Rating: 
Summary: Weak and disappointing
Review: For a thriller billed as intelligent, I was disappointed in how easy many of the clues were to figure out. As supposed experts in their fields, the characters should have solved several of the puzzles much more easily. When the reader figures out the clues before the characters, it makes the story development slow and frustrating. The writing style was pedantic and plodding. There are other books on this topic written with more flair. Give this one a miss. If you'd like a similarly detailed historical over-the-top mystery, check out The Eight by Katherine Neville.
Rating: 
Summary: A STUNNING AND INTRICATELY PLOTTED THRILLER...
Review: For a while I resisted reading this book, thinking that it could not possibly be as good as its hype. Well, I was wrong. This is simply one terrific book that will keep the reader riveted to its pages until the very last one is turned. It is a very well-written, intricately plotted thriller in which a great number of esoteric historical facts and interesting theories of a religious nature are woven. Those who read it should, first and foremost, keep in mind that this book is simply a work of fiction.
All hell breaks loose when Jacques Sauniere, the elderly and revered curator of the Louvre, is murdered inside the museum. The crime scene and the body itself are laden with symbols and cryptic messages pointing to renowned Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon. He is invited to the crime scene by the wily Captain Bezu Fache, of the Central Directorate Judicial Police, the French equivalent of our Federal Bureau of Investigation, ostensibly to assist the police. Little does Langdon know that he is, in fact, the prime suspect.
When he meets police cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, they join forces. They are then led on a merry chase by a series of riddles and ciphers that are ground in a historical context. They are always just one step of the French police, who seem determined to charge Langdon with the murder of Jacques Sauniere. During their voyage of discovery, Langdon and Sophie come across a secret society, the Priory of Sion, that has a startling list of former members, which list includes Leonardo Da Vinci, as well as the late Jacques Sauniere. There is also some interesting historical detail about the ancient Knights Templar, as well as Opus Dei, a conservative religious organization currently in existence.
Langdon and Sophie peel back layers of historical clues that point to a secret of such magnitude that some would kill for it. As Langdon and Sophie surreptitiously travel from France to England and seem to be headed closer to the heart of the mystery that they are trying to unravel, an unknown nemesis is closer to them than they would dare imagine. This unknown adversary is marshaling resources in order to obtain the long hidden secret that Langdon and Sophie appear to be on the brink of discovering. It is one that has the potential to have earth shattering implications.
This is a fast-paced, plot driven, rather than character driven, thriller. It hurls itself into the reader's consciousness at break-neck speed, and before the reader realizes it, the book holds the reader in its thrall: hook, line, and sinker. For those readers who love historical detail and unusual facts and coincidences, this is definitely a fascinating book that will hold their interest. It is a page-turning thriller in which nearly every chapter leaves the reader on the brink of a precipice. The book is written in clear, effortless prose, which makes the most esoteric historical details surprisingly easy to understand. Simple in its presentation but intricate in its plotting, it is no surprise that this book has become a runaway, international bestseller. Bravo!
Rating: 
Summary: The Da Vinci Code
Review: For all of Dan Brown's "remarkable research and detail" I was lost at Chapter 3 when he "skimmed south past the Opera House and entered the Place Vendome" on his way to the Louvre. The last time I looked, the Hotel Ritz was in the Place Vendome and the Opera House was several blocks north in the wrong direction from the Louvre. So, why did the gendarmerie drive Mr. Langdon north from the Ritz around the Opera House, then south through the Place Vendome past the Ritz to reach the Louvre? Applying the Magellanic Code of Circumnavigation, I have come up with three possibilities: a) Langdon was really staying at the Ritz Best Western which is located north of the Opera House near the airport; b)2+2 really does equal 5; or c) someone didn't consult a map of Paris as part of the research for this book. It sort of spoiled the rest of the story for me.
Rating:
Summary: The Da Vinci Code
Review: For all the rave reviews that I had heard prior to its release, The Da Vinci Code was really a mediocre mystery novel at best. The mystery was actually solvable for any reader who just put a little thought into it. The weaving of symbolic details and historical tidbits throughout the story would have been interesting had it been a little more in-depth...it was shallow at best. I would grade this as just an average book to read on vacation, but not one to be listed amongst the classics.
Rating:
Summary: Get Over It
Review: For anyone who doesn't rate this book 5 stars, get over it. I read the books months ago in the first printing and immediately told everyone I knew to read it. Its simply the most entertaining book of the year. Is it accurate? Not 100%, but then again Eco's works on the history of the church while far more tedious are not 100% accurate either. If anyone had bothered to read any other works by Brown they would know that being 100% accurate loses out to entertainment at times. This is a work of fiction. That means he made it up. As Gore Vidal says, you can do and say anything in fiction because its not real. If you want to battle through tedium (I have) read Eco, but don't beieve all of it. If you want entertainment read Brown. Read his other works too, but for God's sake don't begin to think this is hitorically accurate, its fiction!
Rating:
Summary: This was a *great* book!
Review: For anyone who has that secret fascination (and who doesn't) with the Illuminati, Templars, Masons, et al this book is a must. It will cater to your secret passion in a buffet format and keep you wanting more. I must also say that I loved the character of Sophie Neveau. It is so hard to find a well-written feminist character. The traditional view is that they are always second fiddle to the square-jawed male. Not here! Sophie is intelligent, sexy, strong and brave -- even in parts where our male here is nervous, stymied, embattled. It's wonderful that in a book that focuses on the sacred feminine their relationship reall shows a (every?) man's battle with femininity and the strange instinct to love/hate, fear/need, virgin/whore it. And all that without being preachy - hey our guy can't drive an standard, but she can, and he willingly lets her! It's the way most writers misportray any minority - they have to make a big deal about it. Brown makes Sophie a HUGE deal by not making a deal about it! After I wrote that I had to up it from 4 stars to 5, it takes some craft to pull off the above. The other great thing was the RESEARCH. Brown put a lot of work into this and it shows. For anyone who writes and speaks with hidden meaning (or veiled allusion to the genetic roots of words) and amuses themselves (and occasionally others) to death with their parenthetical semieosis-laden way of thinking, this book is an absolute joy. These people, of which i consider myself one, will love Brown's 3rd person omniscient university professor interlocutor style. The plot seems fairly linear, like a 'follow this string to the goal at the end' chase through a big house, you always know that you're working to find the next scavenger hunt clue. I found this to be (sorry) a bit monotonous of a trick. Although 3/4ths through the book brown played an absolute coup d'eteat -- as i thought I'd solved one riddle just a few paragraps later he said 'No that's not it.' I had to laugh out loud that he had played me for a dupe! I loved it, I knew he knew how he was pulling us along. This book was a quick read, but not fluffy. i enjoyed it very much and am going to read some of his other works. Keep up the work Mr. Brown! Us stacks-rats love seeing our kind light up the mental silver screen.
Rating:
Summary: dum da dum dum ...dum da duhh
Review: For best results hum the theme from Raiders of the Last Ark as you read this review. It is the year 4003 and our fearless archelogical hero has just unearthed Aunt Glady's stash of National Enquirerers that have been carefully preserved for 2000 years in Tupperware. The discovery is hailed as the find of the millenium. Some proclaim that it will change history as we know it. Sound silly? Of course, yet this is what Elaine Pagel and now Dan Brown have attempted their assertions, based on the so called "Gnostic gospels", concerning the origins of the Catholic Church, the "sacred" feminine and the divinity of Christ. It has been said that history is written by the winners. That might be true, but how true would history written by the non-winners be? The Gnostics were a group of folks alienated from the mainstream. Many scholars have described their writings as the tabloid press of the day. If you read the actual writings you will discover they are incredibly strange, nonfeminist and down right antisocial. As far as the clues in The Last Supper, it was common for Leonardo to paint young men in an effeminate manner. Ther is at least one other portrait of St.John, by Leonardo that looks equally as feminine. Regardless of the historical problems with this conspiracy the writing is subpar at best, merely a means by which Brown can take advantage of current anti-Catholic sentiment. I understand that Ron Howard is turning this into a movie. As a screenplay it might work.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting..Worth Your Time
Review: For books of fiction this was great! I started reading The Code thinking it was just another hyped book, and was surprised that I actually liked it. The main character is well developed and his relationship with the female character is simple, without a force of romance as was in "Angels and Demons". The story had a nice flow to it with plenty of murder and mayham thrown in, detailed enough to make it plausable. The story line alone makes this books content a great 'discussion' starter, as all the publicity surrounding it has proven. You won't be sorry you purchased this one!
Rating: 
Summary: A recommendation
Review: For readers who may have enjoyed this book, I would recommend another novel in this same genre that I much preferred to DA VINCI CODE. It is better written and packs a lot more punch to the soul: THE LAST DAY, by Glenn Kleier (Warner Books). You cannot put it down . . .
Rating:
Summary: Accuracy in research!
Review: For several years I researched the Sangreal and the "tale" of Mary Magdalene to come to the same conclusions as within this book. I met with the same resistance from my priest, went through much self growth, and acceptance of the feminine that I've never had before because of this research. Here, in a fictional story, what I perceive to be a truth frames the action. How exciting to look up the paintings all over again, revisit some of my research notes, and play along with the author of this book! A real suspenseful, fast paced surprise ending. Highly recommend!
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