The Da Vinci Code

Rating:
Summary: An intelligent, exhilarating maze
Review: Dan Brown's new offering, The Da Vinci Code, is an intellectually stimulating and pulse-quickening triumph. The combination of completley unanticipated plot twists, fascinating artistic and historical facts, and the stunning manner in which Mr. Brown interweaves and interprets them is a tour de force. It is truly a rare offering that is both accessible, educational, and addictive.

As in his past books, Mr. Brown offers multidimensional characters, with a special mention for his complex, not-cookie-cutter female protagonists. His depth of research into art, science, religion, secret codes, and architecture will make you want to have your web browser nearby. As he carries you deeper into an area where art and religion mix with Church philosophy, the Knights Templar, and centuries-old conspiracies, Mr. Brown manages to explain clearly complex histories while racing you onward. While you will not want to stop reading this book (for ANY reasons, like eating or sleeping), every now and then you may wish to pause to let your mind catch up with your racing heart.

This is a book that should appeal to anyone looking for a rare item: a thrilling page-turner that is both accessible to anyone but that does not insult anyone's intelligence. It will pump you full of adrenaline and knowledge. The Da Vinci Code will be the book that everyone is talking about for great reasons.

Rating:
Summary: Good book, its fiction, don't shout abt lack of authenticity
Review: I am in no way connected with the history of art or the birth of Christianity, so had an open mind while reading the book. Hey, its a work of fiction, leave it at that, don't worry abt the lack of authenticity.

The book offers an interesting read, but is jumpy at places when Langdon thinks abt what he taught in class or a penitentiary, when in fact facing a grave situation. May be the author added this for suspense and to keep the reader guessing.

Having said this, am appalled at the one star reviews, hey the guy has used some imagination, give him credit for that!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Tale of the Grail
Review: Fasten your seatbelts. This book is one heck of a ride. _The Da Vinci Code_ is more than a journey in search of the Holy Grail and far more than your typical murder mystery/who-dun-it. It concerns the history of the Priory of the Scion, an extraordinary brotherhood formed in the middle ages and perpetuated to the current day to protect the mystique and secrecy of the Holy Grail. The Church is terrified that the Grand Master and his colleagues know of the existence of ancient documents which if revealed could shake the church down to its very foundations. One past Grand Master of the Priory of Scion was Leonardo Da Vinci, whose "Last Supper," "Mona Lisa," and other masterpieces contain clues pertaining to the relationship of Jesus and the much slandered Mary Magdelaine, and how certain powerful and reactionary forces have a vested interest in suppressing the importance and meaning of their bond. The book explains the dual meaning of the term "Sangreal": San Greal or Holy Grail vs. Sang Real or bloodline.

First and foremost a crime mystery, _The Da Vinci Code_ begins with the murder of the curator of the Louvre. The victim is the current Grand Master of the Priory of Scion and grandfather of Sophie Neveu, who together with Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor of symbology, endeavor to locate the Grail and to understand better its deeper meaning, or what the book refers to as the attempt to recapture "the Sacred Feminine" that was eradicated by power hungry male religious leaders (possibly starting with Jesus disciple, Peter). The book is packed with puzzles, cryptograms and poetry containing clues as to the whereabouts of the Grail. Conspirators--and their identities shocked and surprised me--ensure that those who do not serve their purposes are promptly disposed of. _The Da Vinci Code_ presents great works of art and structures of historic architectural splendor as vital "characters" in a riveting thriller that I found impossible to put down.

Rating:
Summary: Good fun
Review: It's amazing how much stuff you can do in just one night in Europe. Assassination, secret societies, car chases, airplanes hijacked and flying all over the place, great misteries. After all, this book is good fun. There is nothing really serious about it, although every little element of the plot refers to specific legends or conspiration theories. The fact is that they are nicely tied together and, for the reader, enjoyment is guaranteed.


Rating:
Summary: Good and Bad
Review: Dan Brown's novel "The Da Vinci Code" reveals the controversial and fascinating history of early Christianity in a fast paced murder mystery. His research shows how Mother Earth became a man's world when the goddess was banished from the temple. The obliteration of the sacred feminine resulted in a "life out of balance" and disrespect for Mother Earth. Based on the Coptic and Dead Sea Scrolls the Bible is a product of men with a political agenda. The Holy Grail is an ancient symbol for the sacred feminine and represents a woman. And that Jesus was a mortal prophet who married Mary Magdalene and had children.
Although the suspense is a page-turner Brown's remarkable research would have been better served by a slower paced novel with more developed characters. It was the riveting story not the historical research or the two-dimensional good versus evil characters that stayed with me after reading the book.


Rating:
Summary: Good writing versus bad history and controversial thesis.
Review: THE DA VINCI CODE is the 2nd book in a series of books surrounding the character of Robert Langdon. Langdon made his first appearance in ANGELS AND DEMONS and not only single-handedly saved the world, but helped "reform" the Catholic church as well. Superman might be able to fly and see through walls, the X-Men can do all sorts of superhuman feats because of their mutant genes, and Batman protects Gotham City because of the very technological (and expensive) gadgets at his disposal, but all these superheroes would be hard pressed to match the mastermind and wit of Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon. In ANGELS AND DEMONS he saved the world in less than 24 hours. In THE DA VINCI CODE Langdon's on a quest even more important than saving the world.

THE DA VINCI CODE begins about a year after the events of ANGELS AND DEMONS have taken place (don't be alarmed if you haven't read ANGELS AND DEMONS, references to the events of that book are few and far between). Robert Langdon is in his hotel room in Paris when he is disturbed by the arrival of Captain Bezu Fache. Langdon is informed that there has been a murder at the Louvre and that his expertise is needed in helping solve the crime. As it turns out, Fache strongly suspects Langdon of the crime and is hoping that Langdon's assistance will be his own undoing--ala the Columbo technique. Unfortunately for Fache, the murdered museum's curator has left a message behind for his granddaughter, Sophie Neveu, a code breaker on the Paris police force. The message leads Sophie to assist Langdon in his escape and thus begins another 24-hour adventure that takes Langdon across France and to England in search of one of the greatest historical and archeological discoveries of all time: the "Holy Grail."

Despite a series of murders and a mysterious albino priest, THE DA VINCI CODE actually moves fairly slowly in the beginning. The first half of the book tends to jump around a lot and includes a lot of exposition. It isn't until Langdon and Sophie leave the Lourve and head towards the Swiss bank that things begin to pick up. The book then moves at a modest pace until the duo meet up with Sir Leigh Teabing. Once he reveals the "big secret" the book becomes a page turner until the end.

As far as writing styles go, THE DA VINCI CODE isn't all that great. It's a decent mystery/suspense novel and some of the imagery in the book is fairly descriptive, especially the more "action" oriented passages. However, THE DA VINCI CODE isn't written as well as ANGELS AND DEMONS. That book, though a piece of pop literia as well, was fairly tight with enough diversions to forgive the plot holes and discrepancies. THE DA VINCI CODE isn't like that. It's patterned after ANGELS AND DEMONS and like most sequels, it's just not as good.

Now, as for the theme of the novel, I'm not sure why this book has taken off the way it has because overall it's just an average mystery/suspense novel. The book does present a very controversial idea-that Jesus wasn't the Son of God, that he married Mary Magdalene, they had children, and their descendants are still alive today. Combined with ideas presented in ANGELS AND DEMONS, it does seem that Brown as an agenda to debunk the Christin faith. He does an interesting job of mixing a tad historical facts; lots of fiction, conspiracy theories, and suppositions; and a whole lot of cultural references to make the idea seem not only plausible, but also believable. To make the theme seem even more believable he takes an idea from satiric and comic writers and introduces a statement at the beginning of the book that says something to the effect that "all the organizations, histories, descriptions, etc. within this book are true and based on fact". The majority of the book has about as much fact in it as William Golding put in THE PRINCESS BRIDE.

Overall, an average mystery/action/suspense novel with a very controversial proposal that makes for interesting fiction, but has no basis in fact.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: Even though it is a historical fiction, this is a very good book to read. True that some of the points he wrote about were true. But we should know that this is open to interpretation. What is also important is that as readers, we should be able to discern where historical truths end and where fiction begins. I have read a great deal of historical fictions, and know how misleading historical fictions can be. Nothing that is written in this novel is exact. The father of this theme that Dan Brown took in this book is Michael Baigent , the author of HOLY BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL. He said it succinctly that he did not believe about the grail story because he did not know. What he wrote was what people said, many of whom were hazy about it. So, he wrote using "it is said that". That is what makes writings glaringly historical fictions.

Another good historical fiction is DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE.

Rating:
Summary: "unputdownable"
Review: Action sequence in the story already started on the first few pages of the book. Nothing catches a reader's attention more powerfully than a dead man posed as the Vitruvian Man and the sign of the pentacle at the same time. And what better place to have committed the crime of murder than the fancy security-armored vastness of the famed Louvre museum. Add a beautiful French cryptologist to the already charming aura of my favorite symbologist, trying together to solve crimes and riddles while outrunning the French police, and you have the formula for the book that will keep you up late nights turning pages.

I believe the greatest strength of Dan Brown is his power to fuse fact and fiction in a gripping tale of adventure. He has the very rare talent of sensationalizing what would otherwise bore us from another angle. Among the topics he deals with in this book are The Da Vinci Code (an elaborate field of research and conceptualizing on its own), the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci, Priory of Sion, Opus Dei, and, among my favorite parts of the adventure, riddles. Who would believe the dark symbolism in The Last Supper would survive centuries of Vatican power? Who would believe another Da Vinci art called Madonna of the Rocks carries underneath it a shocking anomaly from centuries past? Who would have imagined a secret war waged by two opposing religious groups - Opus Dei and Priory of Sion - has been raging since the era of Christ? Who would have thought Da Vinci lived such eccentric lifestyle? All of these things, and more, are handcrafted and offered by Brown on a silver platter.

Although the story is rich in action and gripping facts, it's a lullaby of the most boring romantic tale ever. I had to breeze through pages trying to get past Langdon's and Neveu's little sweet talks because it's a proven fact: Brown sucks at romantic lines. You will read Angels & Demons and Deception Point with a similar observation, although this little setback won't necessarily ruin your enjoyment of Dan Brown books. Romantic or not, he writes well-researched material packed with fast-paced action and amazing trivia that will put you to the edge of your seats.

So, for the most part, the book is "unputdownable". It's definitely a must-read.

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable Book
Review: There is no question that everybody should read this book. It is very entertaining and full of very peculiar facts (assuming that they are true). The writer skilfully turns religious history (highly sensitive and mostly boring subject to read) into a page turning thriller. I highly recommend it.

I have a general advise though, make sure that you read it on a weekend, as you will not be able to put it down. I read it on a business trip with near disastrous consequences.


Rating:
Summary: DaVinci Code
Review: A fascinating murder mystery where the victim has left important clues to those who remain alive. Only Robert Langdon, an expert on the Holy Grail, can help solve the multiple riddles of curator Jacques Sauniere. The reader will be captivated by the suspense and intrigue of this story. It is hard to put the book down until you come to the end. Overall, it was a brilliant book and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story line, but felt that the book's theme was sacrilegious.