Rating: 
Summary: GREAT start, poor ending, one huge hole...
Review: On the positive side, it was impossible to put the book down, from the opening scene through the 75% mark. It was so engrossing, it was difficult to even pause and think about all the codes and enigmas yourself. The action is fast paced, quick short chapters jumping around. An Excellent and exciting read.Then things slow down, and they start not making sense. Regardless of all of the little nit-picking criticisms of inconsistencies, etc, I just can not overlook one major flaw. Forget about all of the religious details...if you take it as a work of fiction they don't matter. But the plot still has to work. And for the plot to work, we have to understand what the goal of grand-pere was in his dying moments....protect the blood line, preserve the link to the Grail. So why would he put in motion a series of puzzles where the last cryptex would (even mistakeably) point to Sophie's brother and grandmother. Sophie was definitely in danger, but the sacred bloodline was not...because Sophie's brother was safe. Nobody knew of his existence (it is almost as unlikely as finding the Grail). So why leave a trail of codes that would lead someone to him...even the risk of leading someone to him is a huge mistake. It makes no sense. If the goal was to have Sophie find her grandmother and brother...just about any other way makes more sense and is less dangerous. The twist at the end just creates too many problems.
Rating: 
Summary: Forget the history, it's just bad writing.
Review: Everybody complains about the history. "These details are wrong, the history books say this..." and on ad infinitum. It's fiction. Says so on the copyright page. Fiction. Grounded in reality, but ultimately made up. That people give this book one star for "being bad history" is just grossly ignorant. It is not a history text, it's a novel. And, it's a BAD novel. The plot speeds along, and is the book's saving grace. There is little to no characterization, and clunky prose that sticks out like a sore thumb on subsequent rereadings. (I admit that I was flummoxed by the quick pace of the book, only on review did I realize just how badly it was written.) I bought this for my fiance for Christmas cause she likes DaVinci, and for making her happy, it gets five stars. No stars subtracted for being "bad history"; four stars subtracted for being too badly written for the money I spent on the hardcover, and one star added for a quick plot that glosses over all the obvious problems. "Almost inconceivably, the gun into which she was now staring was clutched in the pale hand of an enormous albino." ? -Evan
Rating: 
Summary: Unconvincing theory.
Review: If you want to see a more accurate theory of what Jesus was about, check out the book titled "Man Jesus Loved: Homoerotic Narratives from the New Testament"
Rating: 
Summary: Page turner defined!
Review: This book masterfully combined all of my favorite themes - history, secret societies and ACTION! I tore through the pages more engrossed than I had ever thought possible. The obscure connections through history and geography fit together ingeniuosly. Very impressive.
Rating:
Summary: lowest common denominator?
Review: i wanted to see what would make a bestseller - and now i know, appeals to the lowest common denominator. it is a somewhat entertaining book because i did not have to use much of my intellect. however, it insults the intelligence of many people especially in places where the author attempts to explain, e.g., how much $20 million euro is, who designed the pyramids at the Louvre, etc. but worse is the writing, the lack of character development and the interesting similarity in plot (and plot only) with umberto's foucault's pendulum, though the latter books is a masterpiece. so, if one is looking for an entertaining book on the plane, this might be an ok book. but if one is looking for intellectually honest book with superb writing, this will definitely disappoint you.
Rating: 
Summary: A page-turner, for sure, but....
Review: I took this book with me on a business trip, wanting something interesting and easy to read. For probably the first third, I couldn't get through it fast enough. But about mid-way, as some of the plot points started to reveal themselves, disappointment set in. The puzzles started to remind me of "Encyclopedia Brown" -- fit together just a bit neatly. The structure of the book began to annoy me -- climaxes at the end of every short chapter. I found the prose style irritating and almost amateurish, but I suppose the author may have been using a style that I'm just not a fan of -- at least, unlike many novelists these days, he used punctuation! The big plot payoffs, for example what exactly it was the heroine saw her grandfather doing in the basement all those years ago, weren't worth the buildup. And (this is a sort of a spoiler, so don't read further if you haven't read the book!) are you telling me that this prominent family's true name was never discovered? Well, on that topic I may have missed something -- by the end of the book I confess I wasn't paying the closest attention. I found the ultimate resolution a huge letdown. It's not a terrible book -- but it's probably best suited to a paperback edition at the beach.
Rating:
Summary: One-dimensional characters barely carry the plot
Review: I was excited to read this, having heard from so many people how they *loved* this book. Imagine my surprise when I found an interesting plot (I don't know how much of it is accurate, but his main thesis is fun to consider) but with such boring, cardboard one-dimensional characters, that I kept getting distracted by how bad they were. The book is readable, but by no means a feat of literature. As a friend of mine said, it is like reading a Hardy boys' mystery...but without the pathos!
Rating:
Summary: Another example of bad writing making a hit
Review: I admit I read this book because of all the hype. I am in total disbelief that something like this has accumulated so much positive acclaim. This book is badly researched, has ridiculous omissions and the supposed expert characters are made to look like ridiclous buffoons repeatedly. Did all these people that rave about it miss that? The thing that bothers me the most is the constant references to this bad piece of bad researched pulp as genius. I will never cease to be amazed by the bad tastes and obvious bad education of the general public.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE 2 BEST BOOKS EVER!
Review: Murder, mystery, intrigue, ancient secrets deciphered with modern tools--Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code has it all. If you read just one book this year--make it The Da Vinci Code. If you read two--add John Robert Marlow's Nano to your list; the description above fits both books, and I couldn't put either one down!
Rating:
Summary: Mildly interesting , grossly stupid
Review: A highly overrated book. The primise is kind of interesting if you toss reality to the winds, but this guy Brown couldn't create an interesting character if his life depended on it. Shallow, stupid dialogue, irrational actions, dopey scenarios (after a gut shot, chould the good perfesser do all that artwork?? C'mon...) make this a loser.
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