Rating: 
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read...
Review: This is a novel of breathtaking quality and mind-blowing sophistication. Quite simply: brilliant! Dan Brown weaves historical facts and architectural and religious wonders into a hard-hitting, fast-moving story, with twists at every turn. I simply cannot believe anyone who claims to have figured out the ending of this book before the last chapter.
I won't rehash the story line, but will say that for anyone looking for a fantastic, fascinating story, this book is a must-read. It is not a reference text, so those who are concerned with cross-checking every little detail of the story would do better to simply go to a library and study a history textbook.
Read this book. You won't put it down...
Rating:
Summary: Probably the most enthralling book I have ever read
Review: I would recomend this book to everyone. I just got it and I have not been able to put it down. Its a bit of a slow starter but very soon it will pain you to have to put it away for even a small amout of time. (which is saying something for all the back logging the plot requires) I have ever read Dan Brown before but I love his style and can't wait for his next book.
Rating: 
Summary: NO NEED TO READ THIS
Review: I had seen an interview with Dan Brown on the Today show and was intrigued by the main character. I was very interested to find out what the mystery was and was about to purchase this book when out of the corner of my eye I read the first line of the Publisher's Weekly review. Thanks for spoiling the novel. I won't be reading this one. What's the point now?You people at Amazon need to be more careful. I think I would have liked this book, too. Now I'll just have to wait for the movie, and even that is ruined because I know the outcome. Maybe I won't even see the movie!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely fantastic!
Review: The Da Vinci Code will keep you on the edge of your seat! Make sure you have plenty of time to read it 'cause you won't want to put it down until the very last page! Anyone who loves a good treasure hunt filled with suspense and intrigue will love this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Plot can be found in previously published books
Review: If you have read HOLY BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL (1983) or similar books you may find this story entirely too predictable to enjoy. The central plot twists are based on traditions, speculations and legends previously published in other books. If you are not at all familiar with these theories you will probably enjoy the story. Whether you believe them or not the theories are interesting enough to carry the plot.
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing and Provocative Thriller
Review: This is one of the most original fiction titles I have read in months -- not only is it spellbinding in terms of plot, but it also raises several important theological questions. Dan Brown creates believable characters stuck in extraordinary situations that strain credibility at times, but like 17th C French neoclassic playwrights, he keeps the 'unities' of time, action, and place realistic enough to sustain our interest. The action starts right from the prologue, when Sauniere, a curator at the Louvre, is murdered by a mysterious albino 'monk'. Realizing that an important secret will die with him, Sauniere stages his own death scene full of clues to the reason behind his murder. This brings Robert Langdon, a symbologist, into the picture: first a suspect in the murder, then the only man who can truly solve it, Langdon finds himself fleeing through Paris and beyond to solve the clues and exonerate himself. Langdon is joined by Sophie Neveu, who is revealed to be the granddaughter of Sauniere, and is herself a cryptologist. The fun of the novel is watching the characters figure out the clues left by Sauniere, a master puzzler in more ways than one. The big 'secret' everyone -- good and bad -- wishes to find is based in current theological debates on the nature of Christianity and the role of women in the church. Although the end seems a bit rushed and almost too neat (intellectually, not emotionally), this is truly a "I can't put it down" novel. Definitely worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: A good story wasted
Review: Dan Brown has a great idea for a story, and he tells it in a fast paced, exciting narrative that kept me reading, even when I wanted to throw the book across the room in utter frustration. Brown, I have to assume, wanted to create the sort of intellectual/religious/historical novel that Umberto Eco achieved in "The Name of the Rose" and almost got right in "Foucault's Pendelum." The difference is that Eco, a semiotics professor and not nearly as good a story teller, did his homework. When I read a mystery--and this more or less qualifies--I expect the writer to obey the iron law of mystery writing: You can't make up facts. You can create characters and situations to your hearts content, but you don't get to alter the laws of physics or the evidence of history to suit your story. Simply put, Brown creates characters who are supposed to be historians and scholars making factual claims no scholar would make. A single example must suffice: Langdon and Teabing, the scholars, explain to Sophie (who is always startled by these revelations), that the "biblical" name of God "YHWH" derives from the more ancient Jehovah. The reality is precisely the opposite. YHWHor JHVH, the unspoken name of God, is traditionally written in Hebrew with the vowels for Adonai (Lord) to give, in German consonants, JeHoVaH. Such details, if gotten right, would not have changed the story, but would have made it a lot easier to suspend disbelief. Brown, or at least his characters, are so eager to debunk orthodoxy they seem to have no understanding of church history or of the conflicts that gave rise to Catholic orthodoxy in the first place. Had Brown done his home work a bit more thoroughly, he would have found plenty of bizarre, macabre, and fascinating stuff to debunk. Instead, he invents histories of the papacy, the Gospels, and the Templars. An occasional nod to reality would have lent his story a great deal more force. My fear is that, because Brown seems to offer a touch of historical skepticism, readers will take his claims seriously. They shouldn't. Readers might do better to skip this one and read Eco, or, my personal favorite of the genera, Wilton Barnhardt's "Gospel." It is funny, mostly accurate, and every bit as exciting.
Rating: 
Summary: have an art book near by
Review: The book is definitely fast paced, and I had a difficult time putting it down. I enjoyed it, but was occasionally distracted by the fact that he'd refer to some tantalizing piece of information that won't be fully explained till chapters later. In the mean time, he keeps telling you that's important. I'm thinking specifically of what Sophie witnessed when she went to visit her grandfather. Considering how much this book refers to certain pieces of art, I wish they'd been included in the book. I mean, so many books have pictures/photos these days, why not this one, which just begs for it? I found out this morning, however, that his website has them on there. I suppose that's better than nothing, but what about the people who don't have computers at home? I was motivated enough, however, to go to the library to hunt down some of the pictures after I finished the book. I think if I'd had the pictures to refer to while I was reading it would have been even better. But it's a good read regardless. I think this book would be a good one to make into a movie. The visual possibilities have me drooling.... Hey, Spielberg, you listening? :-)
Rating:
Summary: fascinating plot, but annoying cliffhanger style of writing
Review: I was taken in by the wonderful reviews of this book but the farther I read, the more disappointed I was. The writing is no better than a college creative writing course. Each chapter ends with some "cliffhanger" setup to get you to read the next chapter. Many times the supense is simply manufactured and not inherent in the plot details. In my opinion, the author was really writing a slightly disguised screenplay. I continued to read thru to the end mostly because I had not heard some of the quasi-religious "theories" that were presented. There has been some recent controversy on the basic plot possibly being a re-cycle of another book by a different author, but Brown's publisher has dismissed the similarities as purely conincidental. All in all, I am surprised that this book is at the top of the best-seller lists. It reflects the relentless downhill trend of American culture and the continued bad influence of popular TV and video games on writing in general.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Da Vinci Code is the best book I have read in many, many years. I hope that Dan Brown will write other books that involve Robert Langdon as I completely enjoy his character (as well as the history lessons!). I highly recommend this book - 5+++ stars!
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