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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/7577338?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 1 of 5 stars When I first read the DaVinci Code a couple of years back, I admit that it wasn't all that bad (at least for the first two-thirds or so), but in light of its content I found it significantly overrated... Upon reading this book, however, I am outright insulted that this man's success is inspiring documentaries on the History Channel...
 
 I had the unfortunate luck to inherit this along with a box of other (and thankfully much more redeeming) books when a good friend of mine was leaving Japan. After getting about ten pages into it, I found myself almost in tears laughing at the downright, blatant lack of knowledge that Dan Brown has regarding central themes to his novel, namely languages, national intelligence, and... intelligence in the traditional sense. Brown's affected knowledge of, well, /anything/ in this so-called book is almost as equal in transparency as is the pretentious description of the lead male character:
 
 "David Becker. The only man she’d ever loved. The youngest full professor at Georgetown University and a brilliant foreign-language specialist, he was practically a celebrity in the world of academia. Born with an eidetic memory and a love of languages, he’d mastered six Asian dialects as well as Spanish, French, and Italian."
 
 Wow, Dan Brown outdoes himself. Not only has he managed to create an over-the-top Professor Superman in tennis shorts (complete with a sexy uber-genius side-chick to fawn over him), Brown has also successfully condensed all the languages of an entire continent into one, vast, super language called Asian, of which said Professor can speak... six dialects!
 
 "His university lectures on etymology and linguistics were standing-room only, and he invariably stayed late to answer a barrage of questions. He spoke with authority and enthusiasm, apparently oblivious to the adoring gazes of his star-struck coeds. Becker was dark—a rugged, youthful thirty-five with sharp green eyes and a wit to match. His strong jaw and taut features reminded Susan of carved marble. Over six feet tall, Becker moved across a squash court faster than..." 
 
 Puke. I rate this book a one, despite not even having had the will to get through the first quarter of it, as my brain was threatening to stuff itself down my throat and asphyxiate me if I continued to subject it to such garbage.
 
 And before you get all indignant on me, know this: Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be put out of my way to knock a book so hard. I would simply toss it aside like all the other trash pulp fiction out there in the airport bookstores and never think of it again. But yet, America, you are snatching up millions of copies of this man's books, singing his praises, and casting A-list stars in big-screen productions of his non-original, factually inaccurate trash. Please, stop it. You're scaring me.
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/169863?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Lydia's review
rating:
bookshelves: partially-read, partiallyread

When I first read the DaVinci Code a couple of years back, I admit that it wasn't all that bad (at least for the first two-thirds or so), but in light of its content I found it significantly overrated... Upon reading this book, however, I am outright insulted that this man's success is inspiring documentaries on the History Channel...

I had the unfortunate luck to inherit this along with a box of other (and thankfully much more redeeming) books when a good friend of mine was leaving Japan. After getting about ten pages into it, I found myself almost in tears laughing at the downright, blatant lack of knowledge that Dan Brown has regarding central themes to his novel, namely languages, national intelligence, and... intelligence in the traditional sense. Brown's affected knowledge of, well, /anything/ in this so-called book is almost as equal in transparency as is the pretentious description of the lead male character:

"David Becker. The only man she’d ever loved. The younge...more When I first read the DaVinci Code a couple of years back, I admit that it wasn't all that bad (at least for the first two-thirds or so), but in light of its content I found it significantly overrated... Upon reading this book, however, I am outright insulted that this man's success is inspiring documentaries on the History Channel...

I had the unfortunate luck to inherit this along with a box of other (and thankfully much more redeeming) books when a good friend of mine was leaving Japan. After getting about ten pages into it, I found myself almost in tears laughing at the downright, blatant lack of knowledge that Dan Brown has regarding central themes to his novel, namely languages, national intelligence, and... intelligence in the traditional sense. Brown's affected knowledge of, well, /anything/ in this so-called book is almost as equal in transparency as is the pretentious description of the lead male character:

"David Becker. The only man she’d ever loved. The youngest full professor at Georgetown University and a brilliant foreign-language specialist, he was practically a celebrity in the world of academia. Born with an eidetic memory and a love of languages, he’d mastered six Asian dialects as well as Spanish, French, and Italian."

Wow, Dan Brown outdoes himself. Not only has he managed to create an over-the-top Professor Superman in tennis shorts (complete with a sexy uber-genius side-chick to fawn over him), Brown has also successfully condensed all the languages of an entire continent into one, vast, super language called Asian, of which said Professor can speak... six dialects!

"His university lectures on etymology and linguistics were standing-room only, and he invariably stayed late to answer a barrage of questions. He spoke with authority and enthusiasm, apparently oblivious to the adoring gazes of his star-struck coeds. Becker was dark—a rugged, youthful thirty-five with sharp green eyes and a wit to match. His strong jaw and taut features reminded Susan of carved marble. Over six feet tall, Becker moved across a squash court faster than..."

Puke. I rate this book a one, despite not even having had the will to get through the first quarter of it, as my brain was threatening to stuff itself down my throat and asphyxiate me if I continued to subject it to such garbage.

And before you get all indignant on me, know this: Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be put out of my way to knock a book so hard. I would simply toss it aside like all the other trash pulp fiction out there in the airport bookstores and never think of it again. But yet, America, you are snatching up millions of copies of this man's books, singing his praises, and casting A-list stars in big-screen productions of his non-original, factually inaccurate trash. Please, stop it. You're scaring me....less

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message 1: by Danielle

11/12/2007 01:12PM

I feel exactly the same way about this book. Thank you for not falling prey to the Dan Brown hypnotism.