Rating: 
Summary: A book club pick
Review: Our book club picked this Dan Brown novel and two other books that we've really enjoyed ("Birth of Venus" and "Bark of the Dogwood" were the other two). While all were excellent and I highly recommend them, "Deception Point" moved along the quickest and was my favorite. I actually read "Da Vince" and "Angels & Demons" also, on my own, and have to say that this book was even better than those two. Great fun and a definite page turner.
Rating: 
Summary: fun but average thriller
Review: While this book definitely doesn't rise above the genre in the way that Angels and Demons & The Da Vinci Code do, it's a solid page turner.Anyone who has ever read a book before will figure out the final plot twist at least 100 pages before it happens, and, as in Da Vinci Code, you do have to work somewhat hard to suspend disbelief at certain points - particularly in a couple of passages where allegedly brilliant scientists express shock and disbelief upon learning about trivial scientific facts of which any reasonably educated person is aware. The action set-pieces are well-written and often quite ingenious, and, as usual, Brown's background research is quite good, if a bit sensationalized. If you don't expect another Da Vinci Code, and just want a fun thriller to waste a few hours with and maybe learn an interesting fact or two, you'll like this book.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Piffle
Review: Full disclosure -- I read "Deception Point" after reading Brown's hugely successful other novels, "Angels and Demons" and "The Da Vinci Code." "DP" doesn't measure up to either of those books, but that is unfair criticism considering their rampant success. "DP" is a fairly routine thriller that will serve you well on an airplane. Brown has apparently always known how to write a page-turner -- "DP" drives you forward as efficiently and relentlessly as "Angels" or "Code." The relative weakness of the book is the plot, which just seems kind of silly in comparison to Brown's later offerings. "DP" uses some Brown staples -- attractive, hyper-educated, likable characters get involved in revealing secrets that others will kill to protect. Here, the secret involves the potential discovery of proof of alien life in a meteorite found under centuries of ice. Brown knows how to write the action scenes well, and he does a great job of explaining the science underlying the discovery (as well as the critical verification of the discovery), which in the hands of a lesser author could have been as dull as a bad "Discovery Channel" program. That being said, the whole enterprise is rather pedestrian . . . again, considering Brown's later triumphs. "DP" is fairly predictable due to the law of economy of characters (i.e., since there are only a few important characters in a book, there can only be so many who could be responsible for any given action). "DP" uses one of Brown's favorite devices -- the anonymous commander, who goes by a title rather than a name until the grand reveal later in the story -- to control the sinister Delta Force team who tracks and attacks our heroes. "Angels" and "Code" also use the anonymous commander, but to greater effect. The discovery of alien intelligence just does not rise to the level of the mysteries Brown covers in "Angels" and "Code." These later books have inspired me to visit the Vatican and Paris to see the religious symbols Brown writes about so effectively. "DP" left me thinking, "Hmm, meteorite . . . m'kay." As a result, we don't care as much for our heroes in "DP" as we do for Robert Langdon and comrades from the later novels. That doesn't mean that we're not gripped by Brown's description of being whisked over the Artctic shelf by parachutes in gale-force winds, or a dastardly deed committed by a Delta Force soldier and a fly-sized recon robot, or a gun battle on board a ship. But the thrills are temporary, and I doubt that I'll feel any need to re-read this book ever again. For the general reader, a 3-star review -- fun, but no great loss if you miss it. For the reader who is desperately looking for a distraction from the tedium of the four-hour flight from Portland to Houston, it's a 5-star read!
Rating: 
Summary: Three days of my life wasted
Review: Great techno-thriller writers like Michael Crichton have the amazing ability to make a tale which is not even remotely plausible and make it seem extremely plausible. Dan Brown clearly doesn't get that. "Deception Point" is the biggest piece of garbage I've read in years. Aside from dropping every cliche known to man, giving characters names like dad soap operas (Sedgewick Sexton...pulleez) and getting stuck somewhere between a Lifetime Network movie and a James Bond film, the book is so badly conceived that when the real villain is finally unveiled, the reader has already figured it out to utter boredom 150 pages earlier. This book will keep me from ever reading a Dan Brown novel again. If you want to avoid the same fate, pass this one by.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent novel that has you guessing until the very end!
Review: Dan Brown has clearly done a lot of research prior to writing this novel. It is about a meteorite found in the artic shelf which contains the power to change the future of America. It revolves around a presidential election in which one candidate it totally corrupt and targets NASA's failures to gain popularity while the other candidate seeking reelection will not cheat the American people. Among the rapid paced plot of the novel i found many interesting facts along the way which not only made the novel interesting but rather educating.
A MUST READ!!
Rating: 
Summary: I'm confused ... or maybe I'm not
Review: WARNING: CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS I finished another Dan Brown novel this weekend, but now I'm confused.
Which one is it that has a wonderful amount of technical information but is so very plot heavy? It's the one where the main non-protagonist good guy turns about to be the main bad guy about 90% through the book and the obvious villain turns out to be good. You know, the one where the boy and girl who just met fall in love and sleep together at the end . . .
Oh wait, that's all of them.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining read!
Review: This book is a great read! While I agree that some of it seems a bit implausible if you stop and study it, I never found myself having a hard time believing it or being immersed in the book. I read this one quickly - in about 2 days - and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good mystery. Towards the end of the book you figure it out, and I personally wouldn't have given away as much info as the back cover does, but overall a great read, especially if you buy the paperback (which is only $7 or so). I gave this book 4 stars because 5 stars means the book is darn near perfect and I reserve that rating for MUST-READ books. If you're looking for a few other books, try PREY and/or THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN by Michael Crichton - I just got through reading PREY and it's pretty good too, and TAS is a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Deception Point
Review: In this exciting thriller/adventure novel, NASA makes a discovery in the Arctic which will shake the foundations of the world and completly flip the outcome of the upcoming presidential election. But is this amazing scientific discovery all that it is hyped up to be? Could it be a White House/NASA fraud? Dan Brown has created an amazing cast of characters, from the current President, Zachary Herney, who is failing in the polls; to his opponent, Senator Sexton, who is quickly gaining the support of the American people by attacking NASA funding in his campaign; Sexton's daughter, Rachel, NRO liaison to the White House; Mike Tolland, famous oceanographer and host of his own hit TV documentary series "Amazing Seas"; Majorie Tench, the President's political advisor; the NASA administrator; Gabrielle Ashe, Sexton's asistant; and William Pickering, the director of the NRO.
I really enjoyed reading this novel because it has a little bit of everything, thriller, mystery, science fiction, politics, and conspiracy. I was amazed by the author's detailed descriptions of events and characters, I could picture them clearly in my mind. I would recommend this book to everyone. Anyone that picks up this book will get pulled in and will not be able to put it down. There is something in "Deception Point" for everyone. It is definitely a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Today's Robert Ludlum
Review: Dan Brown uses a tried and true formula in the thriller genre, with a crunchy twist - the heroic protagonist(s) are expert in the field most pertinent to their dilemma. He writes a well paced, engaging plot, and characters with somewhat more than usual depth for the type. His presentation of his central subject seems well informed, and he appears to be teaching while entertaining. Deception Point has some holes in the initial premise which require that you suspend your disbelief early, but once accepted, do not interfere with an exciting ride. Literature it is not, but you shouldn't be reading it if literature is what you are after. For escapist reading that draws you in and holds you with the added bonus of making you wonder about subjects outside the realm of weapons and seductions and betrayals (although, of course, you get those too,) there are few today who write more adroitly.
Rating:
Summary: One-Trick Pony
Review: Dan Brown, unfortunately, seems to be a one-trick pony. This book, which predates "The DaVinci Code" by about a year, follows pretty much the same ark. Two "heroes" (actually 3, but one is pretty much a throwaway) discover a secret, and are pursued by killers (Delta Force, instead of the Albino Priest), who are guided by the secret manipulator (The Controller, vs. The Teacher) who is a surprise when we find out who it is. Both stories take place in one continous swath over a day or two. Deception point also suffers from a generally preposterous plot. Brown invents far too many technologies, and doesn't do enough research on known technologies (do I really want to believe that a Los Angeles class submarine has enough space for an anechoic chamber in the middle?) Sorry, but I don't think I'll be picking up more works by Mr. Brown.
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