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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11125.Digital_Fortress?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Digital Fortress" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166457789m/11125.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11125.Digital_Fortress?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Digital Fortress</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/630.Dan_Brown">Dan Brown</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3738803?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 1 of 5 stars I read the Da Vinci Code first. You could call me a fashion victim if you like. After successfully ignoring the book for months every time I pass by the pile in Kinokuniya, I gave up. I bought one and read it. I wasn't impressed, to be honest. I know the book is a hit which really get people to write... several more books on related topics. These books could quickly be a genre on its own.
 
 I was told that the book should read together with Angels and Demons which is sort of a prequel to the Da Vinci Code. I dutifully followed the advice. Again, I wasn't impressed.
 
 So I decided to review the two books together.
 
 Why wasn't I impressed? I thought the writing style is boring and exaggerated: the most, the biggest, the most famous, one of the best in the world, etc, etc pepper the pages. I encounter these superlatives in almost all instances relating to the protagonists. After a few chapter, I felt ill. This kind of talk is too 'George W. Bush' (Axes of Evil? Silly terminology)
 
 The chapter division is also too Hollywood: chapters end in suspense. There are two story lines which in the end, merge into a conclusion. One is clear cut and straight forward the other is shrouded in mystery. The most implausible character is the culprit. S/He does it because of some personal disappointment. What is this? A ready made script?
 
 Despite all that, I have to hand it to Dan Brown for brilliantly collecting the factual data and weave them through fiction. That, needless to say, requires a lot of meticulous understanding of the subjects and brilliant imagination. However, the topics themselves are rather old and tired: Destroying the Church? Evil science vs. the Church? Catholic church some more. Perhaps it's time we leave the Vatican in peace.
 
 I have no problem with good vs. evil story line as long as there are enough fresh ideas and new perspectives. Take the hugely successful Harry Potter series for example. It's a simple good vs. evil, a typical boarding school story in the manner of Enid Blyton but presented in such novelty that when flipping the pages, one have to read twice to really appreciate fully the wonderful new perspectives.
 
 To put it bluntly, I've had enough of Dan Brown. He's boring.
 
 Another disappointment is, the Da Vinci Code is about to be made into a movie but they've chosen Tom Hank as Robert Langdon. Give me a break! Harrison Ford makes more sense.
 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/233375?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Bookshop's review
rating:

bookshelves: fiction
status: Read in January, 2005

I read the Da Vinci Code first. You could call me a fashion victim if you like. After successfully ignoring the book for months every time I pass by the pile in Kinokuniya, I gave up. I bought one and read it. I wasn't impressed, to be honest. I know the book is a hit which really get people to write... several more books on related topics. These books could quickly be a genre on its own.

I was told that the book should read together with Angels and Demons which is sort of a prequel to the Da Vinci Code. I dutifully followed the advice. Again, I wasn't impressed.

So I decided to review the two books together.

Why wasn't I impressed? I thought the writing style is boring and exaggerated: the most, the biggest, the most famous, one of the best in the world, etc, etc pepper the pages. I encounter these superlatives in almost all instances relating to the protagonists. After a few chapter, I felt ill. This kind of talk is too 'George W. Bush' (Axes of Evil? Silly terminology)

T...more I read the Da Vinci Code first. You could call me a fashion victim if you like. After successfully ignoring the book for months every time I pass by the pile in Kinokuniya, I gave up. I bought one and read it. I wasn't impressed, to be honest. I know the book is a hit which really get people to write... several more books on related topics. These books could quickly be a genre on its own.

I was told that the book should read together with Angels and Demons which is sort of a prequel to the Da Vinci Code. I dutifully followed the advice. Again, I wasn't impressed.

So I decided to review the two books together.

Why wasn't I impressed? I thought the writing style is boring and exaggerated: the most, the biggest, the most famous, one of the best in the world, etc, etc pepper the pages. I encounter these superlatives in almost all instances relating to the protagonists. After a few chapter, I felt ill. This kind of talk is too 'George W. Bush' (Axes of Evil? Silly terminology)

The chapter division is also too Hollywood: chapters end in suspense. There are two story lines which in the end, merge into a conclusion. One is clear cut and straight forward the other is shrouded in mystery. The most implausible character is the culprit. S/He does it because of some personal disappointment. What is this? A ready made script?

Despite all that, I have to hand it to Dan Brown for brilliantly collecting the factual data and weave them through fiction. That, needless to say, requires a lot of meticulous understanding of the subjects and brilliant imagination. However, the topics themselves are rather old and tired: Destroying the Church? Evil science vs. the Church? Catholic church some more. Perhaps it's time we leave the Vatican in peace.

I have no problem with good vs. evil story line as long as there are enough fresh ideas and new perspectives. Take the hugely successful Harry Potter series for example. It's a simple good vs. evil, a typical boarding school story in the manner of Enid Blyton but presented in such novelty that when flipping the pages, one have to read twice to really appreciate fully the wonderful new perspectives.

To put it bluntly, I've had enough of Dan Brown. He's boring.

Another disappointment is, the Da Vinci Code is about to be made into a movie but they've chosen Tom Hank as Robert Langdon. Give me a break! Harrison Ford makes more sense.
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