Rating: 
Summary: A cerebral thriller
Review: The book begins with Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon being roused from his sleep by the French Judiciare. The curator of the Louvre was found murdered in the museum's Grand Gallery, his body positioned in the manner of Leonardo da Vinci's famous Vitruvian Man and a pentragram drawn on his torso with a cipher patterned after Fibonacci's sequence.With Paris detective Sophie Neveu, Langdon seeks the truth about the murder. In the process, he gets entangled with the Priory of Sion (a secret society that counts Sir Isaac Newton, Boticelli and da Vinci as members), Opus Dei (a powerful religious organization sanctioned by the Pope) and the Vatican itself in pursuit of a secret that could alter the fate of mankind. I have mixed opinions of this book. The New York Times calls it "erudite fiction" and I agree, definitely not your standard-issue suspense thriller. Author Dan Brown sprinkles the novel with ample historical information about art, religion and history, against the backdrop of cryptology and symbology. He intertwines conspiracy theories with historical facts to peel the skin off long-held beliefs that we always accepted as gospel truth. On the other hand, this is still pop fiction; one gets the feeling that Mr. Brown has his eye on a movie deal. His prose is serviceable, but hardly memorable. His pacing also left me exhausted; with every short chapter a cliffhanger, the novel is like a neverending obstacle course on overdrive. This book sufficiently entertains, if you don't mind myriad information that at times stretch credulity. If nothing else, it would make you want to Google away and check its veracity for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Da Vinci Code Review
Review: The Da Vinci Code is superb! Not only does it have an excellent story line, but the theory and facts were so interesting I was compelled to do more research upon completion of the the book. It was so good that my boyfriend and I almost got into an argument overview who was going to read the book, while reading the same book at the same time. Overall, it was an excellent and informative book that challenges some of the principles of Christianity. If you are a person who seeks unconventional thought and information, this book is a must read!
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Summary: Fascinating!
Review: I read a brief excerpt from this book on a book site and it seemed slow and plodding, so didn't follow up and order it. A friend recommended I give it another try and I am so glad I did. This is a fascinating read - full of historical detail concerning Christianity and the Catholic Church. I loved the explanations behind Da Vinci's religious paintings and the information concerning the Knights of Templar and Priory of Sion and their connection to the Holy Grail. We have been passing this book around in my family and it's motivated some really interesting topics of discussion.
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Summary: Thank you, DAN BROWN!
Review: This is the first time I have ever felt compelled to write a review. I cant even articulate HOW AMAZING THIS BOOK IS! Dan you did an unbelievable job. Thank you for writing this. Its so entertaining and deep and you did your homework.
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! I will never look at the "Last Supper" painting the same. You enlightened me and opened my mind.
Merci!
Rating:
Summary: DaVinci Code
Review: A real eye opener. A definite must read. Enthroling, Enlightening . I learned a great deal from this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: A great thriller, whose shortcomings are more than made up for by its strengths. The factual historical and religious interweavings with a first-rate fictional plot make for educational reading--yes!--as well as page-turning reading. And it's even a bit daring in its summing up of a major religion. One caveat: I came to this book as a layman who knew almost nothing about the Holy Grail other than what I learned from Monty Python. That obviously helped me enjoy this book. From reading the reviews below, if you have a PhD in theology, a lot of the suprises in this book won't be surprises.
Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: Pick this up if you want to get hooked from page one - the intrigue begins with the first sentence. The pages turn quickly and the consistency of the fascination with each character continues through each page. Pick this book up if you're looking for a book that has a great plot and engaging characters written in a very interesting style. Pick this book up because once you do you cannot put it down!
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Summary: Hmmmm, seen it somewhere before...
Review: Food for thought, just thought I'd point out that one of the things most people point out as fascinating about this book is that it is set with the code and these secret organizations working in the background, this idea is less than original. Funny, another setting, another genre, but has anyone who read this book read Black Madonna (Shadowrun, No 20) by Carl Sargent, Marc Gascoigne? Not the same book I'll be the first to admit, but funny how you have a book that is not about Da Vinci, but is set with a backdrop about his code... A little too similar for my comfort, I would love to know if Dan Brown ever read Black Madonna? But I don't think I'd trust his answer.
Rating: 
Summary: Predictable, and the "research" at times is laughable
Review: OK, let's see, I figured out the identity of the Teacher fairly quickly, solved all the riddles almost immediately (except in cases where key information was withheld), I knew the 10 digit account number well before the characters found it, realized immediately where the grail was, who sophia was, etc.
The history of the grail was pretty pathetic. Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum covered much of the same ground much more creditably and didn't rely on as absurd of a conspiracy to make it all come together. The crediting, for example, of the biblical canon to Constantine was rather laughable, as anyone who has studied the history of the biblical canon would agree.
If you thought this was a good book, do yourself a favor. Get Foucault's Pendulum and read the story done right.
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Summary: Deciphering The Da Vinci Code
Review: The attacker aimed his gun again. "When you are gone, I will be the only one who knows the truth." The truth. In an instant, the curator grasped the true horror of the situation. If I die, the truth will be lost forever. Instinctively, he tried to scramble for cover. The gun roared, and the curator felt a searing heat as the bullet lodged in his stomach. He fell forward... struggling against the pain. Slowly, Sauniere rolled over and stared back through the bars at his attacker."
The Da Vinci Code is filled with passages such as the one above, all filled with action, suspense, and mystery. The author, Dan Brown, has masterfully created a story intertwined with codes, riddles, encryptions, and enigmas. He accomplishes this through his amazing ability to put the reader, into the story, with dazzling descriptions of Paris, many multi-dimensional characters, and a spectacularly intricate plot... Dan Brown has spared no detail.
In The Da Vinci Code, the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, an ancient society sworn to protect the secrets of the Holy Grail, is murdered. In one last attempt to prevent the secrets from falling into the wrong hands, he leaves countless, elaborate clues for two strangers to decipher. The first, his granddaughter, a cryptologist for the Direction Centrale Police Judiciaire, and the other, Robert Langdon, Professor of Religious Symbology at Harvard University, are left with the daunting task of protecting the ancient secret. The trouble is, they don't know what it is they're risking their lives to protect.
Dan Brown has done an astounding job of bringing Paris, France to life in the setting for this novel.
"Outside, the city was just now winding down-Street vendors wheeling carts of candied amandes, waiters carrying bags of garbage to the curb, a pair of late night lovers cuddling to stay warm in a breeze scented with jasmine blossom. The Citroen ZX navigated the chaos with authority, its dissonant two-tone siren parting the traffic like a knife."...
The characterization in this novel is extremely well planned. Numerous characters are seeking the secret that was guarded by the Priory for so long, and they must overcome many obstacles. Sophie and Robert, with the police hot on their trail, rely on the clues left by Sophie's "grand-pere" to make their way closer and closer to the grail. Others, such as members of the organization known as Opus Dei, are also after the Grail and have proved that they will kill to get it.
Throughout The Da Vinci Code there are many things happening simultaneously. This is an extremely fast-paced novel with twists and turns at every flip of a page. With the French Police nipping at their heels, Robert and Sophie must wade through endless encryptions and riddles that seem to beg for answers; all the while, trying to outrun others that have proved they will stop at nothing to take what it is the two possess.
One drawback to this novel is the frequent use of French. At times, it proves to be very difficult and distracting having to "weed-through" the scores of foreign words...
"Bonjour, vous etes bien chez Sophie Neveau," the woman's voice said. "Je suis absente pour le moment, mais."...
"Capitaine, un agent du Department de Cryptographie est arrive."
Sentences, like the ones above are scattered throughout the text and could possibly pose as an obstacle for the reader.
Overall, The Da Vinci Code proves to be a very exciting and entertaining novel. Beginning with the very first page, this book will seize the imagination and never let go. The Da Vinci Code is a remarkable piece of fiction that should not be passed by.
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