Deception Point
by Dan Brown
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| published
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January 3rd 2008
by LGF
|
| first published
| 2006 |
| binding
| Poche |
| isbn
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2253123161
(isbn13: 9782253123163)
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| ebook |
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| date added
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01-10-08
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Read in January, 2008
My 4 star reading is really on the low side of 4 stars,I prefer to rate a book using the grading scale, this book was a B+
Number: 1
Rating: B+
ISBN: 0-671-02738-7
Synopsis from www.bn.com
Struggling to rebound from a series of embarrassing blunders that have jeopardized its political life at the start of this lively thriller, NASA makes an astounding discovery: there is a meteor embedded deep within the arctic ice. And it isn't just any meteor. Inside the huge rock, which crashed to ...more
My 4 star reading is really on the low side of 4 stars,I prefer to rate a book using the grading scale, this book was a B+
Number: 1
Rating: B+
ISBN: 0-671-02738-7
Synopsis from www.bn.com
Struggling to rebound from a series of embarrassing blunders that have jeopardized its political life at the start of this lively thriller, NASA makes an astounding discovery: there is a meteor embedded deep within the arctic ice. And it isn't just any meteor. Inside the huge rock, which crashed to earth in 1716, are fossils of giant insects proof of extraterrestrial life. Yet, given NASA's slipping reputation, the question arises: Is the meteor real or a fake? That uncertainty dogs NASA and its supporters in Brown's latest page-flipper, a finely polished amalgam of action and intrigue. Trying to determine the truth are intelligence agent Rachel Sexton and popular oceanographer Michael Tolland, both among the first to suspect something is amiss when the meteor is pulled from the ice. Their doubts quickly make them the targets of a mysterious death squad controlled by someone or something that doesn't want the public to hear the meteor may be a fraud. Together, Sexton and Tolland scramble across arctic glaciers, take refuge on ice floes, are rescued by a nuclear submarine, then find themselves trapped aboard a small research vessel off the coast of New Jersey. All the while, the nation's capital is buzzing as to whether NASA has engaged in deception. Or is NASA just a dupe for aerospace companies that have long wanted a bigger share of space contracts? Brown (Angels & Demons) moves into new territory with his latest. It's an excellent thriller a big yet believable story unfolding at breakneck pace, with convincing settings and just the right blend of likable and hateful characters. He's also done his research, folding in sophisticated scientific and military details that make his plot farmore fulfilling than the norm.
My Thoughts:
Although this book is classified as a thriller, it was a thought provoking thriller rather than an edge of your seat ride. I was a bit surprised at who was behind the plot so that sort of threw me which is definitely a good thing. Typically I usually end up with a vibe before the reveal, and I had the vibe, but I wasn't entirely sure why this person would do it. No motive that I could think of at the time.
Both The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons were written better and were more thrilling for me, Deception Point was still worthy of my time. I hope to meet Rachel Sexton again in one of Dan Browns next adventures.
The plot seemed to be a bit repetitive and it felt a bit contrived, but there were only moments of that feeling, it wasn't held through the entire book....less
Intelligence Analyst Rachel Sexton is in her mid-thirties, is single, and works for the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office). Her father, Senator Sedgewick Sexton, is a popular presidential candidate surpassing the incumbent President of the United States Zachary Herney. The President sends her to the Arctic as part of a team of experts to confirm and authenticate findings made by NASA deep within the Milne Ice Shelf. NASA's new Earth Observation System (EOS,) a collection of satellites constant...more
Intelligence Analyst Rachel Sexton is in her mid-thirties, is single, and works for the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office). Her father, Senator Sedgewick Sexton, is a popular presidential candidate surpassing the incumbent President of the United States Zachary Herney. The President sends her to the Arctic as part of a team of experts to confirm and authenticate findings made by NASA deep within the Milne Ice Shelf. NASA's new Earth Observation System (EOS,) a collection of satellites constantly monitoring the globe for signs of large-scale change, has found an extremely dense spot in the Milne Ice Shelf. NASA discovers a very dense meteorite. In it are fossils of bugs very similar to--but not the same as--species on earth. NASA claims this as proof of extraterrestrial life. This find is something NASA needs desperately, as the agency’s success rate on other fronts has put it in a bad light. Senator Sexton uses this as an example of government overspending and failure to further his campaign.
A group of four civilian scientists has already been studying the find and has confirmed NASA's claims. It is only hours before the President and NASA plan to go public with the discovery.
However, one of the scientists is startled by something he sees in the icy water in the pit from which the meteorite was removed, and before he has a chance to tell the others, he is killed by the Delta Force, a special forces unit of the U.S. Army.
What the experts and scientists don’t realize is that their every move is monitored from a listening post just a few miles away by Delta Force members controlling a tiny flying "microbot."
The other three civilian scientists and Rachel make the same discovery as their martyred comrade. They are unaware of his death. They have found evidence of seawater contamination, suggesting that the ice shelf is not pure freshwater as glaciers are supposed to be. They examine further, discovering that there is a shaft of frozen seawater directly below the extraction pit. It appears that the meteorite has been inserted from below.
...less
bookshelves:
general-misc
Read in January, 2006
The formula is pretty simple:
Big Mystery + Male Protagonist + Female Protagonist + Code to Solve + OMG TRAITOR WITH TWISTED MOTIVES = Best Selling Novel.
And it's worked, so I guess we can't hate on him too much. There are people who swear his books are the best thing they've ever read -- I certainly wouldn't say that. But they are successful and I have to confess, even I like them, and when it comes to books I am Picky with a most definite capital P.
Digital Fortress is the first one I'...more
The formula is pretty simple:
Big Mystery + Male Protagonist + Female Protagonist + Code to Solve + OMG TRAITOR WITH TWISTED MOTIVES = Best Selling Novel.
And it's worked, so I guess we can't hate on him too much. There are people who swear his books are the best thing they've ever read -- I certainly wouldn't say that. But they are successful and I have to confess, even I like them, and when it comes to books I am Picky with a most definite capital P.
Digital Fortress is the first one I've reread -- I read it yesterday. Coming straight from that into Deception Point, I've noticed very quickly that Dan Brown recycles description/emotional response.
"Although she had practically lived in Crypto since its completion three years ago, the sight of it still amazed her. The main room..." - Digital Fortress
"As Rachel made her way into the maze of bustling corridors beyond, she was amazed that even after six years she was still daunted by the collosal scope of this operation. The agency..." - Deception Point
"Susan waited for the punchline, but it never came." - Digital Fortress
"Rachel waited for the punchline. It never came." - Deception Point
All his characters might as well be the same people -- David Becker (Digitial Fortress) might as well be Robert Langdon (Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code) -- ordinary people caught up in higher things, in over his head and things somehow work out fine. Susan Fletcher (Digital Fortress) is, like Rachel Sexton (Deception Point) a professional woman, pretty, the best in her field, similarly in over her head and somehow coming out okay.
Also, the infodumps get terribly annoying. A brief bit of dialogue and then an absolute shedload of explanation. Another characteristic of Dan Brown's novels -- all very formulaic, as I said.
But hey, it's a formula that works....less
Read in January, 2005
From the start of "Deception Point", the suspense builds quickly as we meet our protagonist Rachel Sexton, a government intelligence analyst and a cohort of supporting characters including the President--an ardent supporter of NASA and the United States stature as leader in the exploration of space, members of the delta forces and a handful of other colorful persons who all play into this intricately weaved story.
In short, "Deception Point" revolves around the discovery o...more
From the start of "Deception Point", the suspense builds quickly as we meet our protagonist Rachel Sexton, a government intelligence analyst and a cohort of supporting characters including the President--an ardent supporter of NASA and the United States stature as leader in the exploration of space, members of the delta forces and a handful of other colorful persons who all play into this intricately weaved story.
In short, "Deception Point" revolves around the discovery of a suspected meteor encased in ice, two-hundred feet below the Milne Ice Shelf. The stakes rise when NASA scientists find fossils in the meteor which do not resemble any known terrestrial life form. Quickly a team of independent researchers is rushed to the Arctic Circle to verify the findings and announce the astonishing discovery to the world, Rachel is hand picked by the Commander-In-Chief to be one of these experts based on her past work with reporting intelligence to the White House. Once the team of unbiased experts is amassed in the frigid north, the situation begins to deteriorate as additional prodding pokes holes in the validity of the "alien" finding, deception and trickery are amidst and whoever is behind the hoax has called in some favors to the military and Special Forces in order to silence any naysayers.
Until the recent success of Dan Brown's other work, namely "The Da Vinci Code", "Deception Point" was overlooked by many readers including myself. However, it is clear after reading this story that Brown is no overnight success and that his writing prowess extends over many topics. As with all of Brown's books, "Deception Point" makes ardent strides to provide factual starting points for everything presented in the text, which enables the reader to learn while being entertained--an excellent accomplishment for any writer. ...less
bookshelves:
borrowed
Read in August, 2004
I borrowed this from my father-in-law; like nearly everyone else, I'd read The Da Vinci Code earlier this year & was interested in seeing what else Brown had done.
Rachel Sexton, a data analyst/gister for the National Reconnaissance Office, is asked by the President of the United States to go on a rather unusual (and very secret) mission. She finds this odd, as her estranged father is currently running against the current President...more
I borrowed this from my father-in-law; like nearly everyone else, I'd read The Da Vinci Code earlier this year & was interested in seeing what else Brown had done.
Rachel Sexton, a data analyst/gister for the National Reconnaissance Office, is asked by the President of the United States to go on a rather unusual (and very secret) mission. She finds this odd, as her estranged father is currently running against the current President. This mission takes her to Antarctica, where she is asked to evaluate the veracity of a meteorite that contains fossils. Other experts, including the dashing oceanographer Michael Tolland (who oh-so-conveniently is recently widowed) are onsite as well, providing their input. However, as confusing evidence starts coming to light, people associated with the project start disappearing. Who has something to hide, and how far are they willing to go to save it?
This book reads like a combination of Michael Crichton & Tom Clancy; whether that's a good thing or not depends on your tastes. It starts out a bit slow, but the action is soon non-stop, with the intrigue, heavy-handed foreshadowing and hairs'-breadth escapes from certain death fitting the stereotypical thriller mold. There's a couple of interesting notions in the book; but nothing nearly as intellectual-appearing as the DVC.
I'd classify it as a beach read - the equivalent of summer blockbuster movies. IMHO, it was written with an eye to becoming a Major Motion Picture; so if you go in expecting to roll your eyes occasionally at the coincidences, and are willing to expend some literary adrenaline, you'll probably be mildly entertained....less
DECEPTION POINT by DAN BROWN
For those of you who have read The Da Vinci Code or the even better Angels & Demons, there is much here with which you will be familiar. While there is no hint of an ancient religious mythology or secret thousand year old brotherhood, Deception Point has all of the exciting action you would expect from a modern spy thriller. Dan Brown's comfortable writing style of chapters that are only 3 to 5 pages long makes for an easy read when you are short on time, a...more
DECEPTION POINT by DAN BROWN
For those of you who have read The Da Vinci Code or the even better Angels & Demons, there is much here with which you will be familiar. While there is no hint of an ancient religious mythology or secret thousand year old brotherhood, Deception Point has all of the exciting action you would expect from a modern spy thriller. Dan Brown's comfortable writing style of chapters that are only 3 to 5 pages long makes for an easy read when you are short on time, as when riding a bus. You'll find that even though you may not want to, you can stop almost anywhere and easily pick it up again later without being in the middle of a chapter.
The main character in this book is Rachel, the daughter of a Republican Senator who is working in the intelligence department during the tenure of a Democratic President. The President appears to be in a shaky reelection campaign, and the Senator appears to be headed for an election victory. A history-making announcement by NASA is quickly followed by several murder attempts, a sex scandal, an elections finance kickback scandal, and the mysterious dealings of government insiders along with secret military capabilities leading to neckbreaking action with unexpected twists and turns from the Arctic to Washington DC. Military technology and scientific data is presented in believable probability although most of the heroes lucky escapes are more than a tad bit too lucky to be realistic. This is a quick easy to read page-turner that you may have trouble putting down when it's time to turn out the lights....less
bookshelves:
douchereads
Read in January, 2007
My aunt gave this to me to read..I of course hate Dan Brown but I figure it'd be fast and I could thank her for it, mention some interesting tidbits that are no doubt sprinkled throughout the book for idiots, and feel good about family duty. There is not one paragraph that is close to some acceptable literary decency. In 2 pages he found it ok to mention coffee 5 times. No, not fun tidbits about the history of coffee but just as action filler: 'blah blah blah,' he said while he stirred his coffe...more
My aunt gave this to me to read..I of course hate Dan Brown but I figure it'd be fast and I could thank her for it, mention some interesting tidbits that are no doubt sprinkled throughout the book for idiots, and feel good about family duty. There is not one paragraph that is close to some acceptable literary decency. In 2 pages he found it ok to mention coffee 5 times. No, not fun tidbits about the history of coffee but just as action filler: 'blah blah blah,' he said while he stirred his coffee. Multiply that by 5 (some instance of someone using, gasp, cream, or sugar) and 2 minutes have been sucked from your life. And you will feel it. Unless you're an idiot.
I admit I stopped at page 140. It was a marathon of elementary torture. I started it one night and ended it the same. I didn't read 140 pages because I was thrilled, I read it because it took that long for Dan Brown to get to the premise of the effing book. And that isn't even that interesting. Enjoy, idiots....less
bookshelves:
2008
Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
Matt Sanchez
I have now read all four of Dan Brown's books(author of The Da vinci Code. And like the other three, Deception Point followed the Dan Brown formula. In all books the main male character is a white, good looking very intelligent man with a broken heart from loves past. The main female character is white, attractive, very intelligent and always knows the right moments to be vulnerable or strong. The sub-characters are all short, fat, ethnic, homosexual, eccentric, and disposable.
Just lik...more
I have now read all four of Dan Brown's books(author of The Da vinci Code. And like the other three, Deception Point followed the Dan Brown formula. In all books the main male character is a white, good looking very intelligent man with a broken heart from loves past. The main female character is white, attractive, very intelligent and always knows the right moments to be vulnerable or strong. The sub-characters are all short, fat, ethnic, homosexual, eccentric, and disposable.
Just like the other books, this book took place in a 24 hour period. A death, a discovery, national security, religious zealots, several unbelievable escapes from death, a predictable villian, a romantic tryst, and the nation/church/history/chalice saved again! If only my WHOLE life were as exciting as one of the days of a Dan Brown book.
Having said all that, his books are very quick and fun to read if you don't take it all too seriously. And in the end you feel like an expert in art history, the Catholic church, national security, or in the case of Deception Point an expert in NASA, marine geology, and the swimming patterns of hammerhead sharks. As my friend Susie Egbert said, his books are much more intelligent and must require enormous amounts of research on his part. Even though I only gave it 2 stars, I do enjoy reading books by Dan Brown...they are what they are...and I look forward to his new one that should be coming out this year. Right?...less
Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone with a slight sense of curiosity
So I've been reading this book on and off the whole week - which is sort of what always happens whenever I get a Dan Brown book - and it is very good. It really is. Better than I would expect it.
The reason why I don't allow myself to write an spetacular review on this spetacular novel is that I really hate Dan Brown. I do. All of his books have the same story - its almost like reading a script in different settings. I tried to read The DaVinci Code but I wasn't much caught up in it, and it soo...more
So I've been reading this book on and off the whole week - which is sort of what always happens whenever I get a Dan Brown book - and it is very good. It really is. Better than I would expect it.
The reason why I don't allow myself to write an spetacular review on this spetacular novel is that I really hate Dan Brown. I do. All of his books have the same story - its almost like reading a script in different settings. I tried to read The DaVinci Code but I wasn't much caught up in it, and it soon became this massive best-seller even in Brazil and I hate best-sellers so I gave up. Then a friend recommended Angels & Demons and I read it. I absolutely loved it. There was a lot of information and it took me longer to read than I'd have liked it, but I adored it. Now I can hardly remember the story but at the time I was amazed. And I watched the movie for The DaVinci Code and could guess the ending prior to the middle of the film - it just seemed so obvious! At first I thought it was the film, but a friend who had read it said although the film was horrifying to anyone who ever read the book, the story was the same. That's why I hate him. He tried the same story over and over so he would get a go on a best-seller.
Luckly I had forgotten all about his books and scripts so this was a quite plesant reading.
Really good. Don't know if all the facts are genuine, but certainly very interesting. Now I have to read the other ones to find out the best.
-M...less
bookshelves:
couldn-t-finish,
fiction,
mystery-thriller
I can't get into this book. I read Angels & Demons, and enjoyed it all right, but this one... I'm just irritated, I think, because from what I've seen Dan Brown is incapable of writing an interesting female character. Characters in general might not be his strong point: his heroes are straight-from-the-mold, ditto his villains, and everybody else flat to the point of feeling cartoonish. (One of the scientists in this book, an entomologist, is a nerdy Asian guy who wears a bowtie, deep in the...more
I can't get into this book. I read Angels & Demons, and enjoyed it all right, but this one... I'm just irritated, I think, because from what I've seen Dan Brown is incapable of writing an interesting female character. Characters in general might not be his strong point: his heroes are straight-from-the-mold, ditto his villains, and everybody else flat to the point of feeling cartoonish. (One of the scientists in this book, an entomologist, is a nerdy Asian guy who wears a bowtie, deep in the Arctic, apparently for no other reason than to showcase his own nerdiness. The President of the United States, "Zach Herney" in this story, is supposed to be the kind of person people instinctively trust and follow-- Brown certainly tells us so often enough-- but as he's written he comes off as smarmy and phony and completely unconvincing.
The narration is also stilted. Brown is trying to create a suspenseful story, but all the suspense is artificial: he uses convoluted little tricks to avoid giving the reader important information that the POV characters are aware of, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a POV character at all.
I think Dan Brown writes down the movies that he sees in his head. This would probably make a pretty good movie, but as a novel it's not particularly impressive. I hate to give up on it, but I really don't feel any great desire to see what happens at this point....less
NASA had its heyday back in the 60s with the launching of manned missions, the landing on the moon, etc. However, how much is really heard from NASA these days? This lack of productivity is what Senator Sedgwick Sexton is focusing on his presidential bid against incumbent Zach Herney. What Sexton doesn't know is that Herney has an ace in his sleeve in the form of a meteor that was found in the Arctic Circle by a NASA Earth-scanning satellite that contains fossils of space creatures. And, with th...more
NASA had its heyday back in the 60s with the launching of manned missions, the landing on the moon, etc. However, how much is really heard from NASA these days? This lack of productivity is what Senator Sedgwick Sexton is focusing on his presidential bid against incumbent Zach Herney. What Sexton doesn't know is that Herney has an ace in his sleeve in the form of a meteor that was found in the Arctic Circle by a NASA Earth-scanning satellite that contains fossils of space creatures. And, with the help of civilian scientists and Sexton's own daughter, Rachel, an analyst with the National Reconnaisance Office (NRO), Herney will use this information to bury Sexton and bolster the failing public perception of NASA. However, just after claiming that the meteor is legit, Rachel and scientist Michael Tolland start to uncover some signs that their data may not be the most reliable and that one helluva large government conspiracy may be afoot. This was definitely a decent thriller with more than its fair share of twists and turns as well as a pretty good overview of how several intelligence agencies may or may not operate. However, I found myself able to predict a lot of what would happen. And I hate when I can do that. It ruins the remainder of the novel for me as little plot points come up that just further confirm my theories. I gotta stop thinking so much....less
Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
Bored people
Dan Brown came out strong in his career, made a ton of fans, but he's slipping. While Angels & Demons and Davinci were certainly not works of literary genius, they were at least entertaining, well researched books that offered a little insight into subjects I had not given much thought to, and I came away knowing more than when I started.
Deception Point sticks to the same formula - easy reading, plot twisting, 24 hour stories starring 2-dimensional characters and an overly dramatic, ove...more
Dan Brown came out strong in his career, made a ton of fans, but he's slipping. While Angels & Demons and Davinci were certainly not works of literary genius, they were at least entertaining, well researched books that offered a little insight into subjects I had not given much thought to, and I came away knowing more than when I started.
Deception Point sticks to the same formula - easy reading, plot twisting, 24 hour stories starring 2-dimensional characters and an overly dramatic, overly suspensful writing style. But when you remove the imaginative locations (replace Rome with an arctic ice shelf), secret societies (trade Illuminati for a crooked Senator), and interesting science/historical facts (come on, marine biology?!?), you get a fairly hollow story who's twists you can see 40 pages away and an inflated sense of suspense that borders on page filler (he encountered a problem, he tried to fix it, he failed, he tried again, not quite, he gave up but then had an epiphany, it doesn't work. . . . .get's a bit old). Towards the end I found myself skimming/skipping paragraphs just to get to the @%&*!ng point.
Overall this is a quick, easy weekend read if you're stuck somewhere with nothing better to do. Not that it's bad, but there's much better....less
bookshelves:
audiobook,
scarysuspensemystery
Read in September, 2007
This started out so promising, but I'm finding it hard to finish. Much like the DaVinci Code, it's a major conspiracy theory based on real life stuff. The last 1/4 of the book is what I'm having trouble with - some of it seems to be dragging/repeating, I'm feeling like we are beating a dead horse. I'm also laughing that there is this little romantic thing developing between two characters that just seems too engineered and falsely planted in this kind of book. Also, I'm all for the twists an...more
This started out so promising, but I'm finding it hard to finish. Much like the DaVinci Code, it's a major conspiracy theory based on real life stuff. The last 1/4 of the book is what I'm having trouble with - some of it seems to be dragging/repeating, I'm feeling like we are beating a dead horse. I'm also laughing that there is this little romantic thing developing between two characters that just seems too engineered and falsely planted in this kind of book. Also, I'm all for the twists and turns, but it's almost like there have been a couple too many, to the point of it being ridiculous. I will finish, I only have an hour left. If something earth shattering happens, I'll add to this review, but I'm doubtful. Oh yeah, and since I'm terrified of water, much like Rachel, I'm not really enjoying this whole almost drowning crap happening right now. But that's just me :) ... Ok, this one last little twist is pretty funny. And I totally called it when someone showed up, papers fell (duh, like that's not staged), and talking about the authenticity of the pictures. So I'm giving an extra star because that's funny that they totally stuck it to him....less
bookshelves:
mystery-suspense
Read in March, 2008
My first exposure to Dan Brown (I've not yet read Da Vinci Code, believe it or not) left me feeling sort of 'enh' about his writing. The plot obviously had had a lot of thought put to it, and at no point in the book did I feel bogged down. Brown's writing is clear, simple, and generally concise -- obscure vocabulary and convoluted sentence structure are rare. However, his technique for maintaining suspense could use work -- at times he relies on careful word choices to keep knowledge from the...more
My first exposure to Dan Brown (I've not yet read Da Vinci Code, believe it or not) left me feeling sort of 'enh' about his writing. The plot obviously had had a lot of thought put to it, and at no point in the book did I feel bogged down. Brown's writing is clear, simple, and generally concise -- obscure vocabulary and convoluted sentence structure are rare. However, his technique for maintaining suspense could use work -- at times he relies on careful word choices to keep knowledge from the reader (at one point this went on for 3-4 pages straight), and at others he uses rapid-fire scene changes to delay his reveals for a few more turns.
On the whole, mostly clever, if a bit ham-handed at times. I would probably grab another of his books if I were looking for something I could shoot through without a lot of thought. The rapid-fire scene changes were effective for maintaining immediacy and tension, but it was taken too far for my taste at times (like in the cases of the various two-page chapters in the book).
Wasn't bad; didn't really thrill me....less
bookshelves:
thrillers
Nothing new...
Although Deception Point takes a whole new direction for Dan Brown from the Da Vinci Code, there are many similarities between this book and some of his other works.
Deception Point starts off with a bang and hinted at something great and interesting. NASA has discovered a meteorite buried deep under the Arctic ice and it seems that this meteorite contains traces of extraterrestial life. The story is really about dirty politics and the world of espionage. But sadly, the book...more
Nothing new...
Although Deception Point takes a whole new direction for Dan Brown from the Da Vinci Code, there are many similarities between this book and some of his other works.
Deception Point starts off with a bang and hinted at something great and interesting. NASA has discovered a meteorite buried deep under the Arctic ice and it seems that this meteorite contains traces of extraterrestial life. The story is really about dirty politics and the world of espionage. But sadly, the book deteriorates into a predictable juvenile action story.
Compared to the Da Vinci Code and Digital Fortress, there is not much difference in the plotline between the 3 books. All 3 books cover completely different topics, but having read the other 2 first, I could guess the identity of the bad guy correctly half-way through the book. It seems like Dan Brown uses a cookie-cutter recipe for his novels, even in terms of the characters.
In the end I felt a bit cheated, because a story which held so much promise in the begiing, just fell flat towards the end....less
Read in January, 2008
You've just gotta love Dan Brown. You are a book snob if you don't. His books are well-researched, the insane plot twists are so well-planned and creative, and the characters are so real that his stories are captivating and impossible to put down. You just get hooked, and every chapter is a cliffhanger, and you tell yourself "one more chapter and I'll go to bed.... ok, one more chapter so I can see what happens.... " and then you get so engrossed that you forget you were going to stop ...more
You've just gotta love Dan Brown. You are a book snob if you don't. His books are well-researched, the insane plot twists are so well-planned and creative, and the characters are so real that his stories are captivating and impossible to put down. You just get hooked, and every chapter is a cliffhanger, and you tell yourself "one more chapter and I'll go to bed.... ok, one more chapter so I can see what happens.... " and then you get so engrossed that you forget you were going to stop at the next chapter, you don't even notice the chapter breaks anymore, and it's 3AM and you wonder where those dark circles under your eyes came from. This story looks at the politics behind science. NASA makes a discovery concerning extra-terrestrial life, the daughter of a NASA-bashing senator-campaigning-for-president is summoned by the current pres to have a look-see at the discovery, and chaos ensues. Who to trust? In Washington DC that's a tough call that Dan Brown expertly exploits. Really enjoyable, a nail-bighter to the end....less
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in June, 2004
recommended to Ian by:
Jason Baugh
recommends it for:
anyone
"When a NASA satellite discovers an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory."
I must admit I don't like thrillers. They mostly make me feel a cheap thrill at best. But Dan Brown "is a master in thrills," and keeps the story going at break neck speeds.
From the guy who has angered the Christian world with his tales of a slut named Mary M. to a guy named Jesus who spawned some kids with her, here is...more
"When a NASA satellite discovers an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory."
I must admit I don't like thrillers. They mostly make me feel a cheap thrill at best. But Dan Brown "is a master in thrills," and keeps the story going at break neck speeds.
From the guy who has angered the Christian world with his tales of a slut named Mary M. to a guy named Jesus who spawned some kids with her, here is a new target, the science community, NASA. This book did solidify my belief that the near future is full of civilian space travel and scary private sector/bureaucratic looting of our retirement savings to bankroll such exploits that I don't trust anyone with any large amount of power. Even my former favorite alphabet agency, NASA. Read the book if you want a break from all your cool kid lifestyle books about The Talking Heads and Beat poets, and read it if your sure that a change for the better is coming in November '08.
...less
Read in January, 2008
recommended to Cyndie by:
Karyn
This was the third of the books by Dan Brown that I read, and I definitely liked it better than the other two (Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons.) However, by the time I read this book, I had guessed the whodunnit by the fourth or fifth chapter. Mr. Brown has obviously decided to capitilize on a formula that appears to have worked for him in the past.
The suspense wasn't as great for me as it could have been because I figured out who was responsible, but even so, there were several edge-o...more
This was the third of the books by Dan Brown that I read, and I definitely liked it better than the other two (Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons.) However, by the time I read this book, I had guessed the whodunnit by the fourth or fifth chapter. Mr. Brown has obviously decided to capitilize on a formula that appears to have worked for him in the past.
The suspense wasn't as great for me as it could have been because I figured out who was responsible, but even so, there were several edge-of-my-seat moments of anticipation.
I genuinely liked the main characters and the story was intriguing to me. It was also interesting to read both of the perspectives on the US Space Program (which I personally feel is a huge waste of resources.)
I read this for the first time a couple of years ago, and again just recently. I still liked it, in spite of its predictability. The characters were believable and the story was was well told....less
Read in April, 2008
Well, Dan Brown did it again. I have really enjoyed all of his books and Deception Point was no exception. The thing I liked most about this story is that I wasn't sure whose side I was on until the very end. I also love how Dan Brown takes a lot of scientific non-fiction and true historical events and masterfully weaves them into his own fictional stories, making the reader sort them out. He also did a great job placing some comic relief characters (Corky Marlinson was hilarious)and situations....more
Well, Dan Brown did it again. I have really enjoyed all of his books and Deception Point was no exception. The thing I liked most about this story is that I wasn't sure whose side I was on until the very end. I also love how Dan Brown takes a lot of scientific non-fiction and true historical events and masterfully weaves them into his own fictional stories, making the reader sort them out. He also did a great job placing some comic relief characters (Corky Marlinson was hilarious)and situations. The ending was a lot of fun too with Senator Sexton's press conference. Anyway, I really liked the book. It was a quick read and for the most part very fast paced. However, I decided to only give it four stars becuase there were a few parts when characters were giving scientific explainations that just dragged on and on like Dan was trying to show off his own scientific knowledge. If you like science fiction, you would enjoy Deception Point. ...less
Read in October, 2007
This was definitely not my favorite Dan Brown book. It started off interesting and with a lot of potential, but somewhere within the first 200 pages my attention quickly diminished and it was actually rather difficult to get through. It's a very interesting concept, but it just wasn't carried out well. I think that there was just too many things going on at once, and it really didn't flow very well. The romance between two of the characters was extremely forced and unnecessary. I have to say, I ...more
This was definitely not my favorite Dan Brown book. It started off interesting and with a lot of potential, but somewhere within the first 200 pages my attention quickly diminished and it was actually rather difficult to get through. It's a very interesting concept, but it just wasn't carried out well. I think that there was just too many things going on at once, and it really didn't flow very well. The romance between two of the characters was extremely forced and unnecessary. I have to say, I totally called the end! I knew who was behind everything long before it was ever revealed. It's probably because I read the Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons before I read this book, and all three have the same premise and structure. Overall, I'd say this was an entertaining read, and the science in it was very interesting. Dan Brown really does his research. But maybe he can start changing up the formula of his books a little bit......less
book data (includes all editions)
avg rating
(all editions):
3.35 (12012 ratings)
avg rating
(this edition): 3.00
(2 ratings)
number of reviews: 1076
other editions
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Deception Point (Paperback)
isbn: 0671027387
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Deception Point (Paperback)
isbn: 1416524800
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Deception Point (Paperback)
isbn: 0552151769
