Rating: 
Summary: Amazing
Review: Suspiciously so in fact. That this book is *still* on the top of the heap after this long speaks of a publishing industry that preplans its successes as well as American literary culture. As an earlier reviewer stated, it's a shame they decided to make this book a "bestseller."I found The Da Vinci Code's so called plot boring, the "astounding" revelations preposterous, and the writing amaturish. Mr. Brown presents a veritable smorgasbord of conspiracies and labors mightily to connect them all together. What results though is a mishmash of convolutions with which Sherlock Holmes would have a problem. As far as his awesome research, I knew we were in trouble when he mentioned the "ancient" religion of Wicca. Had Mr. Brown troubled to ask, any follower of Wicca could have told him that it was pretty much invented in 1950 by Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders. That hardly makes it ancient. I read this (from the library, thankfully) based on the tantalizing synopsis. I'm just glad I didn't waste money on it.
Rating: 
Summary: A superb thriller!
Review: Symbologist Robert Langdon is in Paris on business when he receives a startling phone call...one that will change his life. Renowned curator of the Louvre Jacques Sauniere is found murdered, and worse is the shocking clue found at the murder scene. Robert Langdon is not sure why he has been summoned to the scene of the crime, considering he never met the dead man, but upon arrival it becomes clear...Sauniere has left a bizarre message mentioning Langdon's name. As the investigators question Langdon, a gifted cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, enters to help sort through the clues and the riddles, but within minutes she is explaining to Langdon a shocking tale of conspiracy. Langdon and Sophie are now on the run trying to uncover a mystery that links Jacques Sauniere to the Priory of Sion, a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and DaVinci, among others. The race for answers will take Langdon and Sophie through the cathedrals and castles of Europe until they discover the shocking code hidden in the works of Da Vinci, a discovery that will unearth a secret that has been concealed for centuries. 'The Da Vinci Code' is THE must read thriller of the year. This novel cooks with layer upon layer of secrets, rich detail, a creepy secret society, devil worship, and a meticulously plotted mystery. The cover of 'The Da Vinci Code' should come with a warning...Caution beginning this novel will result in the loss of sleep. From page one you are thrust into an intrigue filled thriller that does not let up for a second, it's as smart as it is suspenseful, and readers will be hard pressed to not finish it in one sitting. Dan Brown has crafted one of the most intelligent and original thrillers in years. Fans of smart, fast-paced thrillers should dive into this one. There is no doubt that 'The Da Vinci Code' will sky rocket up the bestseller charts and make Dan Brown a household name. A MUST read! Nick Gonnella
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best Books I've Read This Year
Review: Take a Catholic organization shrouded in mystery and recent scandal, mix in the bloodline of Jesus Christ, add a healthy dollop of ancient secret societies, and finish it off with a whole new idea of what the Holy Grail really is. That is The Davinci Code, a wonderful novel I was lucky enough to get a pre-release copy of from a friend who works at a bookstore. Robert Langdon, Harvard symbologist, is in Paris to deliver a lecture when the curator of the Louvre is mysteriously murdered. A cryptic message sets the French police after Robert, and Langdon finds himself travelling across France and Europe as what becomes an attempt to clear his name becomes a quest for the Holy Grail. What really stands out about this book is how believable much of it can be. There's enough basis in fact to make me look up much of what is mentioned within its pages, and often leaving me pleasantly surprised as I search. An incredible twist ending brings the story full circle, and leaves me wanting more. This is a book that everyone should have in their collection.
Rating: 
Summary: The Da Vinci Event
Review: Take a tablespoon of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Gold Bug," add a dash of Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut," and sprinkle in a dollop of Spielberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Now stir well for some 400-plus pages, add Dan Brown's spicy research, and you've got the recipe for a tasty danged-gum soufflé. Less filling, low-carb and it tastes great! Again, the fun begins with a phone call to Robert Langdon. There's a murder in the Louvre, strange ciphers, riddles pointing to hidden meanings in Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpieces - clues hidden and yet visible. What does it all mean? The race is on to find the killer(s), solve the riddles and protect Christianity. Can Langdon do it? You be the judge.
The book itself rolls along solidly for about two-thirds of the way and it's a ripping good yarn. (Trust me -- you will never, ever look at Da Vinci's "The Last Supper" with the same set of eyes after reading this book.) The ending may not satisfy some readers and, indeed, the denouement seems forced and too open ended to suit me. Brown wants to please everyone and the final third of the book is a bit of a cop-out. (Brown also wants to set the stage for a follow-up book. Duh.) What fascinated me about the book was the fact that it's really one part of a Dan Brown/ Leonardo Da Vinci event. There's this novel, of course. Then there are at least two Websites devoted to puzzle solving, code breaking, riddle solving -- all leading to a better understanding of what Brown was about here. (One of the Websites offers a chance for a trip to Paree if you solve the mysteries presented you.) And, the book's dust jacket contains clues to help solve one of the Website's puzzlers. This is terrific fun and I couldn't help getting caught up in it. Dan Brown gets better with time. The next Langdon piece should be a pip. Can't wait!
Rating:
Summary: How to Write Your Very Own International Bestseller:
Review: Take one handsome, brilliant, and embarassingly humble college professor who has achieved celebrity despite the obscurity of his chosen area of study; add one beautiful and equally brilliant female counterpart integral to the male's progression through the story; drop in one phyical freak of nature hell-bent on destroying . . . anything; mix well with a healthy disregard of character, dialogue, and scene; stir with a plot that threatens the world or at least our perception of reality. A shakey grasp of what constitutes prose and an ulterior motive behind conveying the story is a must. I have read a half-dozen books in the past few years that follow this recipe to the letter. It's an insult to completely ignore any attempt at originality. I might have been more forgiving, a summer blockbuster in book form, had it not been for the blatant stupidity of the main characters and of the story itself. As an example, the two main characters are scampering around the Louvre, searching for clues to a message that was left to them by the dying curator, who is also the woman's grandfather. Within a few pages, each figures out a clue that should have been obvious to both of them. Their opposite then says some variation of: "I should have seen that!" Infuriating. To his credit, the author has created a page-turner. Unfortunately, after a hundred pages and thinner wallet, you won't care enough to finish it.
Rating:
Summary: Ingredients for your own personal best-seller:
Review: Take one ruggedly handsome college professor, who is world-famous (despite the obscurity of his field) and embarrassingly humble; add one beautiful and intelligent woman who happens to be his equal and savior; mix in a physical freak of nature hellbent on destroying . . . anything; deposit all three in an international and exotic locale; stir with potentially catastrophic disasters; and, finally, ignore all dialogue, character, and scene. These are some of the more recent and common crutches used by various authors to drive a plot whose only goal is to desperately inform the reader of some unknown facts and/or ideas. The Da Vinci Code follows the above recipe to the letter. Even this formulaic plot could be potentially forgivable (a popcorn-movie in book form) if it were not for the blatant stupidity of every character in the book. If these people are as intelligent or as dangerous as the author would have us believe, how could they miss what is painfully obvious to the reader? As an example that takes place early on in the book, the two main characters are scampering through the Louvre finding clues to a message left to them by the woman's murdered grandfather. Within pages of each other, both discover leads that the other should have unraveled, each saying some variation of "I should have seen that!" Infuriating! To his credit, Dan Brown has written a page-turner. Unfortunately, you won't care about the characters, just the next eye-opener.
Rating:
Summary: What a great book!
Review: Take what you previously thought about the Holy Grail, the Roman Catholic Church, the Crusades, the Mona Lisa, Leonard DaVinci and the role of Mary Magdalene and forget about it. Set in modern times, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, uncovers a mystery thousands of years old. "Langdon nodded, unable to imagine a less congruous backdrop for the legend he was about to tell. He wondered where to begin. The brotherhood's history spanned more than a millennium... an astonishing chronicle of secretes, blackmail, betrayal, and even brutal torture at the hands of an angry pope." Infused in a clever story, Dan Brown reveals the real truth of the Holy Grail, which is believed to be the cup of Christ, and the story behind it.
Brown takes numerous religious conspiracy theories, some of which question the very beginnings of Christianity, and combines them with a murder mystery to create a readable and fascinating story on two levels. The reader is brought into the fast paced chase of Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu. Langdon, a schoolteacher, is accused of murdering curator Jacques SaunieÌre, of the French Louvre art museum. Sophie is an agent with the French DCPJ (The French equivalent of the FBI) whose grandfather was Jacques SaunieÌre. She believes that Langdon is innocent and that SaunieÌre left a message for them to protect the Holy Grail. Along with the unveiling of conspiracy's and a secret society that existed for over 2,000 years. Art, Medieval history and religion are wrapped around the murder mystery that moves the story along at a fast pace, with every chapter ending in a cliffhanger. It makes a real page-turner.
The year is 1099 and the Prieureìì de Sion - the Priory of Sion- is created to protect documents of infinite power. These documents, if revealed, would destroy the Christian faith. What is contained in these documents is not entirely clear, but for thousands of years the church has been trying prevent them from being released. The Priory of Sion is a group made up of various people including Leonardo Da Vinci. This secret society is the only group that knows where the documents are and only the leaders, known as seìneìchaux, understand what they contain. "It cannot be! The curators true identity, along with the other three seìneìchaux, was almost as sacred as the ancient secret they protected..." This quote in the prologue is one of the ways Dan Brown pulls you into the story by creating a desire to venture deeper into the book in order to understand exactly what is happening.
The book begins with the curator's murder. Langdon, an American, is in France for a presentation on religious symbolism and was supposed to meet Jacques SaunieÌre after. There was enough circumstantial evidence to accuse Langdon of murder, but the curator's granddaughter, Sophie Neveu, believes that he is innocent and helps him evade the DCPJ. Following coded clues that SaunieÌre left for them, they discover a key to a bank deposit box containing a piece of the puzzle that will help them find the documents. The pair are led to many other pieces leading them to discover the truth. Along with the French authorities, they are perused by a fanatical sect of the Catholic Church known as Opus Dei who wish to prevent the truth from coming out.
The author uses extensive imagery that places the reader in the world of the story. His description is very useful because he is good at getting the details down. "He was staring into the mouth of a long, deep canyon. On either side of the gallery, stark walls rose thirty feet, evaporating into the darkness above. The reddish glow of the sirvise lighting sifted upwards, casting an unnatural smolder across a staggering collection of Da Vincis, Titians, and Caravaggios that hung suspended from ceiling cables..." This imagery continues throughout the book enveloping the reader into the book.
One of the things I like about the Da Vinci Code is the pace. In the beginning of the book the pace is slow and methodical. While later in the book the pace is rushed, often only giving a little amount of description. I think that this is an excellent way to perceive the changing pace of a book. In real life you wouldn't look stop to look around and describe how a certain object looks while the police are chasing you.
Dan Brown uses his skill in developing the characters to move the story. His characters are interesting because they are believable; they have traits that are in real people. As a reader, it makes the story seem like it could actually happen. A perfect example of this characterization is when Silias, who basically is the man doing the dirty work for Opus Dei, is told to find the documents at any costs. This includes murdering someone if he has to. There is a moment where this character is in the position where he might have to kill someone but in the end he decides against it. It was interesting to see a "bad guy" that was not pure evil and seemed to have morals.
The best-devolved character is Robert Langdon. As the protagonist, he is the most important character, and Bown did a wonderful job of creating him. Because Langdon is a schoolteacher he is someone you would not expect him to handle the many perilous situations in which he finds himself. However, he proves to be courageous and able to think under pressure.
This book is an incredible read. Dan Brown writes an amazing novel that you will want to read over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: A fine novelization of the book HOLY BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL
Review: Taking the research and ground work done in the non-fiction book
Holy Blood - Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Henry Lincoln, and Richard Leigh; Dan Brown weaves a wonderful murder mystery and fine novelization of the facts uncovered in this earlier work. Read The DaVinci Code, and then read Holy Blood, Holy Grail, to see where it all started.
Rating: 
Summary: Sadly could have been so much better
Review: Thank God it's not just me! I thought this book had a great premise, but was such an insult to the reader's intelligence. I felt like I was 17 again, reading a Sidney Sheldon novel. Dan Brown must think the average reader is a sheer idiot. He spends several pages at a time uncovering what are supposed to be clever plot twists (the tracking device in the bar of soap, the "semitic" writing that baffles the supposedly erudite characters). It's no fun reading a book when you're several pages ahead of the author. I put it down with 50 pages left and don't care what happened. Several hours wasted that I will never get back!
Rating:
Summary: Book of the Year
Review: Thank you Dan Brown! Thank you! Finally a book in 2003 worth telling people about. Due yourself a favor run out now and get it. If you love word play, anagrams, puzzles, and enjoy when modern religion is confronted with uncomfortable facts -- you need to read this book. Best I've read in a while.
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