Rating: 
Summary: Paganism 101
Review: Don't be fooled as I was. I thought I was buying a regular thriller. What I really got was a BLATANT attempt to convert me to paganism--i.e., goddess worship. It should have been titled Paganism 101, because that is really the intent here. I was "treated" to lecture after lecture on how wonderful goddess worship is, and how it exists everywhere you look, and how unreliable the Bible is. Did you know that Constantine rewrote the Bible, that God has a female consort (named Shekinah), that Jesus got married and had kids with Mary Magdalene, and that the Israelites had (approved) sex rituals just like the pagans around them? Those are just some of the WILD accusations of this book, and none, absolutely none, have a shred of proof to back them up. The professor character throws those things out there, and the other characters just nod their heads and believe it. Any attempt at objection is a mere lob, a marshmallow designed for the professor to swat out of the park. The writer is depending on the force of the narrative to carry you along so you don't notice the proselytizing, the logical fallacies and especially the lack of proof. And speaking of narrative, don't believe the hype; the writing style is very run-of-the-mill. In short, this is a great book...to STAY AWAY FROM.
Rating:
Summary: Tee hee hee
Review: I have come to love this book. Dan Brown is a novelist of quite extraordinary genius in that while he is very possibly the worst writer of fiction I have ever read, he has produced a work of such hilarity that I could hardly bear to put the book down! Cardboard (well, flimsier than that) characters including the interesting man with the Mickey Mouse watch, the clever French girl, the amazing not-quite-dead-yet museum curator, the crippled English maniac (YAWN! find someone else to do villains America), blindingly obvious plot turns, the lack of any real twist, codes a retarded three year old could solve - and he teaches writers?? Just brilliant... as for his woeful knowledge of Europe - The Aristocats was a more realistic portrayal of Paris! All these massive holes in plot, character, realism are, however, mere quibbles. I cannot think of another writer who has stirred up so much controversy - just look at the number of reviews - from so little. Buy this book and laugh yerself silly. As for me I'm going to read everything he's done. I deserve to be punished.
Rating: 
Summary: Dan Brown has the courage to challenge convention.
Review: Dan Brown has done his homework. I read the novel with great interest. He is a writer that has you turning the pages to get to the next exciting event. I highly recommend this novel to all who are turned on by a well written story with exceptional interest and superior research.
More about Richard E. Flanagan at www.rickflanagan.com
Rating: 
Summary: truth or just controversial?
Review: Yes, this is a very controversial book. But it did open up some people's eyes (such as myself) and began asking questions about the church and Christ's personal life. This book plays with your mind as it keeps throwing facts and evidence. A good read.
Rating:
Summary: A good work of fiction
Review: This isn't the best book I have ever read, but it did keep me on my toes and I like that. I was totally shocked at the twist near the end and really liked Brown's historical viewpoints. I know that it is probably tainted with his own biased ideas but he made some interesting judgements and I like hearing other peoples perceptions. But that isn't the point, sometimes you read a book just to read a book! I love to read, and I don't have to completely love everything I read, simply finding something that sparks my curiosity or gives me new ideas is great. The best part about fiction is that it doesn't have to be picked over with a fine comb, it can just be read with the hopes of finding something entertaining. I liked most of the characters and the basic plot. I have read my fair share of suspence and mystery novels and I think this books scores pretty high on my personal list of favorites. I hope you can read it and enjoy it as well.
Rating:
Summary: junk history
Review: Are you wondering, like me, why this book remains a best seller. What can we expect from a country spoon fed history in 40 minute segments (after you delete the commericials)on the Discovery, Learning, History Channel etc. "A little learning can be a dangerous thing." Alexander Pope. Frightening in its ignorance. Dan Brown has made an appalling attempt to rewrite history, couching his ludicrous "research" in an insipid thriller. Educate yourself people!
Rating: 
Summary: Not As Good As Everyone Says...Maybe
Review: **
Much has been written about this book in the over 2100 reviews that come before mine. I thought that I would try to help in this review with who the book would appeal to and who it might not appeal to, as it did not appeal to me. I think that you would enjoy this book IF you are interested in conspiracy theories, have a religious faith that is perhaps a part of your life but not the CENTRAL part of your life, or have no religious faith at all. If you are interested in paganism, animism, or the occult, I think it will have an appeal. In addition, I think that if you read mostly fiction, and very little nonfiction, it might tend to appeal more to you also. In my book club many intelligent and educated people liked it, which was a little surprising to me; however they were people open to ideas such as the goddess religions, animistic and pagan religions, etc. I think you will not enjoy this book if your Christian faith (especially if you are Catholic) is THE central defining part of your life. You may even find it offensive, as I did. For example, the main character spends time explaining in a question and answer format with naive questions from his supporting female character how Christians throughout the ages have been deceived by the Catholic Church (which of course was the only Christian church until the Protestant Reformation) and how all educated academicians in the know realize this. This way of writing, this particular literary device, being used by the author to further his negative beliefs about Christianity and his belief in conspiracy theories and paganism---it just bothered me. Other parts of the book are spent explaining (in the context of the story) how certain pagan symbols that some of us find so offensive (like pentagrams, or ritualistic sex as part of our religious faith) are actually perfectly natural and quite misunderstood by the Christians of today, those of us who have been deceived and just can't understand the truth. If this ideal is provocative and compelling to you, you will LOVE this book! If you are like me and think "I don't think this is how I want to spend my time" then you will probably give the book a strong thumbs down. I kept wanting it to get good, or interesting, or for it to be a "page turner". I had bought it for myself in hardcover and for my father too (a Catholic) for Christmas. I wanted this book to be good...but it fell so far short for me. The hugest letdown was at the end, because I felt like it really didn't deliver on any level. I want to be fair, because people are raving about it everywhere, but I can honestly say that I don't know why. I read about five books a week, and this is the worst one I've read in a long time. I stuck with it because it's #1 on Amazon. I guess the only good thing I can think of to say about it is that if you want a good reason to think that fundamentalist Christians or devout Catholics are silly, uninformed, and a little stupid, and at the same time, you're interested in integrating some pagan/animistic thinking into your life, you've found an explanation, albeit a kind of boring one, to read about.
Rating:
Summary: Shed's a new light on religion and writing...
Review: This book DOES NOT deserve 3.5 stars from Amazon readers. Many deeply pious people blame Brown for writing such "propaganda" against religion, upset in his trying to discredit their beliefs in that of the church. Well I disagree, strongly. Everything Brown has released in The Da Vinci Code is not new information. Although it is new information to many readers, the same information was known already by historians, researchers, etc. The points Brown brings up are valid and well researched, and not just pulled from the air. He not only presents facts which I have never known about, but he has the amazing ability to create a FICTIONAL story around them. He is simply the messenger, and as the quote goes, "Dont kill the messenger". Now for the review:
D.V.C is a great book, one of the best I have ever read, and for that, it deserves 5 stars. Before starting this book, I had finished Angels & Demons, and thought it cannot get any better. It didn't. Don't get me wrong, like I said before, D.V.C is amazing, however compared to A & D, it is not nearly as fast paced or suspensful. As a whole, it is quite a feat that 3 out of 5 of the best books I have ever read have been Dan Brown's.
Rating:
Summary: DON'T BUY THIS BOOK
Review: If you must read this book because it is a best-seller, borrow a copy or get it from the library. The Da Vince Code is actually a screen play in disguise and can only be palatable as a visual romp through France and England in pursuit of The Holy Grail. The premise is unbelievable, the plot adolescent, and the conclusion ridiculous. Religious scholars and thoughtful readers alike will find this book contrived and preachy. I found it ludicrous that a publisher would publish anything so silly or that readers would pay to read it. I only gave it one star because that was as low as the ratings go.
Rating:
Summary: Cleverly misleading
Review: I read this book in one setting, which is a testament to this book's ability to keep one's attention. Nevertheless, anyone with a little knowledge of religious studies or art history will find Brown's blatantly erroneous accounts of Christianity's development or Da Vinci's work unsettling. He comfortably weaves such falsehoods with fascintating historical information in such a way that the average reader will be unable to distinguish the two. At best this is manipulative, however, at its worst, it is grossly deceiving and unprofessional.
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