Rating: 
Summary: Digital dreck
Review: Criminy, how I loathed this book. It was painfully predictable, cliched and soulless. Another Dan Brown book with a brilliant, handsome academic and his brilliant, beautiful partner solving problems no one on the planet could hope to crack. Sheesh. Although the basic plot is reasonably clever, the one-dimensional characters, banal dialogue and foregone conclusion of the book make it an irritating read. Halfway through it I was rooting for the professor to die and the end of civilization as we know it. Wasn't gonna happen, of course, but at least it might've been interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice and suspensful; the DaVinci Code it is not
Review: This is a nice weekend mystery book. It touches upon interesting themes: (1) mysteries of the NSA; (2) supercomputers; (3) cryptography. Since those themes, are somewhat more "specialized" than the ones used by Dan Brown in "the Code" or in "Angels and demons" the book may not appeal to the same audience.
Rating: 
Summary: Obvious and Simple
Review: I loved Dan Brown's other three books, but this was a real disappointment. I am in 9th grade, and many books stump me. However, this was too obvious. I figured out the mystery as soon as any clue was given. I was quite upset by the simplistic nature of his first book.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining techno-thriller with a thought-provoking climax
Review: Similar to "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons," this book has well-developed characters, an unspeakable conspiracy, an academic hero, a hideous assassin, a mad authoritative figure and the inspiration that makes you want to learn more about the subject matter. The flow of Dan Brown's writing in incredibly engaging and undeniably riveting. It will be hard to put down this book before the very last page is read.The book is not 100% sound from the technical perspective and some might argue that it's not sound from the narrative and logic perspective as well, but it is very informative and thought-provoking. The book tackles the issue of privacy and one's right to have it. Can we afford to live in a world where our most intimate thoughts are read and analyzed? Who has the right to watch us? Who is watching who's watching us? And who is watching who's watching who's watching us?! Pretty interesting premise, huh? Rich with technological, historical and general facts about encryption, NSA, nuclear bombs, privacy battles and languages, this book makes an awesome read. Whether you find computers to be either interesting or repulsive, you will find this reading experience to be quite rewarding. Dan Brown's writing gets better with each book. Since this is his first book, I recommend reading it first and then work your way up from there. You will be glad you did :-)
Rating:
Summary: Wow, was this bad.
Review: I read Angels and Demons first. Then I read The Da Vinci Code. Both were good. Not because they were well written, but because they had interesting story lines. But, both of those books were predictable. But the WORST book he has written so far is Digital Fortress. I knew the "who-dunnit" in the first quarter of the book and read the rest in case I was wrong. I wasn't. Unfortunatly, Mr. Brown only gave you one character that knew all the details. And that character was, of course, the guilty party. I was actually mad by the time I finished the book.
Another little issue I don't like are the clumsy suspense attempts. I hate knowing I am not given information to make me read more pages. If it's seamless, it's great. When it's not (and it's not), it stinks.
Beware. Da Vinci Code is good, but this book is not even worth the six dollars.
Rating:
Summary: Showed potential of things to come
Review: This book is probably one of the most disappointing that I've ever read. After The Da Vinci Code, I was expecting a lot from this book. Even after reading the synopsis and the first couple of chapters I was still expecting a great read. Instead, what I received was mindless and ridiculous. Note, I know very little about computers and encryption, but I found the underlying story to be decently believable. However, some of the issues about which these characters struggle are so obvious that it makes these seemingly intelligent characters seem stupid (especially during the ending). Overall, an semi-entertaining read but one that was more frustrating then satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: doubtful technology
Review: As soon as I started reading some of the tech descriptions I just thought "oh dear." Somebody please tell me how you can store 64 characters in a 64-bit key? And did anyone not realise the significance of NDAKOTA as soon as they saw it.
Worst of all is the character interaction. They pick some ridiculous things to argue about. And the top cryptographer, Susan, is completely brainless.
A three million processor supercomputer? Please.
Rating:
Summary: Being on-line was once a trippy hippy pursuit
Review: I get the same cheap thrills out of these sorts of books that I get out of porn or a scandal rag. I get a kick out if but it makes me feel dirty later on. Got the same sick buzz and disgust from reading In The Ghost Country. sincerely, from a working class hero who doesn't believe in the star system
Rating:
Summary: Literary Devices In Digital Fortress
Review: Characterization in Dan Brown's Digital Fortress
Characterization can fall into two different categories, indirect and direct. Dan Brown's use of indirect characterization in Digital Fortress has strengthened it almost exponentially.
Susan Fletcher, the protagonist in this novel, is a somewhat mysterious character in the beginning of the storyline. But as the story moves further along, the reader is able to gather quite a few things that they normally would not have discovered. Because of this employment of indirect characterization, Brown is able to let on what Susan wants, and what she fears, but in a manner that is more, shall we say, secretive, than direct characterization. Brown utilizes this literary device very effectively. He is able to let the reader learn things about Susan as the plot progresses. Things that sometimes not even she knows. When things are written in this manner, they keep the reader in more a guessing state of mind, one that makes them interpret the scene differently than they would have normally.
Brown uses indirect characterization to keep his readers guessing. He allows for very open interpretation of his novel, which leads to a very interesting sub development in the sub plot. It is because of these reasons that Dan Brown's Digital Fortress gets a plus for being strengthened by the use of indirect characterization.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of print. Author is clueless about the technology
Review: I loved DaVinci Code but this was a piece of junk. Most fifth-graders know more about computers than Mr. Brown does. Implausable, and predictable. Save your money and your time.
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