Rating: 
Summary: Everything Good is Bad and Everything Bad is Good
Review: I dont like thrillers. I avoid them on the bookshelves. However, I bought this because of the subject matter. Da Vinci intrigues me and this book tied together all the loose theories about his sexuality, the Mona Lisas' smile and the hidden meaning in his Last Supper. This would have been enough, and all that I expected from this book but Brown doesn't stop there. Not only are Da Vincis' secrets revealed but material that heretofore has only been available in obscure out-of-print books.I loved the lecture-like documentary sections on symbolism and the distortion of history. This is the stuff I wish I had been taught in history class. The truth! The only thing that would have made this book better(for me) would have been the omission of the thriller genre and had it been written as non-fiction. As it is, I still recommend it highly! Its interesting that the protagonists' dilemna is whether or not the world should be privy to these earth shattering secrets while Brown gives it to the reader and thus the world in a form that makes it dismissive. Yet,on the other hand,it probably sells better as a novel,(thus disseminating the info to a wider audience) and also, cushioning the secrets in this genre may ease the pain for those offended at the thought of the existence of pre-christian spirituality and its distressful demise and cover up.It does turn everything upside down doesnt it?
Rating: 
Summary: Stop after first 100 pages
Review: Dan Brown got me hooked during the first 100 pages of the book, but brother (no pun intended) were the last few hundred pages a chore to finish reading. I have no Catholic axe to grind either, although the book was highly insulting to the Vatican-based organization. The reason I disliked the biggest portion of the book was that is was B-O-R-I-N-G. What a major disappointment after all the great reviews I'd read about it. Brown didn't deliver after a very good opening. It read like a bad movie script. Very shallow characters. No action. Predictable plot points. I would encourage you to go elsewhere for a great summer read!
Rating:
Summary: Page Turning Plot That's Thin On Character
Review: If you're looking for a page turning can't wait to see what happens next beach read, this may be the book for you. The story is of a Harvard symbologist who aids a French cryptologist in uncovering clues her murdered Grandfather has left behind in the works of Leonardo DaVinci.
Plot supersedes character development, which seems to work in the first half of the book, but as I got closer towards the end it felt like stock cardboard cut outs delivering rather stilted dialogue. Still, it's an interesting and entertaining premise even if it doesn't always succeed in execution
Rating:
Summary: GREAT READ!!
Review: This was my first time to read a work of Dan Brown's and I have to admit that I am impressed. I picked up The DaVinci Code on the premise that it was a sort of historical mystery novel in the vein of Wilbur Smith's "The Seventh Scroll" which I thoroughly enjoyed. While a good number of people would question the accuracy of Brown's information with regard to the Grail, Opus Dei, the Priory of Sion, Mary Magdalene and other religious content, I merely took this as a work of fiction loosely grounded on some facts. Doing that, I have to say that Dan Brown makes the book almost impossible to put down. The character of Robert Langdon is compelling and has a lot of potential to carry off a series of books with him in the lead. The way Brown dangles clues and mysteries without giving them away immediately contributes to the building of a suspenseful atmosphere. It makes one anxious to flip pages to get to the answers. In my opinion, that makes a great book. I heartily recommend this book for those interested in historical fiction. But devout Catholics (like me) beware, one really has to approach this book with a lot of open-mindedness and understanding.
Rating: 
Summary: It's good, it's bad, it's ugly!
Review: Mrs. White did it with the candlestick in the dining room. Or did Professor Plum do it with the knife in the observatory? Sorry to start out with a "Clue" analogy but if you aren't prepared for a serious brain twister, you had better choose another book to read. This was my first Dan Brown book. On one hand, I can tell you that it will not be the last time I read one of his books. On the other hand, I can also tell you that, while I hung onto every page, the book left me a little empty. The Good: Dan Brown had me captivated from the very first few pages and the book turned out to be a real page turner. Brown's story challenges the very foundation of Christianity in a very unabashed fashion, spinning a complex yarn that, to me, seemed plausible. Brown bravely stays true to his storyline knowing that many Christians and certainly most Catholics will throw the book down in disgust less than a third of the way through on general principle. The book really, really makes you think. Several times, I paused long enough to access the internet and look up a print of a Da Vinci painting to see exactly what Brown refered to. The storyline was incredibly interesting and stimulating. The bad: I would have liked to have seen Brown turn more of a critical eye to the Priory, using his characters to communicate a Christian position to many of the assertions concerning the role of Mary Magdelene in biblical history. Instead, Brown's storyline simply portrays the Catholic Church as a narrow-minded, book-burning political machine that shaped Christianity for their own personal reasons. The Ugly: While the book was riveting throughout, the climax (no pun intended) was very underwhelming - not at all the enlightening ending I was expecting. The ending sort of reminded me of the song, "One Tin Soldier", where wars are waged over the discovery of a message, which turned out to be relatively simple instead of profound. All in all, I really enjoyed the book. CAUTION: if you are a devout Christian who believes that the New Testament as we know it today was divinely inspired and 100% literal, don't waste your time. It will only make you angry.
Rating:
Summary: The point is beyond the fiction...
Review: While I agree with some of the other reviews of this book in that the romantic story and forced suspense are mediocre at best, the resonnating fascination for me is the factual undercurrent that binds it all together. This book speaks volumes to anyone who has ever questioned organized religion, and does more justice for DaVinci's genius than most art books I've read. The truths Dan Brown shares in this book will leave you astonished, and good story or not, the possibilities he offers up about the Holy Grail are not soon to leave your conscious!
Rating:
Summary: Rennes le Chateaux is back
Review: This is an excellent book to bring awareness to the secrets discovered in the late XIX century, about the lineage of Jesus in Europe, by a priest in the small French village, Rennes le Chateaux. This small town is located in the heart of the Cathar region. For those who have read the "Da Vinci Code", the interesting fact is that the priest's name was ...... Sauniere !! For those who know about Rennes le Chateaux, Sauniere happens to be a key person in the Da Vinci Code novel. The "Da Vinci Code" has many more codes. Enjoy the reading and the discovery of the secrects.
Rating:
Summary: Great expose about the Catholic Church
Review: Dan Brown explains how the Catholic church sent women to their death during the middle ages, calling them witches. For too long the Catholic church has hidden its past amid claims of saving souls from some hateful god who would burn them in hell if they don't do as this church says. Hopefully this well written best seller will expose readers to the past and present sins of this massive cult. Brown's work makes fascinating reading in the context of this cults attempt to cover up the very real sins of its leaders against thousands of children. According to Brown Catholics, for centuries, have attempted to cover up many original unpleasant truth's about the founding of this religion. That the cover ups never stop should give anyone pause. Brown's book is not all that great as a thriller - but the subject matter is fun and fascinating and perhaps will hasten the demise of an ancient anachronism.
Rating:
Summary: An all-around good book
Review: I won't hesitate to say I loved this book. It has a good plot and it's almost impossible to put down. I enjoyed the anti-Christian theme. I also went and looked at the fresco of the Last Supper and everything Brown talks about in the book is in that painting. It was a well put-together novel. If I had to say anything bad about it, it would be that the ending needed work. It let me down. If the characters had found the Grail, it would have fit in with the mostly unbelieveable plot. All in all, a great read and probably one of the best books I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Read with an open mind, an intellegent thriller.
Review: I enjoyed this Book, immensly. I believed it to be well written, and fast pace. It is a notch above regulat fiction because it has a point. The book was well researched. The plot involves and ancient old secret society: the priory of sion, the conservatice catholic opus dei, fighting over the greatest cover-up in the history of the world. The Holy Grail, is not as believed jesus cup. The author is a christian, and at Dan Brown's website a bibliography is included. As to wether or not the disciple at the left hand of Jesus, in the painting of the last supper, is clearly a woman. Anyone who claims other ways really should take a look at it. Please do not dismiss this as Anti-Christian, but accept it as enlightnening and if true, an intriguing theory.
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