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Summary: Da Vinci Code
Review: The Da Vinci Code is the best piece of 'fiction' I may have ever read. Having a strong interest in the history of Christ, the Holy Grail, and the Catholic Church.... I was pleasantly surprised to find accurate and informative information within the confines of a work of fiction. This book will teach the reader all they never knew about our history, and perhaps give a new perspective!
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Summary: More than just a page-turner
Review: Yes, this is a fun, fast pager-turner murder mystery, but much more. The elements of the Holy Blood mystery are all laid out here in easily digestable form. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the author is making this up, he's not. You could even look at this book as simply a vehicle for bringing the Holy Blood, Holy Grail mystery to a wider audience. I am surprised no one else mentioned this. Read also Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Baigent et al for a more "non-fiction" treatment of this subject.P.S. - The author cleverly uses the names "Sauniere," "Sophie/Sofia" and "Bezu" for main characters in this novel; names that figure into the real mystery.
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Summary: A Pulp Page Turner
Review: I read "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" years ago, and liked it so much that I toured the Languedoc region of France, so I was very familiar with the theme of "The Da Vinci Code". I noticed that Jacques Sauniere shares the same surname as the priest of Rennes-le-Chateau---not a coincidence, I'm sure. Brown has written an engrossing novel, but his style is more pulp than poetic, and the characters, for all their collective expertise, are a bit slow on the uptake. That said, I really enjoyed the book, and it's nice to see the Goddess get her due on the New York Times Best Seller list.
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Summary: Fascinating!
Review: I don't normally read murder mysteries, but my co-workers were passing this one around with rave reviews, so I thought I'd give it a try. I read it in two days - couldn't put it down! I also found it interesting because so many real-life things are mentioned - paintings by Great Masters and famous churches, whose pictures I could look up on the Internet and see more clearly what was described in the book.
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Summary: Finally, a great story around this premise!
Review: This is a great work of fiction. A fun book to read, and very well written. Dan Brown keeps you in suspense for the first three-quarters of the book with fast pacing, quick editing, and an engrossing tale! The book is truly hard to put down as the clues are revealed slowly - always just out of reach. I resisted the temptation to read ahead often. Sadly, I was disappointed that the ending wasn't better, but perhaps that's because the agenda of the author became increasingly clear as the book progressed. At last we have a good book about the tired old premise of the Knights Templar and Mary Magdalene, and the secret society. However, just when he was really moving with the story I about fell out of my chair laughing when all of a sudden some of the truly comical books on this premise are woven into the story as if they mean something. On page 253 he mentions one book prominently: The Templar Revelation. This is a truly hilarious book, and unlike 'The Da Vinci Code', it fails to actually admit it is fiction and tries to pass itself off as scholarly research and therefore fails miserably. See my review of the book here on Amazon.com. On page 267 he weaves in another work of fiction called: The Greatest Story Ever Sold. But again, unlike Mr. Brown, the other works are not nearly as well written, and are simply bad 'docu-drama's'. His not so subtle theological agenda is woven into what is otherwise a great fictional mystery. He quotes some of the Gnostic Gospels that have been clearly depicted as frauds by most Biblical scholars of any merit. Unfortunately, Mr. Brown gradually lets go of the fictional story he starts with and it seems he actually believes what he is writing. The first clue that this is truly a work of fiction is before the prologue where he tries to make his fiction look like fact. On the top of page 234 he gives the sad worldview of the Jesus Seminar. Also, as mentioned, he tries to incorporate other works to make it look like his premise is founded on something more than "X-File" level conspiracy nonsense. This is unfortunate because he is obviously a talented writer, and has written the best book on the subject yet - a mystery, a fictional tale, and a fun conspiracy story. A fun book to read - so four stars! Well written, and despite the theological nonsense he tries to weave in as fact, it is a good work of fiction. Well done!
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Summary: The Devil is in the Details?
Review: While The Da Vinci Code IS a page-turner and the premise seems promising, even fascinating, this book is really just a beach or airplane novel disguised as high art. The mingling of some fact with a lot of fiction will leave most with more questions than answers, or worse the belief that much of what Brown passes off as legitimate undisputed theology is actually the truth. If you're still interested in reading it, the good news is that you can do it in an evening or two and move onto something better!
PS I completely agree with the reviewer who complained about the publisher's review spoiler; many reader reviewers do this as well and I, too, think Amazon should effect a policy against this practice.
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Summary: Paganism and Christianity Meet in today's world.
Review: I began reading this book at 10am on a Sunday morning, and did not put it down until I was done at 10pm that night. A 'page turner' hardly begins to describe this story. As an avid student of the Old Religion and how it was incorporated into today's modern religions, this book enthralled me.
The characters are full, and each one is developed to where you don't feel like you were cheated from knowing them. It's fast paced but yet easy to follow. I borrowed this book from a friend, but I'm definately going to buy it so I can read it again and catch anything that I may have missed the first time around!
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Summary: THE DA VINCI DISSAPPOINTMENT
Review: I WAS ABSOLUTELY HOOKED ON THIS BOOK FOR THE FIRST HALF. I THOUGHT THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SECRET SOCIETIES, THE GRAIL, MASONS, ETC. WAS EXTREMELY INTERESTING. SOMEWHERE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE BOOK, I BECAME PUZZLED, CONFUSED AND ULTIMATELY LET DOWN. THE PLOT WOUND DOWN TO A SOMETHING SILLY AND CONTRIVED. THE CHARACTERS WERE NEVER FULLY DEVELOPED SO I FELT NOTHING FOR THEM. IF SOMEONE ASKED ME TODAY, 5 MONTHS AFTER READING IT, HOW DID IT END? I COULDN'T TELL THEM. STRONG START, BELLY FLOP ENDING.
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Summary: Fabulously capitvating intellectual thriller
Review: This is another great winner from Dan Brown, full of suspense, intellect and twists on history...it's biggest thrill is that most of it is based on fact. The DaVinci code is a fabulous read. While not too weighty to make it unapproachable for non-historians, it's intriguing and twists and turns in ways that you won't expect. The basic premise starts with a murder mystery that turns into a history lesson...or a twist on the a history lesson regarding the Knights Templar and a secret society in existence for centuries, millenia even. Other books like "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" explore the same themes in a non-fiction way, but this book puts forth the ideas in a thrilling, exciting and intriguing way. Dan Brown's greatest ability, I think, is that he is able to take an obscure historical fact and educate you about it without you known it...all the way engrossing you in the action, mystery and romance of the story. Definitely pick up this book!
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Summary: Theologically too inaccurate
Review: I started the book and couldn't put it down. Around page 200 the book takes a turn. Dan Brown misstates several things as he weaves the story together. I have a degree in Theology and can read a wide range of thoughts, but when Dan Brown says things like "YHWH was derived from Jehovah" it is troublesome... since in fact, Jehovah was derived from YHWH by the Germans who had a hard time pronounching YHWH. - the exact opposite! Dan Brown wrote a page turner - but unless you have an academic background in theology or church history, you could easily mistake his fiction for fact... be careful not to believe this book.
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