Rating: 
Summary: An O.K. Start...
Review: This book has packaged esoterica that has been available for years into a form that the masses will swallow; fiction. Nevertheless, nearly all of the secret societies, artwork, and history are accurately described. If you want to read a very good historical take on all of this, I would suggest:The Templar Revelation, by Pickett and Prince Another book, Holy Blood, Holy Grail covers the same topics, but The Templar Revelation contains newer research on the subject and corrects many inaccuracies in Holy Blood, Holy Grail. In addition, Holy Blood, Holy Grail is an incredibly dry book. People are attacking the DaVinci Code for its few historical inaccuracies, but unfortunately, there has been strong historical evidence to support a different take on christianity for years. The next time someone says, "The DaVinci Code gets the date of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls wrong!" be armed with the true history from The Templar Revelation to cut their argument to pieces. Which shouldn't be hard, because most christians aren't big on doing historical research ;)
Rating: 
Summary: A clever and coherent thriller
Review: I though The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown was a clever and coherent thriller from the murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum through the sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. Very entertaining. Here's another book that's filled with codes, mystery, and it's a fast paced fantasy that will blow you away: Dragon Man The Adventures Of Luke Starr ... check it out it's on amazon.com as well ... you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but annoying
Review: I read Angels and Demons before The Da Vinci Code, and really liked it. However, I was disappointed by the Da Vinci Code. I'm guessing the reason it is so popular is because it's exciting, fast paced, and controversial, however, these elements do not make it a good book. I actually found the book annoying. By the end I was so sick of hearing about hidden symbolism in everything that I almost didn't finish. The other thing I found annoying was his slant on his historical research. I know his research is supposed to be correct and accurate, but I found his account of the Council of Nicea to be a bit inconsistent with what I have learned in my history classes. Most of what he said is true, but a bit twisted to make it appear as if different motivations and influences shaped the forming of the Biblical canon and Christian theology than what actually occured. Another annoying aspect of his writing is how he will hint at some important and interesting detail, and then give you small details about it throughout the book so you won't know the whole story until the end. I know the point of this is to provide cliffhangers, but after he used this technique several times, I was just irritated by it.
I really don't think this book is worth reading. If you are going to read Brown, read Angels and Demons.
Rating:
Summary: Robert Langdon & the Search for the Holy Grail
Review: Though I enjoyed this fine book, at moments it felt like I was reading something already being prepared for the screen. It concerns me when a character (Robert Langdon) is compared to an actor (Harrison Ford). Still, the story was compelling, active, and sometimes thought provoking.
Rating: 
Summary: A waster of money and paper
Review: I was expecting much more from this book considering the hype surrounding it. Pulp fiction novels and paperback romances have significantly more substance and style. Written to be made into a movie, this book suffers from "public education" command of the language, poor character development and bulk beyond the climax that seems to satisfy contractual obligations rather than contribute to the plot. I never met a conspiracy theory I did not like, but this book goes beyond entertaining speculation in its quest for twisted grandeur. You can do much better looking elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: A gallimaufrey of dunsical folly
Review: Exciting, I guess, and it made me want to finish, but it's ignorant and illiterate.
Rating:
Summary: Pretentious crap.
Review: Give me a break! I was lead to believe this was something special, it's not. Poorly written,poorly (biased) research that
will lead all the gullibles to the band wagon.
The characters, the plot, the very idea are laughable. Look
elsewhere for the truth.
Rating:
Summary: why mona lisa smiles
Review: I've been trying to figure out what I should write about the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, but each time I try to put "pen" to "paper" I get a big fat DERRRR rumbling through my head. It's not necessarily that I don't know what to write; rather, I don't know where to begin. A murder mystery. A history lesson. A historical mystery. The Church and cults. Puzzles within puzzles. Intrigue. A smart car chase through Paris. Banks. Secret societies. All in a period of roughly 24 hours. Robert Langdon is a famous Harvard symbologist penning a book on the Holy Grail. The curator of the Louvre is found horribly murdered, and Langdon is the chief suspect. Clues left at the scene of the crime lead to the much larger search for the Holy Grail, famously known as the Cup of Christ... or is it? Together with the curator's grand-daughter, a cryptologist, we are lead through a series of historical clues on a hunt to find the Grail before a mysterious Teacher and his minions from Opus Dei get to it first. The story is gripping, intelligent and fast-paced. At no point do you feel like you're being spoken down to. The fact inspired me to research stuff on the Web. This is an alternative view to history than what we are used to in popular culture, save for "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," which shares the grail and wierd knight storylines with the book. I just simply read and read and traveled down the lines of forgotten history with the characters, discovered with them. Definitely a great book to read.
Rating:
Summary: Baloney
Review: This is the worst kind of illiterate writing extant. I am not referring to its religious point of view. The grammatical errors are enough to make me throw the book into the trash, along with Danielle Steele and John Grisham. For a page-turner, I recommend instead the Williams-Sonoma kitchen equipment catalog.
Rating:
Summary: Great promise, quickly fades.
Review: What starts out as a page turner, quickly becomes just another fast-paced movie script, with no character development. The plot grows more unbelievable and ultimately ridiculous.
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