of THE TRIUMPH AND THE GLORY or COLD MOUNTAIN, but now and then vary my interests a little and in doing so discovered this captivating novel. AN INSTANCE OF THE FINGERPOST is remarkable, a deeply insightful book that is compelling AND insightful. This is one of the better books you will read for quite some time to come.
Rating: 
Summary: One word: EXCELLENT
Review: A beautiful example of historical fiction. First class
Rating:
Summary: Don't compare this masterpiece to U. Eco
Review: Do not make the mistake that negative critics have made by concocting expectations of IatF that deny it the right to go into such detail, or to encompass religious matters, or demand it resemble Umberto Eco. Pears is an original. He resembles no one. Your expectations WILL be blighted I assure you. If you would rather they weren't then pass on this book as it is not for you. But since the study of heretical Christian sects is a favorite subject of mine, I was fascinated by the way he wove references to such into the theme of this book. He tells the story from four different points of view; as the mystery unfolds you become drawn further and further into his spell. And while it is long at nearly 700 pages, it never becomes dull or boring. How did he keep my interest? He did so by the way he placed the reader in the setting of the time, depicting not only how people thought, but what they knew, and - just as importantly - DIDN'T know; and how these circumstances affect the actions of each player in the drama. Pears does not focus on endless character analyses, but rather, in the good old-fashioned way, on the story, the intrigue, and on how the truth can be twisted and distorted when analysed by a mind clouded with the exigencies to fulfill a personal vendetta. This is unlike say Eco's Island of the Day Before, where a myriad historical and scientific anecdotes are bandied about, at the expense of any kind of substantial plot. My lack of expertise in English history impaired my ability to follow all the skullduggery and shifting of loyalties, but the outcome of the story is such that one need not understand these details in order to fathom it. Like some other people I got weary after about 400 pages, especially since I was skeptical whether it would deliver the goods. I stuck with it however, and am very glad that I did, because it delivered the goods and then some! By the end the tension was almost unbearable! IatF is one of the best novels I have ever read, or probably ever will read; and I'm looking forward now to reading all of Pears' other works.
Rating:
Summary: Don't give away the ending!
Review: Just finished this massive novel and found it very entertaining. My only quibble would be that I think Pears was a bit TOO ambitious; there were so many themes that it detracted a bit from each -- but not much. Here's my real gripe: I made the mistake of reading some of the reviews here on Amazon.com before I decided to buy the book. Most of them were fine, but some boneheads practically gave away the major revelation of the plot. If they hadn't I might be able to give the book five stars. Unfair, perhaps, but much of the suspense was missing for me because of these knuckleheads. Good book, nevertheless.
Rating:
Summary: Best read I have had in many a moon
Review: How sad for modern literature that readers now are dissatisfied if a book is not as immediately obvious as a music video on MTV. And how truly tragic to hear otherwise sensible people gripe at being asked to - horror of horrors! - turn on their brains and THINK. This novel - even if you are not interested in the English Civil Wars - actually lives up to and surpasses the promotional blurbs on the jacket. That it is at times opaque is part of its allure. The best read I have had in many a moon. Forget comparisons with Eco - it's a marketing ploy that almost holds true. This is a good book and needs no such crutch to stand on. Perhaps you can still make it to the aforementioned yard sale and pick up a cheap copy.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent lesson in the history of science!
Review: I'm not sure I agree with the similarity between this book and Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose, nor do I wish to see Pears' originality diminished by constant comparison with this great work. This book can stand on its own merits quite nicely. The storytelling is fabulous and the twists and turns of the plot always manage to be perfectly believable yet totally unexpected.The book is complex, and I must thank Mr. Pears for including the Dramatis Personae section at the end. Besides helping the reader sort through the host of characters, it also sets the record straight on which ones are real, fictional, or some combination. Among the historical celebrities who people the novel are Robert Boyle, John Locke, and Christopher Wren, making this book a great lesson in the history of scientific thought and politics in the middle ages. The crowning glory of the novel is the apparent ease with which Mr. Pears allows us to see the world through the eyes of the four narrators. (In this respect I found myself thinking of Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury.) Not only are we shown different perspectives on the events, but the "facts" of the events themselves become as fluid as the writer's prose.
Rating:
Summary: The finest historical fiction I've read.
Review: This takes the Roshoman format to a newer height. I am astounded by all the twists and turns and points of view. Now that I know the "truth", I'm reading it again. It literally transports you back. I recommend this to anyone who likes history or mystery. Excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: Really uneven
Review: Excellent plot, many surprises, and really uneven storytelling
Rating:
Summary: Good and Long
Review: I am a big fan of Umberto Eco, and dove into An Instance of the Fingerpost with abandon. By the time I got to the third story I was getting annoyed - this character seemed crazy and I felt a bit "led on". I was greatly relieved to read the final version, but when I finished it I felt exhausted, but not at all enthralled or with the sense of accomplishment after tackling Eco's "Foucalt's Pendulum". Overall, Pears' book was good, if a bit long.
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