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Summary: Subtitle, "A Thriller," says it all
Review: I'm more of a mystery-novel reader rather than a spy-novel reader, but I was captured by this intriguing tale, "ripped from the headlines," if you will. Author Dan Brown's account of what might happen if a secret government agency becomes too eager to keep encryption software out of the hands of the masses resonates eerily with what's going on in Congress and at the Pentagon today. If you like a novel with lots of plot twists, this is your book. I must admit that I found the story rather overplotted and often too reliant on coincidence. My main problem with the book was that it lacked a sense of person and place -- there was very little characterization, and the settings never hit home for me. Still, I didn't put it down until I finished it, and that's a mark of a good read, kvetches aside. I look forward to Brown's next one.
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Summary: Don't believe the hype...
Review: It is time for a reality check. Neither Tom Clancy nor the NSA has anything to fear from Dan Brown's "Digital Fortress." Immediately one thinks, "This is a novel written by yuppies, for yuppies." The shallow, off-the-shelf, characters are totally uninteresting and bland... You keep telling yourself, "Just deal with it. I'm just reading this to find out what the NSA can really do." Well, friends, it's a disappointment. Anyone with the technical acuity of a 6th grader will be bored with this book. There are no solid details. It's sooo watered down. You know how Clancy can go off for pages on some arcane weapon system, or how a satelite works, etc...? Minute details, right? Brown gives us NOTHING like that kind of insight. Digital Fortress reads like a fattened up movie script. Most of the bulk of the book is an irritating cat and mouse game that doesn't do anything for the story. There is nothing revolutionary here. The technical shortcomings will be obvious to anyone with the slightest hint of sophistication. The subject matter was over the head of the author, and it shows. It's almost embarrassing. I was so excited about this book when I first heard about it. Jesus, was I disappointed... This thing may appeal to highschool kids and bored housewives that need something to do while the laundry is drying. It's not good for much else. If you're interested in the world of electronic intelligence gathering, read Bamford's "Puzzle Palace." As dated as it is, it is still "the" text on the NSA. Hager's "Secret Power" is also one to get. These books are non-fiction. I gave "Digital Fortress" a 5 only because it manages to move along at a brisk pace.
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Summary: Break Neck Speed Makes the Ride a tad too fast
Review: Brown's writings style feels like a mix between Michael Crichton, James Patterson, and Duke Nukem. Scenes were moving so quickly, I wished sometimes I was able to yell for the conducter to slow down. Overall, I liked the novel, both in its premise and in its delivery. Brown appears to be someone with great potential, if only he can reign in his excitement so that the rest of us can catch up in any given scene. Now if only I can figure out the secret to his code at the end of the book, I can stop my head from spinning.
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Summary: Fast paced reading
Review: This book kept me turning the pages until dawn! I enjoyed the short chapters and fast pace of the novel. It is chilling to think that this is "barely fictional." I also enjoyed browsing the Author's Website.
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Summary: Solid Outing
Review: A satisfying outing, especially for a first time. A little lean in the technical areas at times, but first rate plot and characters. Brown will only get better.
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Summary: A Techno Thriller for the 90's
Review: "Digital Fortress," has revitalized the thriller genre. Dan Brown has done an excellent job of capturing the ominous nature of this government's "secret" organizations. This book is for anyone who questions the intentions of the U.S. Government and some of their covert operations. If you are looking for a thought provoking and fast pace novel "Digital Fortress," is the book for you. With well developed characters, and edge of you seat tension, I would recommend this book to anyone who is a James Bond fan, or who knows Jason Bourne's true Identity. Enjoy the book and watch out for the black helicopters.
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Summary: One of THE Best Books of the Year!!!
Review: From the first page of this thriller Dan Brown grips the reader in a never ending hold of intrigue and suspense. I started getting angry at Mr. Brown because everytime I wanted to stop reading a little voice inside of me said "Stop?! Are you crazy? Keep going!" I sped through this book whose characters are every bit as entertaining as the actual plot line and whose twists and turns were more frequent and scary than a drive through the Ozark mountains. This was a Great book and I honestly cannot wait until his next effort.
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Summary: FANTABULOUS TECHNO-THRILLER!!!! READ IT IN 2 SITTINGS!
Review: full disclosure: dan contacted my after reading one of my reviews and asked me to read his book. i doubt that i would've picked it up as i'm quite the computer illiterate but this book didn't make me feel stupid...quite the contrary..it really opened my eyes to things that i had only just suspected....how much of this stuff was real and how much was pure imagination or how much of this will be true in just a matter of years....what a literary romp!!! thoroughly enjoyed each character especially susan and her ferragamos and david's 'without wax'....hopefully we'll see more of them in future books....keep writing, dan....and fast!!!!! thanx for such a exciting and different thriller!!!
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Summary: This is a fun read
Review: Look, it's not Thomas Pynchon. But Pynchon isn't a fast-paced, suspenseful, "oh-I'll-just-read-one-more-delicious-bite-sized chapter" kind of read. You buy the book. You inhale it. You get a pleasant high.
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Summary: Digital terror!
Review: A breakneck cyber-thriller with dozens of interesting twists that kept me turning the pages. Many thrillers bog down but Dan Brown managed to keep the excitement coming right up until the final moments and I found myself feeling for the colorful characters, nearly all of whom were "just trying to do their job" -- as they saw it. Big flaw, though. Many previous reviewers kept saying how "real" this book seems, but as an ordinary reader who uses e-mail and cruises the Web, I don't have any way to tell how well researched his fantastic TRANSLTR is, or how actually a governmental agency would even find all the e-mail messages supposedly sent by drug lords and terrorists, especially since you can switch anonymous mail providers at the drop of a hat. Therefore, although it was all very exciting, parts of the story reminded me of a cartoon movie. Like the computer in the assassin's wire-rimmed.eye-glasses... for which he uses metal devices on his fingers to enter data... is that existing technology? Can a computer screen be rigged to show virtual images of "armies of hackers" trying to break into a system? Cartoons never explain, they just have fantastic stuff... Next time, the author should be sure to append some sort of history or other details that would tie down his "fantastic effects" to existing reality, and let the reader know if he/she is in "could be possible" land or "really happening" terroritory. One more gripe, this one in the author's behalf. Dan Brown is still a newbie and can't protest, so they buried his name on the front cover in the midst of a bunch of cyber letters so it's barely visible to a possible book reader prowling the bookstore shelf. I didn't even notice it at first. Whoa. Take note, publishers... don't bury the name of a man like Dan Brown. As he gets better known, his name will get bigger and bigger, and the title of the book will get smaller and smaller... Good luck, Dan.
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