Rating: 
Summary: Read it if ya dare!
Review: Burn it! You can just hear the fanatical fundamentalists scream out their wrath against The Da Vinci Code. I imagine most Christians have a vague idea of the controversy surrounding this book and will steer clear. Too bad. The Da Vince Code will challenge you, irk you, and downright blow you off any safety net you have been holding on to.
Be prepared to have your theology whirl like Disney's Teacups. If you don't want the plot spoiled, quit reading now. Go give your brain something to do besides wondering if Jesus would want you to buy that new BMW. Buy the book.Ok, Brown makes a very convincing argument that the Holy Grail is actually a symbol of Mary Magdelene, wife of Jesus! Yes, His wife! and guess what ? They had a kid. Brown fills his book with historical data, and assumes that the reader will swallow the bait. Its almost a in your face "you're an idiot unless you believe the author" kind of approach. Very effective none the less. And there are quite a number of authors who agree with his Mr and Mrs Jesus idea. Most people won't bother to check his sources and that's scarey because they'll walk away believing every word. I did my homework.
Brown bases his theory on the Gnostic gospels. He states that Christians banned any gospels that made any mention of Jesus being married. Huge problem sir. The four gospels in the Bible were written before 100AD. Even scholars who aren't Christians accept that premise. Also, the Gnostic gospels, on which Brown bases his ideas on, weren't written until after 100AD.
Was the Church hiding the fact that Jesus was married? Lets say they were. There are a lot of non Christian writers who wrote about the life of Jesus. Josephus. Tacitus, Pliny.... They were all pagan. None of them accepted Jesus' claims to be God. But they did acknowledge that: Jesus was born in Bethleham, He had many followers, He did miraculous signs, He was crucified by Romans, and they mention that many of Jesus' followers claimed Jesus rose from the grave. NONE OF THEM MENTION THAT JESUS WAS MARRIED!. Of all people, these ancient pagan historians would surely mention a fact that Jesus was in fact married, especially if the Church was trying to cover it up. Around 600 to 700 AD Muslim scholars brought ancient texts to life. They were some of the greatest scholars of their time. Jesus was and is an important figure in Islam. NOT ONE MUSLIM SCHOLAR STATED or even today states THAT JESUS HAD A WIFE.
There's a reason that this book is in the fiction section. It is historical fiction. A mix of fantasy and some history thrown in. There are some fascinating tidbits of history that are true in this book and made me want to investigate further. Any author that makes the reader want to read more, in my book, (pun) is a great author. Mr. Brown, your historical claims may be shaky but I really couldn't put down your book. You forced me to go back and investigate my own beliefs. For that I thank you.
By the way. The popular Left Behind Series is also in the fiction section. As it should be! Those are another well written, though fanciful, set of books.
Rating:
Summary: An intersting book that's also rather informative...
Review: I was given this book not having known anything of what it was about. After reading it I must say that I am intrigued not only by the book and how it was written but by the historic details documented as part of the story. Do Da Vinci's works all have so many hidden meanings and allusions? Were so many prominent individuals throughout history members of the Free Masons or related groups? It's all interesting stuff, to me anyways. Some may be turned off by the writer's characters, and the fact that certain revered and "untouchable" organizations are the antagonists in this story. The writer at times seems biased against the Catholic church, while being biased for the Free Masons and other lesser known groups. It is my feeling however that the writer's ultimate point is about having faith and not relying on the systems any religious institution created by man imposes artificially. One thing I will say of the book is that it charges strong for the first seventy percent, and you'll never want to stop. After that however, it gets weaker and ends somewhat unremarkably. But, it's still worth a shot, and is a quick read.
Rating: 
Summary: da vinci code rocks
Review: I loved this book. It's fascinating and suspensful from beginning to end. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. My curiosity is peaked about art as it relates to the history of the Catholic church, symbology, and specifically the mystery of the Sangreal. What more do you want from a mystery suspense thriller?
Rating:
Summary: Quick Read!
Review: Just when I needed a diversion from the cold that grabbed me late last week a copy of The Da Vinci Code arrived! This is not a great book, as has been observed by others critical of Mr. Brown's efforts. I found it an engaging book nonetheless and remained absorbed for the last few days. Thank you Mr. Brown. To appreciate this book one must have a modicum of interest in history of the Christian church and at least a willingness to entertain some of the conspiracy theories that have spun around it over the millenia. Personally, I'm open to the argument that the feminine has been given short shrift by the church and found Mr. Brown's presentation of the history entertaining. When I visited Glastonbury some years ago, I was quite taken by the Arthurian connections and the link to early Christianity represented by the hawthorne tree ostensibly sprouting from a staff planted in the ground by Joseph of Aramethia. Myth is lovely and a healthy antidote, in my estimation, to our overly analytical and materially oriented culture. This book was a "good read." But with my sinuses clearer now and my attention a bit keener, I'll likely turn to richer faire as my reading continues.
Rating: 
Summary: If only it lived up to the hype
Review: So, a few years ago Dan Brown wrote a book called "Angels & Demons" which was the first appearance of our intelligent superhero Robert Langdon. In short, that book talked about a conspiracy related to Vatican, art history, a mysterious organization, and fast-paced action. The thing about "The DaVinci Code" is that it is an almost exact copy of Brown's previous book. A young, attractive and intelligent girl who's father has been murdered and who helps our beloved protagonist. A mind-boggling conspiracy spanning several centuries and involving some of the brightest minds of our history. A disarming and, let's face it, interesting array of facts and trivia about art, history, symbology and life in general. If you take all of these pieces and put them together the result should be a satisfying thriller, but despite being thrilled and excited throughout the whole ride, neither of Brown's books can be called satisfying when you finally close the book. To me both of these books are like parts of a James Bond-like series. A series that is meant to be more intelligent than the adventures of double-0-seven, but as action packed and as filled with themes of world domination/destruction. Brown manages to pull the more intelligent part off nicely but his characters are not 3D enough for us to care and his storylines are too twisty to feel real. And believe me when I tell you that Brown's talent as a writer isn't helping much. All in all this book is an entertaining read but the right course of obtaining this would be borrowing from a friend.
Rating:
Summary: Been here, done this better
Review: This is an interesting story, but not nearly so interesting as Kleier's LAST DAY. While both books are spiritual suspense thrillers, LAST DAY is more powerful, far more frightening, and better written. It involves a topic much weightier and more shocking than CODE. If you liked what you saw in this novel, I believe you will enjoy LAST DAY more.
Rating: 
Summary: Looked forward to this book but it may be the worst-written
Review: book I have read this year. You can find several howlingly-bad sentences per page. The opening page is a great example of the train-wreck-bad overwriting that makes up Brown's "style." Brown is an absolutely abysmal writer and I am confident that most of you could write a superior treatment of his idea than he could. In a way, it's a shame because the "transhistorical" conspiracy and the info about Jesus and medieval secret societies he used as a prop was very interesting. I learned interesting things from the novel but, as a thriller afficionado, I could not believe how talentless a hack Brown is.
Rating:
Summary: DaVinci or Monty Python?
Review: I enjoyed the provocative information about the Magdalene but it was spoiled by a mediocre "who dunnit." The killer (big psycho guy, lacking melanin) was something I'd have attributed to Monty Python. I recommend borrowing it from a friend or the library.
Rating:
Summary: Fact vs Fiction
Review: I just finished reading this book, after having read source texts by Laurence Gardiner (Blood Line of the Holy Grail, and others) as well as the Holy Blood, Holy Grail text mentioned within Mr. Brown's book. The DaVinci Code clearly lays out many of the fact-based arguments made by Gardiner and others, however Brown blurs the line between fact and fiction, and doesn't indicate where one ends and the other begins. Not being a Grail Historian, symbologist, Mason, Priory member or other such "scholar", and just a cynical christian looking for more information than any Church provides, I found this work enlightening, as it more clearly conveys the "truth behind the lies" that have taken over christianity as we know it today.
Rating:
Summary: Kind of like movie theatre popcorn...
Review: Da Vinci Code was much like movie popcorn. The many rave reviews tempted me, but ultimately the final product left me disappointed. It's a quick enough read and does touch on interesting topics. However, the 'love story' is pedestrian at best. My biggest complaint is Brown compulsion to add in random factoid asides. Obviously Mr. Brown completed a significant amount of research, but at times it appears he just adds in non sequitur bits just to let us know he did his homework. You could do worse, but I'd say wait 'til paperback and a long flight to pick this up.
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