Rating: 
Summary: So close to the end and I found a typo!
Review: On page 164 it says that the Knights Templar were found in 1188. Actually this is when the "Cutting of the Elm" occured and the Priory of Sion was formed. It is clear that Lunn confuses the two. The Knights Templar were actually formed in 1118, or according to Holy Blood, Holy Grail 1099. I just thought I should share this with you in case you use the Knights Templar information in the glossary for a history paper or something. Someone should write the publisher about this one. I just might.
Also having just finished the book, I have to agree with another reviewer that this book was compiled in haste and really is just a cheap brush over of certain topics in the Da Vinci Code. It really does seem as though Lunn was trying to make an extra buck or two off this one. I wouldn't really call him an expect historian either. If I were you I would try and find a more in depth book on the topics presented in the Da Vinci Code. I am unhappy with this book.
Rating: 
Summary: False advertising
Review: Short on facts and long on credulous supposition, this book is a celebration of specious reasoning that would make Lyndon Larouche blush. I bought it on impulse after finishing the Da Vinci Code (a book I greatly enjoyed), and regretted it after one chapter. The "facts" in this book are strictly for the gullible, copied directly out of the mouths of hoaxsters like Pierre Plantard - the "Priory of Sion" is apparently the least secret organization that ever existed, given the willingness of its supposed grandmaster to fork over information about it. Save your 10 dollars, or read a couple of chapters before you buy, so you can find out what you're getting into.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Bad, Better than Abanes
Review: The great thing about this book is the geographical tour of the sites that he provides. His background in the Davidic bloodline is also superior, and it shows, as does his familiarity with the cultures of the Middle East. So it all depends on what you want. He's definitely better than Abanes, (...) but he's not as good as Welborn, Kellmeyer or Bock. If you want a superlative treatment, go with one of these three. The rest, including Lunn, are also-rans.
Rating: 
Summary: Is There No Help for a Widow's Son?
Review: The ultra-Christian 'Da Vinci Code' debunkers have been giving this book several 1 star ratings... Is that because they are seriously reviewing this book or is it because they are pushing an agenda? This is the only book I've found that offers a fair and reasonable assesment of the facts in Brown's novel without a Christian debunking bias.
Rating:
Summary: Want More Da Vinci Code? Start Here.
Review: There are a lot of choices of "Da Vinci Code" guides right now to buy. Some take a secular approach like this one does. What I think distinguishes "Da Vinci Code Decoded" is provocative manner it parallels the events of the Dan Brown novel with enlightening historical events. It's one of the best companion guides I have read, and I have many of them. I've taken the time to read the guides published by religious zealots who are just looking to trash Dan Brown and any critical eye that is shed upon their beliefs. Fortunately, in America, everyone has a right to choose what he or she believes. And it would be great if more people were tolerant of others' beliefs and viewpoints, particularly when they disagree with their own. If you are interested in a non-dogmatic, critical view on the history and religion you may (or may not) be familiar with, this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: truth? no, tripe
Review: This is an unbelievably bad book. "Unbelievable" is the correct word. Lunn has trouble with sentences and paragraphs with a single subject are quite beyond him. Logical flow of thought does not occur either.
Worse, as a "historian," he accepts as facts, concepts which are in great dispute or have no documentary evidence (too many to mention, but start with Mary Magdalene in France and even the existence of Arthur in England).
Try another source for decoding.
Rating:
Summary: Great for the uninitiated
Review: Who on earth are these people who don't like it? I came to the Da Vinci Code uninitiated, and read it just because just about everyone was reading it. One problem - in common with everyone else I wasn't able to sort out what was for real and what wasn't. Then I heard about Lunn's book, and it all made sense. There is so much knowledge packed into this book its unreal. What ever you wondered about in da Vinci Decoded is covered, all you need to do is look in the index. I also liked the pictures. It is one thing reading about a person, place. Another seeing it. Easy enough for anyone to get a good grip on the subject. Also you can carry it around in your back pocket - great for the summer!
Rating:
Summary: again, a review (short version)
Review: Writing a non-fiction book that covers a topic which is not only controversial, but normally considered to be folklore, is a considerable challenge. The only books of this kind that I am willing to read are those that stick to the topic, that are rational, and down to earth. Many books of this genre constantly beg the reader to stretch the imagination and tolerate shoddy research. The DaVinci Code Decoded, however, reads like an exceptional book about history, which is what it is. There are no apologies being made here for the fact that the truth is sometimes mysterious, and there is virtually zero time dedicated to sensationalism. Martin Lunn has written an informed book from an informed point of view, and he is himself as unique and sincere as it is required to claim any authority on the subject. References are made one by one as they appear in Brown's novel, and he simply states what he knows to be true. The Romantic aspect needs no assistance. Conclusions are drawn that are not at all like what Brown's novel has to say and at other moments, they agree. There is also exclusive information that Brown obviously didn't know, and frankly I don't think anyone else knew, either! This is certainly refreshing after reading many redundant books following the Holy Blood, Holy Grail. Writing this book was a matter of responsibility to an organization which was researching these topics long before Dan Brown's success. It was technically in the works long before any of the others which followed suit. There is certainly no "jumping on the gravy train" going on here. The most fascinating thing is that Dan Brown is actually the one who has the tiger by the tail, and Martin Lunn is rather capable of explaining why.
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