The Da Vinci Code

Rating:
Summary: best in years - this book almost cost me my job
Review: Not only does this book present valuable theories on the subject of Christianity and the Holy Grail, but it is also an amazing piece of fictional writing. I literally could not put it down. Stayed up all night and late into the morning to finish it at the expense of a couple missed meetings ;)
Seriously, though, I'm a novice on Grail theory and know just enough to recognize the basic ideas presented and I found this book enlightening enough on the topic to teach, yet fascinating enough as an adventure to read through and not question the validity of the theories as fact.

Amazing. Would (and have) recommend it to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Now history is fun
Review: Not only is this a well written suspense/mystery/action packed story, but I learned more about biblical, linguistical and random history reading this book than all my years in college. And I actually liked it! This is a book to jump start your interest in history if it hasn't already been. It's also based around facts that you can (and should) look up for yourself. Interested in Da Vinci? (If you aren't you will be) Interested in the original meanings of loaded words today? Interested in religion in general? Conspiracies? Put down Harry Potter and pick up a rich adult adventure, you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Da Vinci, the travelogue
Review: Not only is this book a great page-turner, it makes a great list of places to visit while in Europe

Rating:
Summary: A book that really makes one think
Review: Not only is this book a superb suspense/adventure novel, but it clearly outlines some interesting hypotheses that really force one to sit down and contemplate the nature of religion and theology. I won't say anything more for risk of spoiling the plot, but take my word for it: if you like suspense, then this book is perfect.

Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 Stars...Everything is Suspect
Review: Not since the breathlessness of "The Day of the Jackal" or "The Bourne Identity" have I read a thriller this riveting. Dan Brown sinks the hooks in and drags us through the night hours with a plot that won't let go.

"The Da Vinci Code," like Ludlum's classic "The Gemini Contenders," deals with secrets within secrets of the Catholic Church. In this case, the Church has tried to suppress certain relics that would cause embarrassment and doubt for many of its billion believers. The relics, discovered by the Knights Templar during the Crusades, have been entrusted to a line of guardians to this present age. The problem: the guardians are being murdered, threatening the knowledge of this ancient secret. When a renowned symbologist and a female cryptologist find themselves joined at a murder scene in the Louvre, they are about to go on a twenty-four hour dash for their lives and for the survival of the secret, as hinted at by the Da Vinci Code.

Brown not only keeps the pace at a gallop for the full 454 pages, he deals out clues and deceptions and word games like a Vegas dealer flipping cards. (In fact, the origin of the four suits of cards is even broached in this fascinating book!) Somehow, with mesmerizing skill, Brown draws us deeper into the mystery without setting our heads spinning. But you might find yourself nodding, smiling, and gasping in reaction.

Ultimately, "The Da Vinci Code" swings the pendulum from run-of-the-mill thriller to a discourse on religious roots. Yes, I believe the Church has put forth a male-dominant view of God that is inconsistent with the Bible. The Bibles states in Genesis that both man and woman were created in God's image. Where Brown, or his Knights Templar, might swing too far the other way is in asserting God as the sacred goddess instead. Biblically, yes, God is spirit, encapsulating all the traits of man and woman in the divine. However, "The Da Vinci Code" dips into pagan practices and gnosticism, calling into question the veracity of Scripture.

As a thriller, this book can hardly be beat. As a treatise on spirituality, it comes up suspect on factual and theological levels.

Rating:
Summary: Long on Hype, short on suspense and craft.
Review: Not such great story telling and exhaustive research that can be chalked up to a handful of books.
The NY Time's review states that Brown's latest novel is "Umberto Eco meets Tom Clancy.." This does a great disservice to both authors. Eco's knowledge of the subject matter spans a lifelong academic period. He truly invented the intellectual thriller and has to date been unequaled. Some reviewers have bemoaned the fact that Brown did not included a bibliography at the end of "The Da Vinci Code." It may have been because his so-called exhaustive research could in fact be boiled down into a handful of non-fiction books. HOLY BLOOD HOLY GRAIL, which stirred controversy and raised the holy bloodline issue decades ago. THE TEMPLAR REVELATION by Picknett and Clive Prince discussed almost word for word the DaVinci Hoax: The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper (Mary Magdalene's substitution as St. John and the fact that "...Da Vinci painted himself as the second disciple on the right, looking away from Jesus." And again the veneration of John the Baptist over Christ in The Adoration of the Magi and The Virgin of the Rocks. Add Gilbert's MAGI, Graham Hankock's THE SIGN AND THE SEAL and a quick read of Joseph Campbell and ... there's your "exhaustive research." To this stew we simply include a pinch of the well-known factoids. Being, secret societies have worshiped female [self esteem], and that "sexual secrets" lie at the very heart of Rosicrucianism, Hermeticism, and even fundamental Freemasonry; what's the end result? Modern feminism wrapped in the arms of Europe's Best Known secret: the worship of feminine wisdom.
As a writer, I could overlook all of this and do laud Brown for plunging into the waters of controversy by undemonizing the Gnostic so-called heresy, if it weren't for the fact that this novel fails in it's main goal: the creation of an intelligent and fast-paced thriller. The prose is sophomoric, some of the technical details of real police procedure (even European) are laughable, and the attempt at suspense becomes highly predictable. To compare this to the craftsmanship of authors such as Clancy, Ludlum, or other suspense thriller writers is pure hype. Novelists such as Koontz, Levin, Farris, and even King and Chrichton--bring a sublime and well-tuned racing engine to their work. They hurtle you down the track, easing up on the throttle just enough for you to catch your breath and then, pound you back into your seat with shuddering G-forces. Whereas, Brown barely manages to place you within a soapbox derby.
To say that one should dismiss Brown's poorly fleshed out characters in favor of the plot misses the mark and the purpose of fiction writing. Yes, Langdon and Sophie are merely conduits for information dumping in the form of dialogue, indeed. Langdon, in particular, without motivation, without subtext and background immediately becomes cartoonish. If we don't care about him why the hell should we care what happens to him?
And the action sequences are quite a snooze. Perhaps, only DoubleDay really cares about our hero but in the form of [dollars].
If you want to read something along this line, which is far more original, well-written, full of vivid prose, ... and break-neck action combined with esoteric lore as well as European scenic backdrops--read R. Douglas Weber's PROTOCOL-17.
Dean Koontz's DARK RIVERS OF THE HEART and even, Robert Ludlum's THE SIGMA PROTOCOL are also recommended for ... fans.

Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for plot, but left me wanting a bit more
Review: Not sure what I can say that has not already been said by the hundreds of reviewers who have weighed in on the subject. But anyway, I will... I found the plot very fast-paced and a good page turner. However, I was a bit dismayed at the lack of depth in the historical backing of many of the details. If you are interested in this type of fiction, I would recommend Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, which I still reread from time to time.
I thought Brown laid a good foundation utilizing Opus Dei as one of the main antagonists in the book, but so much more could have been done developing this facet of the book, and moreover the last few chapters really had me asking for more.
Nevertheless, Brown has made a good effort, and if you want a book that you can read over the course of a rainy weekend, then this is one for you. I enjoyed it, but would have liked to see Brown develop the plot just a bit more.
Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: yeah, right
Review: Not that 1,597 is better than 1,596 reviews, but ... The writing did not disturb me, or the chapter lengths. The anti-Catholicism was really low-grade heresy tho. Constantine was not responsible for the number of gospels nor the divinity of Christ. And it gets worse from there. The pure English religion stripped the Blessed Virgin as place holder for the most perfect of human beings. Martyrdom and sainthood were equal opportunity occupations until the reformation particularly in England sought to strip women of spiritual careers and forced them to burn their saint books. Perhaps no other religion has a tradition of female geniuses and mystical writers as does medieval Catholicism. Women ruled spiritually not by goddess pretensions but by having a deeper understanding of the message of Christ than those scrambling up one artificial hierarchy after another. Christ came for all women; he had women followers MMagdalen --not the apostles -- got the scoop on the resurrection; and the early church thrived on female support. The Merovingians were Catholic because Clotild converted her husband Lothar, France is Catholic because Joan of Arc chased out Henry VI, Constantine was converted by his mother, Helen and Augustine by his mother Monica. A religion full of viragos -- no feminism needed till post witch-burnings (protestants 2 to 1 over RC's) and socially enforced marriage for all women for economic survival ... Amen.

Rating:
Summary: Not usually one for hype
Review: Not usually one for all the hype, I avoided this book for months. That is, until a friend gave me a copy. Perhaps it was because I was initially pessimistic; perhaps it was because I don't like to follow the crowd; but for whatever reason I actually ended up liking this book. Some of the "facts" Brown presents are fascinating and you can easily spend hours looking up the ideas on the Internet. But aside from that the book is fast-paced and well, yes, it is a page turner (most chapter are only a page or two long, so you're forced to turn the page). Still, it was much more enjoyable that I anticipated and worth a shot. Whether or not you "believe" everything Brown tells you is up to you. Just don't take anything too seriously and enjoy it.

Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD

Rating:
Summary: from an honorary member of the Priory of Sion
Review: Note: if you are a Biblical literalist who idealizes the life of Jesus, this novel will likely be one to set aside with all the rest of the unapproved literature.

For me this book was a quick and clever read, and I enjoyed the plot twists and turns, the puzzles, and the bits of religious and art history (whether accurate or inaccurate). I did want deeper character development, and the ending was a bit of a letdown in some ways, but overall this book entertained me.

Few reviewers have commented on the shadowy Priory of Sion, said to be a kind of secret forerunner to the Rosicrucians, the Knights Templar, and even the Masons. I looked around a bit on the Internet and found sites that insisted on the Priory's reality and others that insisted it was a hoax. In this novel a main function of the Priory is to safeguard the esoteric wisdom tradition handed down from Jesus to Mary Magdelene. I've never seen any hard evidence for the claim that they married and founded a dynasty, but in the Gospel of Peter and the fragmented Gospel of Mary you can find references to Mary arousing the jealousy of the Twelve by being Jesus' favorite pupil. Perhaps the early church deposed the true inheritor of the inner teachings right from the start. (Check out the "saint" at Jesus' right hand in Leonardo's famous last supper painting.)

During my doctoral work on the missions of California I frequently came across people who insisted that Columbus was not a slave-owner, Cortez was not a butcher, and nearly half a million Indians did not perish of syphilis in upper and lower California, nor did the newspapers and the 49ers carry out a systematic program of genocide ("purity of labor" they called it in the mines). Why? Because it's easier not to change one's mind about what mom and dad and the church have always said was truth--conviction being safer than disillusionment even if it involves the spectacle of adults telling other adults what they can and cannot read and think. This novel is a work of fiction, but be aware that it does raise issues that challenge the dominant patriarchal paradigm under which Christendom has operated for so many centuries.