Deception Point

Rating:
Summary: Incredulities, Conspiracies and Coincidences
Review: This review is for the first Pocket Books Paperback edition published in December 2002, 558 pages of story. DECEPTION POINT is Dan Brown's third novel. Although originally published in 2001, DECEPTION POINT did not enter the USA Today bestseller list until May 22, 2003, piggybacking on the popularity of THE DAVINCI CODE.

DECEPTION POINT is a fast-paced, suspenseful techno-thriller loaded with did-you-really-want-to-know facts about the artic, meteorites, deep ocean phenomena and cutting-edge military hardware. Research is Dan Brown's forte; his author's note states: "All technologies described in this novel exist."

As in the two other Brown novels that I have read, THE DAVINCI CODE and ANGELS & DEMONS, the author tries to pack the drama into an incredible, whirlwind, sleepless 24-hours, although in this one he needed a little more time to get from Washington D.C. to the top of the world and return, with a detour into the Atlantic ocean.

If you enjoy thrillers, DECEPTION POINT is a good one if you face a long flight or otherwise risk hours of boredom and want a mindless read. But for me, even after considering the genre, it was too far out with incredulities, conspiracies and coincidences.


Rating:
Summary: Just as Good
Review: For fans of the "Da Vinci Code", this book written earlier by Brown is equally as suspenseful, informative and smart. Deals with a presidential election, NASA and the National Security Agency. With an abundance of unexpected twists and turns, it is one that you have a hard time putting down.


Rating:
Summary: Another eye-catching novel
Review: It wasn't until 2003 that I read my first novel by Dan Brown. I was intrigued by The Da Vinci Code, and although there were several flaws in it, I still enjoyed it right to the end. I was compelled to look for other books by Dan Brown. Deception Point was the next in line. It is very similar to The Da Vinci Code in the setting. It is easy to figure out the villain quite early in the book. I was not carried away by Deception Point as anticipated. Nevertheless, it too was one novel I couldn't put down easily. The plot is not as reach as those of 'Angels and Demons' and 'The Da Vinci Code' , and the pace is not as fast as either of the two. What I also found interesting about Deception Point was remarkably high amount of researched information that Dan Brown got for the novel. Nevertheless, this is a very easy book to read and quite the story is very captivating.

Also recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, THE DA VINCI CODE

Rating:
Summary: Deception Point: The Point You Realize This Book Sucks
Review: I came into this book after reading the horrible religious "thrillers" "Davinci Code" and "Angels and Demons." I'm a fast reader. It took me two days to get through each of those cliched jumbles of crap.

This book was on the shelves and I knew it had different characters (If Dan Brown knows what a real character is...) so I figured it might be better.

The book talks about Rachel Sexton, a government employee who makes information accessible to those that don't speak the technological lingo. She gets summoned by the President of the United States to help break down the newest little tidbit of information: There's life on other planets!

The biggest mistake Brown makes, as he did with the religious ideas presented in the other two of his books I read, is that he actually thinks a public would CARE about the main conflict he presents. Do any of you readers actually care about NASA? If you say "Yes, they're inefficient spenders," than it's time you looked at the millitary.

He stakes an entire election on one single issue: NASA. Ignoring the simple fact that no election in the history of any nation would ever ride entirely on one issue (with maybe, three exceptions in times of war or the Great Depression) Brown picks a positively rediculous basis for his...well, I dunno if you'd really call it a story, but it's rediculous at any rate.

Of course, as anyone who looked even a little bit into the accuracy or writing skill of any of Brown's other works, ignoring simple facts is what he does best. He ignores the blatant need for real characters and dynamic personalities. Rachel Sexton reads like a female Robert Langdon. He ignores the need for actual plot development. He dangles his pathetic little "deception" in front of his readers like a carrot on the string leaving the reader to realize at the end of the novel that all he ends up with is a lousy carrot. That is to say, he did that with the other two. I never finished this one, it was too bad.

Most importantly, he ignores the one rule that he himself MUST preach as an english teacher: avoid cliche like the devil. This is Dan Brown however, and his books (read: bad history lectures with "characters") somehow transcend this fact. As an English teacher in training, I'm embarassed. If his books were TV shows, I'd compare them to Scooby Doo. At least Scooby Doo had the sense to be short. Brown just drags on and on.

So anyway, this book is nothing an enlightened third grader couldn't have written. Sure he did his homework, but anyone with a library card can find out about salt water, fresh water and the corrolation between the two and algea growth. Just as Brown stakes his plot on a rediculous concept, he stakes his credibility on an even more rediculous concept: that writing doesn't matter if you have the facts right. Which he doesn't.

Rating:
Summary: Starts slow then Bang! its off like a shot!
Review: I must say, the beginning of this book compared to the Da Vinci Code was rather drab. It was a tad boring and it took me two months to get through the first 50 pages. Yes, TWO MONTHS. I finished the 400 pages in 2 days. It was so good. It captured my attention and my wife would get mad at me and tell me to go to sleep. I would tensely tell her "I think Pickering just died!" She knew not to bother me. I read the book till late into the night. I finished late the next morning. It was good good good. But the Da Vinci Code was better.
Oh, and one more thing. I think Dan Brownn should come up with more creative endings. They all end the same. It is quite trashy.

Rating:
Summary: Who is being deceived?
Review: Deception Point is a fast action thriller written to the same formula as his first book, Digital Fortress. The main character, Rachel Sexton, has the same personality, drive, and abilities. The plot is similar enough that there are few surprises. The only major difference is that there is a greater assortment of supporting characters as more freedom of movement is allowed. In this novel the main character actually gets to leave her office building although this is based on a very flimsy premise. Sexton is sent to verify the NASA find in order to convince the White House staff of its legitimacy. I fail to see the logic in this.

In Digital Fortress it was the NSA that was portrayed as evil incarnate; in this book both NASA and the Space Frontier Foundation join the ranks along with, ultimately, the NRO. I was left wondering if Brown really does dislike NASA, etc. and if in fact his novels are guided more by a political agenda than a desire for thrilling readers. At best he seems to consider NASA a misguided venture but fails to see a better way.

Deception Point is a fast read and the chapters fly by (hardly surprising as there are 133 of them!). I read this on vacation and would recommend it for the poolside as you can interrupt the book at any time for a dip.