Rating: 
Summary: You've got to be kidding me!
Review: OK, I'm not opposed to the possibility that Jesus Christ was married and had a child, but much of this book's views on current religions are very insulting! Most of the "evidence" that the author relies on is flimsy at best. Some of the theories he presents on various symbolism are intriguing to contemplate, but they are very weak as presented in this story. As far as the story involving a French Cryptographer, what was the need? There is nothing more complicated in this mystery than a few grade school riddles and a simple rotational substitution cypher. If the Priory of Scion was seriously trying to protect their secret, why would they pick passwords like sofia and apple? And to use the Fibonacci series of numbers for your bank vault password is ridiculous! The only thing good about this book is it might intrigue some to do more in depth research on some of the topics highlighted in the book.Oh, and can you say double entendre again???
Rating:
Summary: The further you go, the thinner it gets
Review: Ok, let's not forget that this is a work of fiction, and that the author has the right to create a new world of alternate biblical history and religious sensibility. Responses to the book that only express outrage and censoriousness are just making his point. However, a piece of literature should have to earn the right to be taken seriously by creating a life-world with some plausibility. This is particularly true in this case since its pages are suffused with condemnation of the church, orthodox Christianity, and the biblical canon. But all that Brown gives us to establish his setting is a polemic that panders to every half-baked, crack-pot, sexually repressed spiritual fad currently in vogue. Yes, it is his right to create such a work, but, if in the process he seeks to destroy belief, he also has the obligation to do a little homework and pursue a little greater consistency. Did Constantine really select the New Testament canon? Of course not. Is there any reason to believe that no one prior to Constantine believed that Christ was God? To the contrary! Ought we to blame "the church" for having brought into the the world same devaluations of the female that manifest themselves in Asian cultures? That makes no sense. The list can go on--and I'm not even touching on the interpretations of art we have to deal with. I was really looking forward to this book. For the first half or so, I thought I could just ignore the non sequiturs and factual errors and not let them get in the way of spoiling a good story. But after a while, the deceptions just got "in your face." The author gives every indication of being able to write an alternative religious history that neither offends people nor relies on a cartoon-like version of Christian history. I would challenge him to do so.
Rating: 
Summary: Predictable, and the "research" at times is laughable
Review: OK, let's see, I figured out the identity of the Teacher fairly quickly, solved all the riddles almost immediately (except in cases where key information was withheld), I knew the 10 digit account number well before the characters found it, realized immediately where the grail was, who sophia was, etc.
The history of the grail was pretty pathetic. Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum covered much of the same ground much more creditably and didn't rely on as absurd of a conspiracy to make it all come together. The crediting, for example, of the biblical canon to Constantine was rather laughable, as anyone who has studied the history of the biblical canon would agree.
If you thought this was a good book, do yourself a favor. Get Foucault's Pendulum and read the story done right.
Rating:
Summary: fairly entertaining FICTION
Review: Ok, so I finally gave in and read this book. I must admit to some serious disapppointment. First of all, Dan Brown is no great writer. In the same spirit of dime store murder mysteries, his character development is shallow and he depends almost entirely on a string of "catch me if you can" episodes to keep the plot moving. In between these exciting moments, the characters have long-winded dialogues during which supposed "ancient truths" are revealed to the reader. Let me just say that as someone who has done a lot of research on Christianity, Mr. Brown's facts are more like fantasy. Essentially what he has done is take a TINY grain of truth, embellish it with consipracy theories and his own bias, and try to foist it upon the public as a revelation on the history of Christianity. In one scene he even goes so far as to claim that Jesus' disciples all knew he was only a human teacher, and that the Emperor Constantine was the one who declared Jesus divine in order to strengthen his own rule. What a crock! If that is the case, then why is it that 11 of 12 disciples of Jesus chose torture and death rather than renounce the divinity of Jesus Christ? (The 12th died in prison.)All they had to do to save their own lives was state that Jesus was not the Son of God, but each of them chose a gruesome, painful death rather than betray the man and God who had died for their sins. There are many other glaring fantasies in Mr. Brown's book but I will not continue. Bottom line- if you want a fairly entertaining beach read, buy a used copy of this book and read it with a huge grain of salt. However, if you are seeking the truth about God and Jesus, look elsewhere. It most definitely is not in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully subversive
Review: OK, so the book has its share of laughably bad writing, and you can spot the cliffhangers a mile away (here comes the end of the chapter -- cue the ominous music!). But the brilliant thing about this book is that the plot almost doesn't matter. The Da Vinci Code is a Trojan horse. Critics may quibble over this or that assertion, but wrapped inside the plot are many truths about the Church's manipulation of the Bible for its own purposes -- truths the Church has labored for millenia to supress. Now they're coming out in this made-for-Hollywood potboiler that's selling millions and headed for the big screen. The horse is out of the barn -- no wonder so many fundamentalists are so upset. So much for the Inquisition. To those who are up in arms, the author and the publisher have the perfect response: "Oh, relax, it's *just a novel!*"
Rating:
Summary: What's the hype????
Review: OK, so this seems to be "THE" book to read right now. And so, hearing the raves (although not from anyone I know personally), I went out and read this one. What a disappointment. The big flaw in this so-called thriller is that Brown doesn't let you in on the solution. He tells you only so much, giving you obscure clues that you could NEVER figure out, introducing clues at the last minute. And giving you an oh-so-pat ending that you feel like throwing the book across the room when you finish it. And the characters are incredibly dumb and unconvincing (a cryptologist that doesn't recognize DaVinci's backwards writing? Gimme a break!). Trust me: spend your time reading something more rewarding. Like, maybe, the National Enquirer?
Rating: 
Summary: Great 1st half, then...
Review: OK, so this was my first Dan Brown book. I thought it was well written and found the historical notes throughout the book very interesting. I wish there was an easier way to find out for myself what is actually true, not being one to trust someone just because they put it in print. :)
When the plot is finally uncovered I found myself laughing out loud! I'm not a big believer in conspiracies...do you know any group of people who can keep a secret? To say that Christianity is flawed because an artist believed Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had a child...then to go on and talk about gods & goddesses, the age of pisces and aquarious...I found this so contradictory. I just do not get people who saw this as so revolutionary!
Rating:
Summary: Just in: Beach reads have reached a new low
Review: Ok, this makes me laugh. Not only is this book riddled with misinformation, and I don't care what anyone says, a novel that deals with a historical setting should at least get the facts straight and keep them clearly delineated from the fictional storyline. What is even more glaringly ridiculous is how staggeringly stupid he makes professionals who are supposed to be top in their field. One example : the notorious professor of religious symbology from Harvard University, who : 1) is baffled by the backward handwriting in da Vinci's notebook ! (now remember, this is a storyline set in the present day, where da Vinci's backward handwriting is about as well known amongst art students and professionals, as is checking for email is amongst computer owners) 2) has already seen it before in a museum where he was also supposedly baffled, and now he is wondering if he is looking at semitic handwriting which it doesn't vaguely resemble ! But, Brown doesn't stop there, he has to magnify this outrageous farce, he has a British Royal Historian join in on this parody of academic pondering, he wonders if it is ANCIENT. He is 'ASTONISHED, it is like NOTHING he has ever seen!' Does he live in a shoe ? Or has he just acquired his eyesight ? No, he is simply in Dan Brown's book. Not even the genius cryptologist is spared. Although she escapes being assigned guesses bordering on imbecilic, she beams with pride at recognizing...now I hope you are sitting, because this will knock the wind out of you, BACKWARD HANDWRITING ! A cryptologist ! How absolutely, fascinating ! A cryptologist who can solve a mystery so perplexing as to confound a 12 year old for an entire New York second. That's right, I opened up the book in front of a 12 year old, saying nothing more than, "here, read this." Without a word, he got up and went to the bathroom to hold it up in front of the mirror and began reading it out loud. Now, forgive me for bragging, but I didn't even need the mirror. Obviously Mr. Brown enjoys assigning these sort of attributes to these hapless experts. He has us know that our good friend the professor of religious symbology, has trouble believing the Vatican would kill for preserving their reputation. What a novel idea ! A powerful and aggressive world power in which there might actually be people who are not entirely altruistic ! Wow, if I was a art historian who had studied, oh for maybe...uh...5 years, the intrigues of Renaissance Italy, because they are so entwined in the understanding of this key period of religious art, I know I could have easily overlooked the perhaps, 800 references to such a thing, how about you ? As if these and an additional steady stream of such bloopers are not enough, we are subjected to ignorant observations : 'da Vinci is less artistic than Fabergé' ! than 'assorted cloissoné artisans' ! Did you know that ? I didn't know that ! I still don't know that ! There's lots more 'wisdom' on this victim, be warned. Not only does he relentlessly bungle his facts and couple them with unfounded and preposterous social commentary, he has the nerve to insert this comment, about a film : "Sadly the filmmakers had gotten most of the specifics wrong..." And if the reader is not sufficiently impressed with Mr. Brown yet, they get one more clue, by including this esteemed opinion on the supposed creator of the mystery: "...he was a frighteningly clever man." Where does it end ! On page 484, directly before the blessedly blank flyleaf, where I breathe a sigh of relief of not only being done with this bestselling drivel, but that my name is not defiled by being included in the acknowledgments.
Rating:
Summary: You too can write a Dan Brown novel.
Review: Ok- first off... I really did enjoy this book. However, now that I have read 3 of Brown's novels, I have noticed a certain formula that Dan Brown uses. 1- Use the word "Indredulous" as often as possible.
2- The bad guy MUST be known by a term/phrase instead of a name.
3- The bad guy is double crossing the good guys... and you are NOT supposed to suspect this.
4- The novel must take place in the course of one day.
5- Your hero must wake-up and not have a clue that he will spend his entire day many miles away from home, while being chased by bad guys.
6- All good guys must be experts at something very arcane.
7- The ending must be weak. If you follow these steps you too can write a Dan Brown novel. ORRRR you can use this formula to figure out the book you are currently reading after about 100 pages. This is clearly a case of diminishing returns. One book is Awesome, two is fun, but by the third... you are ready to turn on the television. My suggestion- read the Da Vinci Code (However, remember it is still "fiction" and despite the authors claims- some of his facts are seriously flawed- for instance - "The Gosphel of Mary" is hardly widely accepted as legitimate). "The Da Vinci Code" is extremely face paced, and quite thought provoking. It challenged me to do a little research into the foundation of my beliefs (However, it did not change my beliefs... I found that my views on religon are on much sounder ground that the author's supposed "research"). Enjoy...
Rating:
Summary: An amazing.... piece of tripe...
Review: OK. Lots of people have appropriately eviscerated portions of this book for being (often eggregriously) inaccurate. However, it's marked as fiction, and not non-fiction, so I don't see why that would prove surprising. At it's best, in terms of analogies, I would think this is fictionally equivalent to the movie "JFK". In other words, potentially intriguing, mostly enjoyable, but horrifically flawed in terms of the interconnection of key 'facts.' With that being said, the I actually found this book to be patently absurd for reasons specific to its fictional elements within the Thriller genre. Essentially, the *entire* book comes down to this sequence (in broad generalizations so as not to spoil it anymore than other reviews have): * <<initial setup>> * Arrive at Location
* Pontificate in a manner and breadth that no human ever would
* <<repeat steps 2-3 incessantly>> * <<conclusion>> Oh yes, and all of this is done in one day, with no appreciable, discernible, inferrential loss of stamina or lucidity among the primary protagonists. It's stultifyingly amazing! Perhaps instead of a 'thriller' for his next book, Dan Brown could write a fitness manual that prescribes the appropriate mix of exercise and gensing to achieve and maintain these levels. NOW that would be a book worth reading.
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