Rating: 
Summary: It may change every thing you thought you knew!
Review: I am sure most of the reviews have given this book great accolades and it is not by accident because the book is that good!Having recently read Deception Point (a totally excellent thriller from start to finish), by Brown it took me a little while to get into this book. It starts off a little bit slow compared to the other book, but it takes off in a new direction. It involves a treasure hunt of sorts as Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu follow ingenious clues in search one of the most famous hidden religious secrets of all time. Meanwhile, they are being pursued by the French Police (for a murder they did not commit) and a zealous religious sect that will stop at nothing to ensure that the secret is destroyed before it is revealed to the world. Brown has put a lifetime of research into this well written and thought provocative story. He explains the symbolism in many of Leonardo Da Vinci's works and other famous artists throughout history including Walt Disney! I am surprised that this book is not talked about like the film, "Last Temptation of Christ," since a lot of what it talks about is totally different than what is being taught by the various churches.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: I am usually not a big mystery fan, but this book had me hooked. from the enticing beginning at the Louvre, to the jaw-dropping ending, this book was a page turner. I found it's references to Da vinci very correct, and it's characters well developed. Overall, a must read for any mystery fan, and a great pleasure read for everyone else.
Rating: 
Summary: An irresponsible book
Review: I am writing from the perspective of a scholar whose field covers several of the issues Mr. Brown touches on in his novel. I wish to say first that where my field intersects with the "information" presented as an integral part of the novel, there is not a single "fact" presented by Mr. Brown that is to my knowledge verifiably true; many of these "facts" are verifiably false. In particular, Mr. Brown's presentation of what he calls the "sacred feminine" or the "goddess" is extraordinarily misleading; his connection of this concept to Mary Magdalene is, from the perspectives of history and scholarly comparative religion, bizarre. I say this book is irresponsible most of all because, as many of the reviews here (including the Amazon.com review!) show, most readers of this novel will believe Mr. Brown when he writes that his book is as accurate as he can make it. I would perhaps not be so unhappy had Mr. Brown not made what I consider his most irresponsible decision, to put the vast majority of these views in the mouth and mind of a character who is a world-renowned "Professor of Symbology," a field the vast majority of readers are unlikely to know does not exist. By using this character as he does, Mr. Brown simultaneously adds a false veneer of academic authority (something he demonstrates himself to be very concerned about, since his character constantly cites authorities who, he does not bother to mention, are rejected by real scholars) and insults the real scholars who devote their lives to helping people like Mr. Brown's readers learn the sometimes unexciting *truth* about these things.
Rating:
Summary: Paganism and Christianity Meet in today's world.
Review: I began reading this book at 10am on a Sunday morning, and did not put it down until I was done at 10pm that night. A 'page turner' hardly begins to describe this story. As an avid student of the Old Religion and how it was incorporated into today's modern religions, this book enthralled me.
The characters are full, and each one is developed to where you don't feel like you were cheated from knowing them. It's fast paced but yet easy to follow. I borrowed this book from a friend, but I'm definately going to buy it so I can read it again and catch anything that I may have missed the first time around!
Rating:
Summary: Not Your Typical Whodunit
Review: I began reading this book with some trepidation because it, at first, seemed to be a book about infighting between various religious organizations, with a murder thrown in. Boy was I wrong. It is a very well written thriller about a very complex murder that requires the protagonists to decipher numerous codes and other religious based histories in order to solve, not only the murder, but also to prevent irreplaceable documents (Holy Grail) from being destroyed. The other amazing part of this book is that it imparts a considerable amount of historical knowledge to the reader without them even realizing it. The many things I learned through reading this book would never have been looked into by me because religious history never appealed to me. Here, you get a big dose of it, without knowing you would, and then, being mighty glad you did. Great Book!
Rating:
Summary: Warning: Not for devout Christians, Catholic OR Protestant
Review: I began this novel knowing only a small bit about the contents, not having visited here prior to purchase. If you are a Christian, Catholic or Protestant either one, this is not the book for you. Blasphemy disguised as intellectualism. What's so sad about it is that people who haven't studied the Bible and its history will believe the fables therein. My main question after reading the novel is, if Christ was merely a normal man, not divine, not God's Son, then why would his bloodline be of Royal Lineage? Makes no sense whatsoever. His bloodline only matters if He is God's own Son, as He claimed.
Rating: 
Summary: People, Please!
Review: I believe those of you below who have written such vitriolic words of comdemnation for this book have forgotten one very, very important fact (yes, fact): this book is a novel, thus a work of fiction. That means it is a made up story written for both the writer's and the reader's enjoyment. It is a book to be read for enjoyment and escapism, not for historical, factual enlightenment. While there are elements of truth and historical fact, such as the Priory of Sion, Opus Dei, the Knights Templar, all of which happen to be real - that is true of any novel: they all have elements of truth used to build a story. Forest for the trees, people! Just in case any of you are wondering, I myself am a very strong Christian who also happens to be Catholic. Having said that, I enjoyed this book tremendously - it's a really good work of fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated at best
Review: I borrowed the book from a friend and read it in four hours. As a fast, entertaining read, it's not terrible, but neither is it great. This is a book written with movie rights in mind. I've been hearing about this book so much, and it's been a best-seller for so long, that I suppose I was expecting something more. From the raves, I'd assumed it was better written, and had more merit as a work of literary fiction than as a mere vehicle for a Hollywood blockbuster (How about Richard Gere playing Langdon with Sophie Marceau as Neveu?). For readers looking for a light read, Da Vinci Code will probably suffice. But this is NOT literature; the writing is, at best, mediocre. I agree with the reviewer who complained that the chapters' lengths (or lack of) became annoying. Each chapter reads like a movie scene -- ending on a cliffhanger and super-short to ensure our short attention spans don't wander. As for the "code" -- the intrigue starts out interestingly enough to hook you, but becomes subsequently more and more elementary with each step of the chase. Why did it take the "brilliant" characters so long to figure out the bank account number -- panicking instead for pages that Grandfather hadn't left them any number? It certainly doesn't take a genius to see that the number is, oh yeah, that 10-digit sequence left by the Grandfather in his dying moments. Why did it take them so long to see that the unintelligble script that had Langdon sweating (He'd never seen this language before anywhere!) was childish backward English? In the last third of the book, the plots veers from mildly suspended disbelief to ridiculous. I won't reveal all the plot "twists," but Dan Brown wants to keep surprising you, as in a thriller movie, and therefore changes everyone's roles around -- he's not who he really seems, he's really THIS!, oh but wait let's change it one more time! -- like a bad episode of ALIAS. After a while, I grew so tired of all the identity switcheroos that I looked to the most "unlikely" characters to be the true villains, and turns out I was right. And like one reviewer said, the deux ex machinas in several situations near the end rendered those scenes highly unsatisfying (the docent at the Roslin, for one). I suppose we were supposed to glean some hidden meaning with the multiple references to the olive greenness of Neveu's eyes. Also unsatisfying is the clumsily managed romantic "tension" between Langdon and Neveu. Better that Brown had omitted that and left that to our imaginations (we all saw it coming, anyway). This is pulp fiction. It's not historical, and it's not literary. As long as you know that going in, you might not be too terribly disappointed. I hope the movie is entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, fun read
Review: I borrowed this book from a friend and was quite happy to do so. I love to ready about conspiracies and alternate views. I have no concerns about the author's research. Truthfully, I don't care. It's fiction, people. The author claims that some things are factual. Ok, I understand that. The rest is fiction. I think the book offers a lot of food for thought. That's how I consider what's a good read. If it makes me think and ask questions, I think the author did a good job. I don't consider this book to bash anyone's religion. However, that won't stop those overly sensitive zealots out there from shrieking in offense. Do I believe everything the authors states and theorizes? No, because I understand that it's fiction.
Rating:
Summary: addicting.
Review: I borrowed this book from a friend and, not having anything else to do that Saturday afternoon (I live in DC; it was raining for a change), lay down and started reading this book. After I finished it, I went downstairs and had a late dinner. Very late, obviously-- this is hardly a short book; however, neither is it boring or slow or uninteresting. The obvious flaws were sub-plot points that will surprise few and disappoint even fewer, and the blatantly obvious high point was the storyline itself. Religion, math, murder, intrigue, history-- somehow Brown ties it all together. This is a great beach or rainy weekend book. Enjoy.
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