Rating: 
Summary: I'm a petty, petty reader
Review: Overall, an interesting book. I have several complaints, one occurring fairly early and the second later in the book. There were other inconsistencies but I've forgotten them. You would think a book striving for realism and facts, a book going as far as to state the factual authenticity of the contents at the opening of the book, would not contain these errors. The first was the misspelling of Navy Seals, Seals being an acronym in this case, therefore it should've been SEALs (SEa, Air, Land). The second is also petty and perhaps false, but it bothered me anyway. Brown says the Delta Force operator is, in addition to being one of the most highly trained ground warriors in the history of mankind, a helicopter pilot. Pilots, as far as I know, are too highly trained to be infantrymen and are not even considered for the positions. One would have to assume the reverse is true, as the possibility of a supersoldier suddenly dropping everything to become a pilot of a high-tech chopper, a craft taking years to master, is downright stupid. Or I am. Anyway, these simple mistakes had me questioning where else he was wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Brown's Research has many holes
Review: Dan Brown gets high marks from some enthusiastic reviewers as a researcher. But, a little objectivity shows that if you stacked Dan Brown's research against the likes of Stephen Coonts, James H. Cobb, Tom Clancy, or even Dale Brown he would be a C minus student. Open the book to the first page of the Prologue and we find a character quickly tuning his handheld transmitter to 100 KHz. Sorry, but that just doesn't happen. But, if you happened to have some sort of super wide frequency radio, the minimum effective antenna at 100 KHz would be about 2500 feet. Obviously, some researcher had a 3x5 card on LF radio and knew it could penetrate water and ice. But, the antenna length was an inconvenience, so it was ignored. Okay, that blooper was for convenience, but how about plain old ignorant bloopers? On page 168 a key character explains that the film "Top Gun" was ... "like a advertisement for the U.S. Air Force." If you don't know what's wrong with that thought, then this review really isn't for you. (Hint: Tom Cruise flew an F-14). There wasn't a single researcher, fact checker, or editor in the production chain who had seen the movie? Do these folks really care about serious readers? There are dozens of other faults of technical research. Personally, I also object to making the Delta Force into cold blooded superhuman killers. Mr. Brown could have invented some "Omega Force" instead of impugning the real troopers. On the plus side, the idea that NASA is hanging on well past its time is valid. The Earth science is interesting. The characters are okay -although showing so many paranoid rascals in positions of ultimate power raises flags. Somehow, when I look at Dan Brown's work in "Deception Point", it rings hollow.
Rating: 
Summary: A great mystery military sci-fi thriller
Review: It's definitely not high brow literature, but I love this book anyway! It is a very fast read, a good thing since I couldn't put it down and stayed up late two nights finishing it. The plot can best be described as a mystery military sci-fi thriller, which means you will probably love it if you are into those sorts of books. And, according to the first few pages of the book, "the organizations and technologies described in this book are real"... which had me looking out onto my deck every now and then and wondering if I would see a black clad Delta force operative with a night vision scope...
Rating:
Summary: Factual, Fast, and Fun
Review: I was introduced to the books of author Dan Brown only three weeks ago, but have quickly absorbed all four of his published works. It is easy to see why some are comparing the work of Dan Brown and James BeauSeigneur (THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY). Both Brown and BeauSeigneur deal masterfully with the more mysterious features of religion, politics, and science. Both bring to light amazing bits of information, which they weave into the intricate patterns of their stories. Both are highly imaginative and write with a ring of authenticity that makes for a compelling read. While Brown compresses labyrinthine plots into brief time periods to provide page-turning suspense, BeauSeigneur trilogy is of epic proportion, covering several decades. While Brown applies the mysteries of history to the drama of "today," BeauSeigneur uses both history and prophecy (from perhaps a dozen major world religions) to transport the reader from the world of today, to the very dawning of a new age in a story reminiscent of the scope of Asimov's classic, FOUNDATION. One other difference is that BeauSeigneur has taken the novel (pun intended and forgiveness is asked) approach of including footnotes in his books of fiction. By doing so, he all but eliminates the necessity of suspending disbelief. Few authors employ such strong factual grounding as to make footnotes useful, but I believe Brown's work (and his readers) would benefit from BeauSeigneur's innovation.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down...pure and simple
Review: Hey, if I want the classics, I'll read Hemingway or Melville. A quick read, an interesting plot and sub-plot
both nicely woven together. Great scientific explanations about
the ocean and...well I don't want to give too much away. Yeah, yeah, everyone will complain that political cover-ups and hidden gov't research are old hat, but this guy finds a few new twists and spins the tale so fast you can't believe it's five hundred pages...and it takes place in ONE DAY! Just take it to the beach...hmmmm, come to think of it, may you should stay away from the water on this one: take it on a plane instead.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is one of the fastest read books ever. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. It has a great storyline that keeps you guessing and the fact that all the agencies and technologies are true make it better. It is a great read. I can't wait to read his other books next.
Rating:
Summary: Well Researched Scientific Adventure in Preston/Child Vein
Review: After the first few chapters of Deception Point, I imagined a reworking of the Preston/Child idea used in their techno adventure "Ice Limit". As in 'Ice Limit', there is a meteor, a team of scientists, and an odyessy where things go wrong because of misguided yet fiercely intense men and women whose behind-the-scene personal agendas leave the rest of humanity something to be desired. But 'Deception Point' departs from 'Ice Limit' at this point and carries the meteor story into the political backyard of the presidency, an inscrupulous candidate and Washington's aggressive internal mechanism of disclosing information to the public at highly critical and crucial moments to gain the most spin and clout available.
Using short chapters and multiple points of third person point of view narration, Brown weaves an interesting story that albeit formula, still keeps the reader engaged. His characters are merely conduits for the fast action story, so don't expect any masterful renderings in this department. Do, however, enjoy Brown's skill in seeding his purely imaginative story with enough of today's politics and headlines to satisfy and refuel even the most die-hard conspiracy theory disbelievers. Sadly, I see this novel becoming a movie of the week thriller with less than believable characters attempting to flesh out Brown's already thin creations---hopefully this will not happen--this genre like Preston and Child's works should remain within the pages of a fast-paced novel where it works best.
Recommend for all those who want a fast read that will engage during a day at the beach or a long plane flight.
Rating: 
Summary: Hi tech whodunit.
Review: This has all the ingredients of a techno-thriller: Exotic locations, credible advanced-technology, and an intriguing premise. However, as you get into the story, you find yourself immersed in debunking a modern legend (albeit, a very hi-tech and intriguing legend). The NASA PODS satellite has detected an anomally on the Arctic ice pack. A top SECRET NASA team goes north to investigate and they discover something extraordinary (it would be a spoiler to tell you what). Oddly enough, a 3 man special forces team is keeping what over the NASA nerds and things aren't quite right. Overlaying this story is a cut-throat political drama played out between an embattled president and a power hungry Senator who wants to be the next president. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you guessing. Occaisionally, I found myself stopping to consider whether the plot twists made sense. Upon reflection, I could accept them. The writing is tight and compelling. There is an interesting underlying debate as to the privatization of space exploration and the balance between security and information dissemination vis-a-vis NASA and the intelligence community. Like all whodunits, the plot drives the action rather than the characters. Most of these character types you've seen before in other tales. There aren't many people in this book to cheer for. Most of them have something to hide or are maddeningly 1 dimensional. A quick read, interesting premise and lots of good research. Douglas De Bono
Author of ROGUE STATE
Rating:
Summary: A Great Thriller
Review: Dan Brown can keep you clutching your book, well into the night, despite your better intentions to put it down. If you have to move, you will take the book with you. To the bathroom, to the breakfast table, even to your important meeting the next day. Quite possibly one of the best of his generation's storytellers, Dan Brown weaves a fascinating tale of betrayal, military force, and scientific intrigue. All of his books are extremely well researched, combining the facts most of us desire with the what-if that most of us fear. A compelling storyteller with his head in the clouds and his feet on the ground, he is one of his generation's best. This book doesn't fail to produce. I won't spoil the book for you, but trust me when I tell you not to think that you know what is going on until the end and you have put the book down. It is awesome! A great read, and highly recommended.
Harkius
Rating:
Summary: Scientific/political techno-thriller
Review: I liked this book. The idea of a techno-thriller involving lots of hard science mixed with political skullduggery really appealed to me. The plot is quite twisted and moves along at a brisk pace, keeping you wondering what in the world is going to happen next. My biggest criticism is that it's hard to take the characters seriously when the author doesn't take them seriously. Almost all of the characters kid around and talk/act like unruly teenagers. At one point the President of the United States steals the main protagonist's mobile telephone! Very funny, but are we supposed to think this is realistic behavior from real adult characters? Despite this problem with the characters I'm looking forward to reading more of Dan Brown's books.
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