Rating: 
Summary: good read but not great
Review: Fundamentalists should consider other reading material but you have to give kudos to the author for making theological discussions such a hot topic. A very interesting premise which involves the Holy Grail, the Knights Templar and the Priory Of Sion. Brown beautifully interweaves fact and fiction concerning these fascinating subjects and prodded me to read related works. Now onto the problems I had with this novel: annoying references to previous novel (the Vatican incident); too many of the scenes are just outright unbelieveable and the inclusion of hollywood blockbuster action scenes forces the reader to question whether Brown was counting on a movie deal as he wrote; major reasoning flaws scattered throughout the second half of the novel (to name just one, a mirror image that the most brillant code detecting minds couldn't figure out? come on); and lastly, the totally smarmy ending tempted me to scream. Overall, an entertaining read.
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of Time
Review: Brown - and the so-called professionals who give him such high praise - has no business writing. I found this book to be dull, full of redundancies, and often laughable. For someone so absorbed in "the sacred feminine" Brown and his guilt-ridden hero are pretty clueless about the modern feminine. Not to mention his appalling treatment of history. I am not impressed.
Rating:
Summary: Starts out OK, then runs out of steam -- and credibility
Review: Dan Brown cleverly mixes suspense and history, but the story falls flat in the last pages. The finale is a letdown.
Rating: 
Summary: A great mystery-thriller
Review: Brown's novel tells a great fictional story, but it is his use of history,combined with numerous puzzles, that make this novel special. I can see how the historical theories presented would be unsettling to those who have never seriously questioned the origins of organized religion, Christian or otherwise. As is true of any great work of art, the novel left me hungry for more information and discussion of the multiple topics introduced. His ability to bring these issues to the masses in a well-researched novel is nothing short of brilliant!
Rating:
Summary: Anti-Christian Agenda Driven
Review: Well, I just couldn't go on with this book. I figured the author had some anti-Christian leanings when he mentioned how the church killed some five million 'witches' way back when - which is, I'm pretty sure, way off. But, the book already had my interest, so I just thought I would enjoy the rest of it for entertainment's sake.But when, just over half way through the book, I was expected to swallow that the divinity of Christ was never part of the early church's beliefs, but was invented by Constantine, four centuries after Christ, for purely political reasons, I felt sick. Oh, yes, he had the Councel of Nicea convene, canonize the Bible according to his wishes (leaving out all those other books - 58 other gospels, no less - that proved Jesus was just a man). Oh, they also decided to make Jesus God at this convention. Constantine needed this, you see, for population manipulation purposes, of course - and this forms the foundation of Christianity today. "You mean the divinity of Christ was decided on by a vote?" -"Yes, and a very close vote at that", the scholarly characters of the book ensure us. The dizzied woman gives the trusted scholar a look of shocked wonder. He replies with a gental nod on confirmation. It's Puke-O-Rama time, everybody! Okay, at this point I can see the author is basically making an attempt to debunk and discredit Christianity - the whole point of the book. I felt violated. He could have at least have shown some respect for historical facts. You think he would have figured that some people, believers and non-believers alike, have actually looked these things up.
Rating:
Summary: The Da Vinci Code: The Prequel
Review: Renowned author Dan Brown watched with justifiable pride as the printer spat forth the final page of his just-completed manuscript. He smiled wanly with smug satisfaction, knowing that he had successfully butchered theology, history, a score of other academic disciplines and English syntax like a slaughterhouse with a new McDonald's contract. As he encased the freshly printed manuscript in regulation-brown post-office wrapping paper, Dan couldn't help but notice that it was as thick as three stubbed-out Gitanes laid end-to-end. How could anyone smoke Gitanes, those practically toxic cigarettes you can mercifully find only in France? Dan thought. He shook his head in disbelief, then deftly placed the return address sticker on the package. By now his obviously fertile imagination was doing cartwheels, and he could already see the lightly fluttering bosoms of female talk-show hostesses earnestly inquiring how such a young man could have such deep knowledge of so many profound subjects. He silently chuckled to himself as he imagined one or two of them confiding, You can uncover the truth of my sacred feminine anytime. Dan strode to the curb, thrust the package into the mailbox and raised the bright red metal flag, now standing before him like a miniature Eiffel Tower as monument to a goodly year's worth of sweat, tears and sangre.
Rating:
Summary: Poorly written Prose
Review: What a dissapointment. The topic is well researched but the prose is very poorly written. He actually uses the simile "the ambulance sirens cut through the night like a knife." I think I wrote that in a seventh grade paper. The religious history is interesting for those not well versed in Christian lore but is the author writing down to a median intelligence level? Not that I think all writing should make a contribution to the "canon" but jeez - do bestsellers have to be so cliche???
Rating:
Summary: Beyond the hype
Review: This is a fairly quick moving thriller up until the midpoint, and yet I kept thinking I had read this all before. A voracious reader, I rarely stop reading books until I have finished, but I was sorely tempted with this one. Even ignoring the strong anti-Christian rhetoric, the ending was so weak that I was left asking myself "So what?" Not a good use of your money or time
Rating:
Summary: It's about time!
Review: It was so exciting reading Dan's researched fiction that it made me long for more books like this. The intriguing time line and the details of the codes in this book are alluring to say the least. You'll never look at the Last Supper the same way. Don't want to be a spoiler, but I could not put this book down. An easy read if you've already studied this stuff in art history, etc.
Rating:
Summary: Don't be so gullible!
Review: This book was a relatively quick read and just barely enough of a mystery to keep me going to the bitter end. But there are so many problems with it. Like other reviewers, I had many of the clues figured out long before they were revealed. The premise of the book--and the various aspects attached to it--are so totally absurd as to be laughable. The end was disappoiinting. And, as other reviewers before me have pointed out, the author's "facts" are anything but accurate. I can only assume that Dan Brown is trying to be sensationalistic (for the sake of monetary gain?) in his "revelations" about Christ, the Catholic Church, paganism, the Nag Hammadi, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Mary Magdalene--not to mention Da Vinci and his works, along with other famous artists, scientists, etc. How does Brown figure his "facts" are more valid that the thousands of scholarly works which are in conflict with his book? Since many reviewers before me have pointed out specific contraditions of Brown's revelations, I won't do so again. I must say, however, that I am appalled that so many readers are so ready to be taken in by Brown's assertions that the things he writes are true. Many reviewers have written that their "eyes have been opened." Wait a minute here. Just about any author, film maker, TV executive--or man/woman on the street--knows that controversy sells, and sells BIG. Dan Brown certainly knows it. And he's getting rich while he trashes religion, distorts truths, tarnishes reputations and destroys faith. He's anti-Christian and wants all of us to join him. My advice: For Heaven's sake, don't be so gullible! Take this book with a grain of salt. If it makes you doubt your beliefs, find out the truth for yourself. Don't take Dan Brown's word on it.
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