Rating: 
Summary: Headed for bestseller list!
Review: I LOVED this book! More twists than anything I have ever read. I could NOT stop reading it! The plot was exciting and fresh and went down like chocolate. Look for Digital Fortress on the bestseller list...mark my words. - HP
Rating:
Summary: Loved it! A thriller for the thinking reader!
Review: I couldn't put this book down! Full disclosure: Dan Brown contacted me via email after having seen (and agreed with) a review I wrote for Patricia Cornwell's book, "Unnatural Exposure". I finally found a copy of "Digital Fortress" and I must say it was worth the search! I really liked the characters of Susan and David the most, but all of them were "well-drawn." Loved the anagrams, word puzzles, and those plot twists kept me guessing, although I did figure out NDAKOTA right away. What intrigued me most, however, is the concept that what seems most arcane is sometimes the most obvious - and like Poe's purloined letter, it's easy to miss the obvious! Dan - write another one, quick, and feature Susan and David!
Rating:
Summary: A MUST for Clancy fans!
Review: This book is one of my new favorites. It's packed with plenty of inside NSA info and espionage technology. Its got a cool love story and some inventive chase scenes and was a real treat. The cryptography stuff is fascinating too. I'm a die-hard "Clancy-holic" but I think I've just found my new fix!
Rating:
Summary: A TERRIFIC first effort!
Review: I have been looking for a good thriller....the kind that Ludlum used to write....the kind that rivets you to your chair....the kind that makes you stay up all night so you can finish it....the kind that scares the bejeezus out of you in its realism...the kind that makes you care about the characters....Imagine my good fortune to have found "Digital Fortress." The book's subtitle is: "A Thriller," and for once, the author didn't exaggerate! If you are into computers, e-mail and the internet, and if you know anything about our government's ability to snoop on anyone at anytime, this book will grab you and won't let you go until you've turned the last page. As he acknowledges in the front of the book, Dan Brown had some extraordinary assistance with the technical aspects of this book:"(T)wo faceless ex-NSA cryptographers...made invaluable contributions" to the story. It is very obvious to this reader that someone had very detailed knowledge of how our government snoops and how that knowledge can be very dangerous should it fall into the wrong hands. Some of the mathematical, computer and cryptography jargon was way above my head, but it wasn't too distracting, nor did it disrupt the storyline for me. I look forward to more Dan Brown books. May he be mindful that the rush to publish has been the undoing of many a talented writer.
Rating:
Summary: Great new writer.
Review: I should preface this review by saying that reading Digital Fortress was a departure from my usual fare of gumshoe mysteries. A friend recommended it very highly, and so I took the plunge not knowing what to expect. I must say, I was enormously rewarded. Digital Fortress is one of the most exciting and entertaining books I have ever read (I am an avid reader and do not say this lightly.) This novel has it all.... pace, smarts, intrigue, and plenty of exceptionally entertaining characters. The locales are beautiful and secretive, while the action is tight and relentlessly spun (the chase through Seville Spain is my favorite.) There are a number of unexpected twists in Digital Fortress that kept me flipping pages well into the night. I wish more writers took the time to plot books this ingeniously. I anxiously await Mr. Brown's next novel.
Rating:
Summary: This book is .... just... beautiful...
Review: Dan Brown did a great job with Digital Fortress. I am so addicted to this book now... and yeah there are some really cool secrets hidden in the book. DAN BROWN IS THE MAN!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: An incredible, fast-paced techno-thriller.
Review: This fabulous book draws the reader in with an incredible plot and refuses to let go. Filled with plot twists and hidden agendas, each revelation leads to a new possible solution. The reader constantly finds his or her own grasp of each situation being pulled away.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely phenomenal! Treat yourself.
Review: I just read an advance copy of this book and absolutely loved it. I literally stayed up until dawn to see how it played out. It's got a great showdown and wild twist! This novel is both action-packed and highly intelligent -- with plenty of inside government info for spy-novel fans. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but obviously one of his earlier books
Review: Ok- first off... I really did enjoy this book. However, now that I have all 4 of Brown's novels, I have noticed a certain formula that Dan Brown uses. 1- Use the word "Indredulous" as often as possible (although he kept the word to a minimum in "Digital Fortress" less than 10 occurrences).
2- The bad guy MUST be known by a term/phrase instead of a name (here he is known as "North Dakota").
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. Of course, tweaks the formula for each of his books. However, "Digital Fortress" is clearly the little brother of all Brown's books. The plot is interesting and while the it certainly is a "Page Turner" you notice pretty quickly that everything doesn't quite add up. Like when the deaf guy notices all of the people entering the street because he HEARS a bell being rung. As others have pointed out, Brown has taken quite a few liberties with computer programming. Even though it took me two tries to get through FORTRAN, I had very little trouble figuring out a few of the mistakes. For the most part I enjoyed the novel. Since I know the Brown "Formula" it didn't take me very long to predict EXACTLY what would happen... but hey, sometimes a little predictability is ok!
Rating: 
Summary: A good weekend read when you want to kill time
Review: I have so far read 4 of Dan Brown's books (Angel & Demons, DaVinci Code, Deception Point & Digital Fortress) and three features of his writings stand out. First, audacious plotlines; Brown does not believe in small measures but goes out on a limb. The plotlines are way over the top but have just that crucial amount of credibility to draw in a reader, even when he knows it is fiction. Second, the pace is mercilessly quick; the entire plot of the book plays out over a few days at most. Last but for me the best of all, his books have a wealth of esoteric information that one would not normally read about. I found myself enthralled by a never ending series of factoids that had me rushing to the Internet for explanation or elaboration.
Digital Fortress follows the above lines. A quick capsule : Set with a cryptographic background, it describes a battle of wits between a governmental agency focused on breaking codes (used by good and bad guys alike in order to forestall terrorism) with a former employee who passionately believes in individual privacy. In a rapid-fire series of thrust and counter-thrust, the action cuts between Washington and Madrid with the standard does of blood, explosions and romance. Unlike Brown's other novels, this is very undemanding of a reader's intelligence - the average reader will see the signposts well before the protagonists themselves.
Sadly, there are flaws aplenty that seriously impact the plot credibility. Apart from the likelihood of an amateur professor being used as a proxy agent, the ease of the bypassing of the Gauntlet anti-virus software, particularly when Gauntlet safeguards not only TRANSLTR but also the databank is simply not possible. In such a situation there would be multiple layers of safeguards, not just a single bypass attributable to a single individual no matter how senior. More to the point, having raised the whole issue of individual privacy vis-Ã -vis governmental oversight, Brown never follows through on the implications. A pity, as this is of key topical importance as well.
Nevertheless, this is a good weekend read when you want to just enjoy a story and not get too caught up in the process. Three stars for that, with a star each subtracted for the plot credibility lapses and inadequate research.
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