. . . many have tried to fathom the themes and patterns therein, often insisting that there is but one correct pattern that will show the knowledge of That Which Is Hidden.
   One popular candidate for this correct pattern is that the Threes represent good versus evil, with ToT as God/good, NoMM as Devil/evil, and SoL as humanity stuck in between. This explanation usually founders, however, on why then Book Twelve would be the Queen of Sciences (except for that minority that believes that the Queen is theology, and views the whole theme as totally consistent, obviously true, and not even subject to debate). The pattern of threes is even less help to those mentioned earlier who insist that the One True Pattern leads to a Book Zero. While one scholar has claimed wittily that the only thing that existed before God was the Void, and therefore that it is only logical that Book Zero is non-existent, this has not really slowed down the devotees of the Book Zero sect. Many seekers hope to find a Book Fifteen which will settle the Threes debate once and for all, but considering how even with the addition of the ever-volatile Joker there are only fourteen cards, this quest would appear to be doomed from the start.
   Another claim gaining supporters nowadays is that only the odd-numbered books are dangerous, and this fact must somehow be highly significant. When critics of this idea make the undeniable statement that the Joker may perhaps be the most dangerous of them all and its number is 14, proponents inevitably respond with "Ah, but the Joker is wild, so it doesn't count." Some have also pointed out the violence inherent in DoC, but this is usually met with the rebuttal that DoC is for defense and it is KoP that is for offense . . .