Rating: 
Summary: Murder Mystery and Art History
Review: I review this book with caution as it appears readers seem to either love or hate the book. Personally, I found the book fascinating. It has me looking up the true origin of any old term of phrase or symbol that I come across nowadays. It makes me think more deeply about all those symbols which we use so matter of factly that they are no longer truly symbolic. Sure, everyone has a sense of what the Nike swoosh stands for, but what about Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper"? Nobody really studies those things any more, and they have become a lost history among our society.It is with skill, then, that Dan Brown manages to interest his readers into a topic that is almost a millenium old. He appears to have done a bunch of research for this book. Not only that, but he also put a lot of effort into making that research come to life without seeming overwhelmingly heavy or detailed in the prose. That's not an easy thing to do, and it's what I most admire about the book. You only need to pick up a bunch of academic papers to realise that "english" is not a first language when it comes to scientific debate. We rely on journalists, movie directors and authors like Dan Brown to make such laden themes with their secretive and prohibitive language digestible for the general public's enjoyment. Rather than taking the easy route by writing a simple, straight lined story about some art historian's discovery of the symbology of the Holy Grail, Brown created a mixture of interesting characters that each play a definitive role in his murder mystery. It's a combination of an Agatha Christie novel and a fictional history book. The skill of combining those diverse elements cannot have been easy, yet Brown manages to bring it off with a simplistic flair. In truth, his story is captivating. It starts off with a bang - a murder of a curator. The audience is carried along with the main characters, and for a good part of the book we are shrouded by the truth. If you love solving puzzles, you will be able to "beat" the character to identifying the next clue or uncovering critical bits of information by looking closely at the text (mirrors recommended). Of course, no one is expecting a work of fiction to be entirely based on truth, but Brown has a different treatment of the age old topic of the Holy Grail and his take on it I found to be interesting. Moreover, it has all the things a good book should have: it's engaging, easy to read in bite size chunks that should appeal to the general public, it's full of action and mystery, and it's well researched, thus has a ring of truth to it. I feel I must "defend" this book because I enjoyed every minute of reading it even though that opinion is probably not in vogue with "serious" readers.
Rating: 
Summary: WOW!!
Review: I sat and read this book for 7 hours straight - unable to disconnect from the wild ride found within these pages. It is not often that a book pulls me in so completely that I forget about the weekend chores waiting and allow myself such a decadent escape. 24 hours later, I am still reeling. I have read many, many of the reviews for this book - both here and on the web. I have followed the author's links and read even further about the theories presented by this author & other writers. I keep asking myself, what is it that has me so drawn to this subject matter? I like the idea- the possibility- that there remains in this life a discovery of such magnitude as The Da Vinci Code. The modern world seems empty of mystery and the possibility of new discoveries and grand adventures. This story - albeit fiction - pulls our eyes away from the feelings of hopelessness that has invaded a majority of Christian faith & throws us head first into the eternally magical quest for the Holy Grail. Only we learn the quest is really ...oops. Can't say that! Just know this - the scientific mind will tear it apart looking for its weaknesses; the devoted religious will refuse to even entertain its message because to do so threatens the very core of Christian beliefs. But balanced on that fine line where science & religion come ever so close to one another, there is this refreshingly taut & fantastically bold story (and story is the key word here) ' with a very timely message. Enjoy!!
Rating: 
Summary: Take this Lightly
Review: I spent a lot of time last semester in a class hearing one of my favorite professors (a brilliant, highly respected medievalist) making fun of this novel. He had read The Da Vinci Code out of curiosity, and Dan Brown's "scholarship" became his joke of the semester. Anyway, I had to read it so that I could be in on the joke. I did enjoy The Da Vinci Code somewhat, but I certainly don't think this is anything to take too seriously. The book was written as Brown's way of advocating an imaginative reinterpretation of history (which several people have made before). I don't really have any problem with this reinterpretation. It's certainly compelling and interesting to read about. He certainly has the right to write it. If you do much research on the subject, though, you'll find that it's oftly improbable, and you'll find that Brown warped a few facts and ignored others. My main problem with the book is that Brown is audacious enough to predict how these ideas would change Christianity and the world, and his predictions show ignorance, particularly of Christian theology. The ideas here aren't all that revolutionary, and even if they were true, they wouldn't change anything. Just some examples are Brown's ideas on women's role and on God's gender that are already in the Bible (though they've often been misinterpreted) and Brown's ideas about Christ's divinity which don't follow logically from his arguments about Mary Magdalene and Jesus. I did enjoy the novel, though. It is compelling and entertaining, but DON'T think this is great literature (my professor was right about it), and don't take these ideas too seriously.
Rating:
Summary: Insulting
Review: I started reading this book and was immediately fascinated by the historical content and the fast paced plot. However, after reading further, I think the message that Mr. Brown was trying to get across to his readers is clear. If you're an intelligent, scientific individual, you're a "good guy". If you're a Christian, you're either stupid, mislead or evil. I don't consider myself to be a fundamental Christian, and I'm still insulted by this book. This poor, mislead Christian will have to find another book because I'm done with this one.
Rating:
Summary: Stuning!
Review: I started reading this book on Tuesday - what a mistake, because I had to go to work the next day and wasn't able to put it down until very late at night! It was absolutely amazing! Suspense is enormous, and the chapters are short, so you just read them one by one without being able to stop... On the other hand, if you come to think of it, maybe it was not the plot that attracted me the most, but some supplementary information on symbolism, art, history etc - when reading, I just kept on promising myself I will look this stuff up on the internet - so astonishing it was to me (and I never thought I might be interested in that field). Read it and share it with your friends!
Rating:
Summary: Downhill Excitement...
Review: I started reading this novel after numerous recommendations, and to be honest, this novel was not as great as I had expected it to be. Brown has successfully captured my interest in this religious thriller by connecting history with a fictional yet entertaining plot, but the more I read, the more disappointed I was in this novel. The Da Vinci Code begins with the violent murder of the Louvre museum curator who is also the head of one of the world¡¦s secret societies whose existence dates back to the death of Christ. In the very last moments before his death, he managed to leave puzzles and clues around the crime scene. His daughter who specializes in cryptography works with Robert Langdon, a famous US symbologist, as they set off on an adventure to discover the truth. Brown then leads the reader onto an expedition of the past ¡V briefly describing the connections between many historical sites, events, and art. However, the accuracy of the information given is still debatable. One thing I found interesting was the idea that Jesus had a wife ¡V Mary Magdelaine. Being a Buddhist myself, I have never studied the history of Christianity and nor have I read about these examinations. But even so, it was still not enough to raise my rating for this novel. The characters are very poorly developed, and this was realized as the excitement of the mystery was weakened after Brown revealed the rest of the plot. The later half of the novel was far less exciting than the first, and it is even more noticeable as the two parts are compared and contrasted. Overall, this is a fairly easy novel and all you have to do is just read and follow along the story. If you want to read an interesting novel of an easier reading level, the Da Vinci Code just might be the one.
Rating:
Summary: OH MY GODDESS!
Review: I started reading this while killing an hour before going to a Fourth of July BBQ. Well, an hour later I could not put it down... missed the BBQ, fireworks, and my beauty sleep as I stayed up until 4 AM when I finished this marvelous tale. I immediately picked up Dan Brown's "prequel" of sorts, Angels and Demons, and spent the next day reading that. Dan Brown has put a huge dent in my social life this last weekend but it was worth it all. Can't wait for the next book! I would like to recommend another terrific book, a murder mystery by William Freeman, MURDER IN KEY WEST... terrific story, great sex, beautiful locale.
Rating:
Summary: Theologically too inaccurate
Review: I started the book and couldn't put it down. Around page 200 the book takes a turn. Dan Brown misstates several things as he weaves the story together. I have a degree in Theology and can read a wide range of thoughts, but when Dan Brown says things like "YHWH was derived from Jehovah" it is troublesome... since in fact, Jehovah was derived from YHWH by the Germans who had a hard time pronounching YHWH. - the exact opposite! Dan Brown wrote a page turner - but unless you have an academic background in theology or church history, you could easily mistake his fiction for fact... be careful not to believe this book.
Rating:
Summary: Stumbled in and Stayed
Review: I stumbled onto "The Da Vinci Code" in a rather odd way. I had recently read "My Fractured Life" and loved it. I asked the person who had recommended that book to me for another recommendation. That recommendation was Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code". As I started reading I had many reservations. The reason I wanted a recommendation from my friend was because I had enjoyed "My Fractured Life" - a brilliant, slice of life trip into the hallows of Hollywood. "The Da Vinci Code" was nothing like it. This is a mystery, and a religious themed mystery at that. What had my friend been thinking? At 11 PM with no other new book to read though, what could I do but keep reading? I am so glad that I did. By the third chapter I understood why my friend had recommended it. "The Da Vinci Code" is a superb book. (I watch LAW & ORDER which is a crime show, that doesn't mean that I can't also love FRIENDS and ER which are different genres. So it stands to reason that I can love books from two different genres.) This is more than a mystery. It is a brilliant book. Some mystery authors can only write mysteries. I think Dan Brown is a brilliant writer who just happens to choose to write mysteries.
Rating: 
Summary: Great subject, lousy execution
Review: I suppose Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" has to get one star because most of the words are in the right place and the cover's pretty. I enjoyed Brown's previous novel, "Angels & Demons," and was really looking forward to this one because I just love all the crackpot nonsense about the Priory of Sion and Mary Magdalene. Unfortunately for Mr. Brown, my writing partner and I already did this story on television in 1998, so I know a thing or two about how far you can push this story. Also unfortunately for Mr. Brown, he just isn't a very good writer. In the hands of someone like Tim Powers, this story would be spine-chilling. Powers would be able to pass along the fascination with this story to his readers. But Brown is so impressed with the dis-information he's "discovered" that he either doesn't make an effort to weave a story, or he simply isn't capable of it. Instead, he copies straight from "Holy Blood Holy Grail" and "The Woman With the Alabaster Jar." What's shocking is that this is essentially all the research Brown does, and he treats it like it's never been mentioned before. This subject is a cottage industry. Brown did not invent it. And really, he hasn't done a very good job at all with his story, relying instead on the WOW factor to carry his simplistic prose and juvenile story along. It's difficult to tell whether Brown believes this story. He didn't do a lot of research so he may have bought into the whole thing. That's a problem. And then Brown "cleverly" names the curator Sauniere. For those who are familiar with the Priory story, this induces a great amount of eye-rolling. Someone like Tim Powers can easily get away with this because Powers tells dense, organic stories. Brown does not. We move from set piece to set piece, the readers already miles ahead of the simple story even if they aren't previously familiar with it. Brown uses his "research" (i.e., thieving from the aforementioned books) as a smokescreen for complexity. The info-dump the villain constantly gives our heroes (and what's up with that?) truly doesn't further the thin story Brown has constructed. This information also doesn't jibe with the characters Brown presents. I mean, Sophie doesn't know what her NAME means? Two cryptologists can't figure out the Newton clue? This is a well-trod story that, if you're going to tell it, has to contain some surprises. And a conspiracy of such magnitude, that's been around for so long, had better be air tight. Our heroes had better be frickin' geniuses. With Brown's book, it doesn't make sense that this conspiracy has been held for so long. The clues simply don't measure up. From the beginning of the book -- where NEITHER LEAD CHARACTER can figure out that THE HEAD CURATOR OF THE BLOODY LOUVRE has been posed like the Vitruvian man -- to the end of the book, where the descendants of Christ are at Rosslyn Chapel -- THE FIRST PLACE ANYONE WITH ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THIS CONSPIRACY WOULD LOOK -- Brown lets down his audience and this potentially fun, fascinating story. I'm just thankful that he didn't visit Paimpont Forest, Glastonbury or especially Rennes-le-Chateau. God only knows how he would have mucked that up. As someone who has done this story, I know and appreciate how difficult it is to distill this subject down. There are many, many fascinating roads to take and you do end up with an awful lot of information that you want to deliver to your audience. Discovering this story for the first time is electrifying and being able to tell this story in your own way is very rewarding. But it's a shame that this is the public's first real exposure to this topic. For a much better novel by a much better writer, check out Jim Houghan's "Kingdom Come." And although it also has problems with the static nature of the narrative, Katherine Neville's "The Magic Circle" is a better book by a better writer as well. Don't buy into the hype. Dan Brown is a pretender.
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