Rating: 
Summary: Tripe
Review: A contrived story with weak characterization and laughable plot, salted with a number of pseudo historical factoids. For a much better novel with a similar theme may I recommend Wilton Barnhardt's "Gospel". If you are really serious and want to enjoy the prose of a true poet and classisist; look for and find the long out of print novel by Robert Graves, "King Jesus".
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic
Review: If the purpose of reading fiction is to be entertained, then this book does this superbly. Like most of the other readers, I couldn't put this book down and found myself staying up way past my bedtime to finish it. I also agree with the comparisons to Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum." Although, I think "The DaVinci Code" is infinitely more readable. Eco writes Fiction like it is non-fiction and the reader can get bogged down in the all the details, distracting from the enjoyment. I hate to say Brown is a dumbed down version of Eco, but I think that is the case. And I applaud him for it. I actually found the lack of character developement refreshing as I didn't want how they looked or whether they fell in love or not to get in the way of the story. Admittedly, there are some big theoretical leaps in the way the history and facts are presented, but hey, it's fiction. Try not to overanalyze it.
Rating: 
Summary: Remember, it's FICTION!
Review: Anyone who "believes" the theories in this book needs to remember that it is FICTION--just because the author has his "respected characters" reveal "hidden truths" DOESN'T mean what the characters are saying is true. Most of the time, it's not, it's all just silly fun, so enjoy it for what it is, but really, it IS fiction, so don't believe everything you read!
Rating:
Summary: Will keep you on the edge of your seat
Review: This is the first book by Mr. Brown I've ever read and I read the first 20 pages the first night I read it. Just reading the excerpt on the web site I wanted to read more of this book. The mixture of history, intrigue and non-strop action kept me deeply interested in this book. It was great!
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece of a Page Turner
Review: Two things. First, you must read this book. Second, make sure you carve out a weekend when you're not doing anything. This book will consume you, and you will not be able to put it down. Wow! I can't stop thinking about it. It's a fun and dizzying ride, and even the conclusion is satisfying on several levels. I just read that Ron Howard and the screenwriter of "A Beautiful Mind" are re-teaming to do the movie version of this book. I can't wait.
Rating: 
Summary: Not impressed
Review: Dan Brown succeeds in entwining historical data and hysterical myths. If you didn't know there was firm historical evidence for truth in history, you would think this guy was on to something. Sex as an underlying reason for all motivation instead of pure belief. Some will like it no doubt. Not me. I want a thriller with twists and turns and plots that make me catch my breath...this one made me grab my stomach..and I'm not even Catholic.
Rating:
Summary: OK but Not Great
Review: This is above average for a mystery thriller and is an entertaining read. However, almost inevitably, it has a hard job keeping up with the hype. The premise is interesting and, provided you are able to suspend disbelief, it's OK. Due to the innumerable minor errors however, such suspension is difficult. The questionable historical theories put forward are addressed in other reviews. On a far more pragmatic level - GPS cannot do what it is said to do in this book (why are so many authors in love with modern technology without being capable of understanding its limitations?) and the hand built british sports car briefly referred to is an Aston Martin, not an Astin Martin. Minor points I know but capable of instantly dispelling credibility.
Rating:
Summary: Smart and Gripping WhoDunIt
Review: Kudos to Dan Brown for writing a gripping novel that pushed a lot of my buttons (in a positive way).This book has great pacing, with a twist or important occurrence happening about every three or four pages. Amazingly, the author has written a plausible plot that hurtles through four hundred plus pages covering a period of less than twenty-four hours. For history buffs, this book captures the imagination. Great figures like Leonardo Da Vinci and Sir Isaac Newton figure prominently in the plot. The Vatican, Opus Dei, the Knights Templar and a secret society that may still exist called the Priory of Sion are part of the story. For those who like mysteries and codes, the book abounds with them. The author gives the reader enough background information and clues that it is possible to appreciate and even figure out some of the codes that drive the story forward from solution to solution and the ultimate prize. And a clever story it is. Without revealing the central mystery, this book revolves around two forces continuing an almost two millennium battle over information that could rock the very foundations of the Catholic Church and Christianity. A murder in the Louvre of one of the principals in this battle brings Dr. Robert Langdon, -- Harvard Symbologist who specializes in church symbols, mysteries and codes -- together with the beautiful Sophie Neveau -- French police code breaker with a few mysteries of her own. The eighteen or so hours after the murder involve the two central figures, flight and manhunts across the France and England, double crosses and mysterious personages, quick lessons in church history, the art of Leonardo Da Vinci, the Knights Templar and the very early Christian Church (as early as it gets) and code breaking from verse, art and symbols. Brown gives the reader a heck of a ride. This book works as a thriller, intellectual exercise, and historic fiction. I have to say historic fiction because Brown has taken some license with history to create the situation needed to foster his story. My only criticism of the book is the author's forward note in which he claims truth regarding the organizations and events portrayed in the book. It is true that the Knights Templar, the Priory of Sion, the Dead Sea Scrolls and symbolism in Da Vinci's art exist. However, the author does use these truths in a subjective way to support his thriller. He makes claims for the Council of Nicea and the Dead Sea Scrolls that are not accurate, or are tenuous at best. His statement that most Christians at the time of the Council believed Christ was a fully human, non-divine being is contradicted by everything I've read of Church history (without going into it here, see www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/sbrandt/nicea.htm which states that those holding the non-divine position were a very distinct minority of contemporary Christians). Also, the Dead Sea and other recent scrolls do not give the statements ascribed to them by the author, except for one which contains an ancient Greek word that can be translated in various ways -- and upon one translation not generally accepted he bases his assertions). The above are important because the general statement of truth the author makes would lead some to believe he meant existence of the historic characters, groups and happenings as well as the conclusions he takes from them. That digression aside, this is one of the best novels I've read -- great pacing, fascinating history, terrific conspiracy and interesting symbology and code breaking. Truly a book you'll stay up late to read.
Rating:
Summary: My 2nd favorite novel of all time!
Review: It doesn't get much better than this! Anyone who picks up this book will love it! Outstanding!
Rating: 
Summary: from an honorary member of the Priory of Sion
Review: Note: if you are a Biblical literalist who idealizes the life of Jesus, this novel will likely be one to set aside with all the rest of the unapproved literature. For me this book was a quick and clever read, and I enjoyed the plot twists and turns, the puzzles, and the bits of religious and art history (whether accurate or inaccurate). I did want deeper character development, and the ending was a bit of a letdown in some ways, but overall this book entertained me. Few reviewers have commented on the shadowy Priory of Sion, said to be a kind of secret forerunner to the Rosicrucians, the Knights Templar, and even the Masons. I looked around a bit on the Internet and found sites that insisted on the Priory's reality and others that insisted it was a hoax. In this novel a main function of the Priory is to safeguard the esoteric wisdom tradition handed down from Jesus to Mary Magdelene. I've never seen any hard evidence for the claim that they married and founded a dynasty, but in the Gospel of Peter and the fragmented Gospel of Mary you can find references to Mary arousing the jealousy of the Twelve by being Jesus' favorite pupil. Perhaps the early church deposed the true inheritor of the inner teachings right from the start. (Check out the "saint" at Jesus' right hand in Leonardo's famous last supper painting.) During my doctoral work on the missions of California I frequently came across people who insisted that Columbus was not a slave-owner, Cortez was not a butcher, and nearly half a million Indians did not perish of syphilis in upper and lower California, nor did the newspapers and the 49ers carry out a systematic program of genocide ("purity of labor" they called it in the mines). Why? Because it's easier not to change one's mind about what mom and dad and the church have always said was truth--conviction being safer than disillusionment even if it involves the spectacle of adults telling other adults what they can and cannot read and think. This novel is a work of fiction, but be aware that it does raise issues that challenge the dominant patriarchal paradigm under which Christendom has operated for so many centuries.
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