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The Da Vinci Code

(Robert Langdon #2)

Dan Brown (Goodreads Author)

3.87 · Rating details · 2,013,695 ratings · 48,353 reviews

หลังการบรรยายในกรุงปารีส โรเบิร์ต แลงดอน ศาสตราจารย์ชื่อดังด้านศาสตร์สัญลักษณ์แห่งมหาวิทยาลัยฮาร์วาร์ด ถูกตามตัวกลางดึกขณะนอนพักอยู่ในโรงแรม เมื่อ ฌาคส์ โซนิแยร์ ภัณฑารักษ์ผู้มีชื่อเสียงประจำพิพิธภัณฑ์สถานลูฟร์ ถูกฆาตกรรมพิศวงในพิพิธภัณฑ์ โดยทิ้งรหัสลับปริศนาไว้ให้แลงดอน กับ โซฟี เนอเวอ หลานสาวของตนเป็นผู้ไขเพื่อหาตัวฆาตกร รหัสลับที่โซนิแยร์ทิ้งไว้อย่างชาญฉลาดกับศพของตน เก ...more

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Jul 15, 2008 Ethan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Four stars for pure entertainment value.

However, Dave Barry's review gets five stars:

`The Da Vinci Code,' cracked
by Dave Barry

I have written a blockbuster novel. My inspiration was The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, which has sold 253 trillion copies in hardcover because it's such a compelling page-turner. NOBODY can put this book down:

MOTHER ON BEACH: Help! My child is being attacked by a shark!

LIFEGUARD (looking up from The DaVinci Code: Not now! I just got to page 243, where it turns out that one ...more

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Apr 12, 2007 Mer rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: morons and troglodytes

Shelves: tripeshitandgarbage

PLEASE do NOT recommend The Da Vinci Code to me because you think it's brilliant. Please do not try to explain to me that it is a "really interesting and eye-opening book." Just don't. Please.

I've read Iain Pear, I heart Foucault's Pendulum, Dashiell Hammett is my hero, Alan Moore is My Absolute Favorite, I listen to Coil on a fairly regular basis, and cloak n' dagger secret society/Priory of Sion/Knights of Templar-tinged num nums make me a very happy girl... but if you truly believe that Brow PLEASE do NOT recommend The Da Vinci Code to me because you think it's brilliant. Please do not try to explain to me that it is a "really interesting and eye-opening book." Just don't. Please.

I've read Iain Pear, I heart Foucault's Pendulum, Dashiell Hammett is my hero, Alan Moore is My Absolute Favorite, I listen to Coil on a fairly regular basis, and cloak n' dagger secret society/Priory of Sion/Knights of Templar-tinged num nums make me a very happy girl... but if you truly believe that Brown's stupid airport thriller has ANY right whatsoever to be placed in the same category with Michael "Wooden Dildo Dialogue" Crichton, let alone Umberto Eco, kindly keep this opinion very far away from me, or the ensuing conversation we have will not be constructive or polite in any way.

I loathe Dan Brown. I resent him for spoon-feeding the masses pseudo-intellectual "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" D-grade thriller shite under a pretense of real sophistication, and getting orally serviced by The New York Times for his effort.

I'd heard that the novel was meticulously researched and contained some really interesting and controversial assessments of religious zealotry. Um, not really? Well, not by my Merovingian standards, anyway. :D

Let's put it this way. If Dan Brown was teaching an Insurgent Christian Symbolism in Art and Literature 101 class at my local community college, I'd definitely have a different opinion about him.

But NO. Dan Brown is not a professor of anything but pap. He is a barely competent thriller writer who wrote an AWFUL book that I could not bear to finish because I felt my IQ plummeting a little further with every "Let's Go to Paris! Guidebook" description and blowhard authorial essay. Oh, don't even get me started about those cute soliloquies the main characters are so fond of delivering, ever so calmly, often while cops n' bovvers are chasing them.

The characters are weakly drawn. The dialogue is excruciating. The research is shoddy and self-serving at best. The plot, no matter how open-minded you are, is beyond ludicrous. It's laughable enough to be incorporated into the next Indiana Jones movie. That'd be sweet, dude.

What really irks me are Dan Brown's sanctimonious interviews, wherein he shows off all of his priceless antiques while expressing his abiding convictions that the American public needs a "deeper appreciation" of art and history and culture. What a shallow, self-aggrandizing hypocrite. I'm all for fictional subversion of the dominant Catholic paradigm, but only if the subverter knows what the hell they're talking about. Brown DOESN'T. He's all "la la la, connect the dots" but the picture he comes up with is awkward and unconvincing.

The DaVinci Choad is a dead easy, nay, downright lazy read, and yet droves of people are patting themselves on the back for having read and *gasp* actually understood it. Like this is some spectacular achievement? WHY? What, because the slipcover describes it as "erudite"? Are you fucking kidding me?

Don't believe the hype, kids. You are profoundly more intelligent than this holiday page-turner gives you credit for.

If you really, honestly, just plain liked the book, that's cool I guess. Maybe you also prefer Anne Geddes to Alfred Stieglitz, Kenny G to Sidney Bechet, John Tesh to Igor Stravinsky. Your prerogative. Just.... please don't try to tell me that this is "fascinating" or "meaningful literature". Frickin' read The Club Dumas or something. Then we'll talk, and I won't want to shoot myself in the face.

Alright, glad I purged that poison from my system. Carry on. ...more

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Apr 17, 2007 ryan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: open minded folk

most of us have heard of this controverisal book. it takes an open minded person to read this and to remember it is just fiction. but it brings up a lot of important questions about the Christian church, and the loss of paganism and the respect of the Goddess or the Woman.

I don't care if I am the only one who likes this book. it is my own truth, and i will think what i want to think. Dan Brown didn't LEAD me or anyone else. he OPENED our minds. simply and importantly...he was just a catalyst fo most of us have heard of this controverisal book. it takes an open minded person to read this and to remember it is just fiction. but it brings up a lot of important questions about the Christian church, and the loss of paganism and the respect of the Goddess or the Woman.

I don't care if I am the only one who likes this book. it is my own truth, and i will think what i want to think. Dan Brown didn't LEAD me or anyone else. he OPENED our minds. simply and importantly...he was just a catalyst for different thinking. that is a good thing...poorly written or not.

if you finish the book you will notice that Dan Brown even makes it clear to readers through his characters words, that he doesn't want to destroy christianity because it has done so much good for so many people, and if it works for them, let's let them continue to do what works for them. but find your own path.

if you were or are a Christian ask yourself about the topics in this book. They are so eye opening. Jesus having a baby? totally possible...never thought of it before. never thought of it. is it true? who knows. Things like this are happening all the time today...Weapons of Mass destruction in Iraq? sound familiar? Maybe the church repressed information LIKE this because it was a threat to the church. totally possible. The catholic church creating the biblical canon with a political agenda to wipe out paganism? actually this seems to be a fact. women being oppressed due to the fear of religous zealot men in power losing their power...never looked at it that way. but this seems to be a fact too. is it helpful in broadening my perspective of the fact that christianity is just a religion made by fallible people. it sure is. does it open my mind to other faiths like paganism, judiasm, islam, bhuddism, and want to take the truths from all of them, and then THINK FOR MYSELF and figure out my own truth. it sure does...and that is what this book has probably done for many other people. why do you think Dan Brown's book was on the bestseller list for so long...and became a movie...obviously it was doing some good. ...more

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Aug 01, 2013 Jayson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: author-american, 400-499-pp, genre-mystery, read-in-2010, subject-religion, genre-thriller

(A-) 80% | Very Good
Notes: Excessive exposition and ludicrous writing discolor an otherwise captivating, thought-provoking, page-turning read.

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Jul 17, 2007 Jim rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This is a pretty formulaic page turner, a fun quick read. Written at about the level of the average Nancy Drew mystery, it is best appreciated at that level. As far as the content, there are howlers on virtually every page (starting with the hero who looks like "Harrison Ford in Harris tweed" and is a "Professor of Religious Symbology at Harvard" -- good work if you can find it). You have to ignore very pulpy, cheesy writing to enjoy this romantic thriller.

Intended as a book that a dedicated rea This is a pretty formulaic page turner, a fun quick read. Written at about the level of the average Nancy Drew mystery, it is best appreciated at that level. As far as the content, there are howlers on virtually every page (starting with the hero who looks like "Harrison Ford in Harris tweed" and is a "Professor of Religious Symbology at Harvard" -- good work if you can find it). You have to ignore very pulpy, cheesy writing to enjoy this romantic thriller.

Intended as a book that a dedicated reader could finish in a day, or something you take to the beach and casually finish in a weekend, The Da Vinci Code makes for a reasonable airline novel, so much so that it is often a bit clunky in its desire to ensure that no intellectual effort on the reader's part will be required. Here's a recurring example in this novel: a bit of unfamiliar terminology, say "crux gemmata" (jeweled cross) will will be explained on page N, then on page N+1, a character will finger his jeweled cross and explain, "Oh, yes -- this is a crux gemmata." I've read dinner menus that were more demanding on the reader. My wife and I both read about a third of it in a day, sharing the same copy, and that's a full work day plus taking care of kids, bedtime, etc. That's also a kind of virtue, I guess -- it's fast and peppy.

As far as history goes, Dan Brown apparently thinks that "most historians" give credence to the hoary forgeries and frauds promoted in sensationalist best-sellers like Holy Blood, Holy Grail. This author gets the best of both worlds: simultaneously claiming that "it's just fiction," while introducing the novel with claims that the historical record contained within is "fact." That claim is ridiculous. To pluck a random example, he spends some time talking about the Council of Nicaea, and incorrectly summarizes it as the origin of the doctrine of Christ's divinity by Constantine. He ignores the Arian controversy out of which it arose, which is like trying to explain the Treaty of Versailles without mentioning World War I. He ignores the documented fact, agreed upon even by the cheerleaders of the gnostics that he is sympathetic to, that the earliest gnostic doctrines held that Christ was *purely* God, and not really man -- the very reverse of the doctrine that serves as the linchpin of his novel's intellectual base (such as it is). This is a bad novel for weak or misinformed Christians, but anyone familiar with history should spot the train wreck of Brown's ideas a mile off.

Oh yes, and in Brown's world, Opus Dei has shadowy assassin "monks" (in real life, Opus Dei is not a monastic order -- there are no Opus Dei monks, let alone trained assassins), and the Catholic Church has been promulgating known lies as its central dogmas, promotes violence throughout the world, and has been retarding the progress of science and knowledge for 2 millennia. Brown leaves the reader with the impression that this, too, is a matter of settled historical record. Oh, but then again, it's just fiction. Except when it's not.

In general, if you're looking for a heady thriller wrapped around Christian arcana, I'd recommend Umberto Eco's excellent The Name of the Rose, not this dumbed down, by-the-numbers novel. ...more

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May 13, 2007 J.G. Keely rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: novel, contemporary-fiction, reviewed, america

A thriller devoid of pacing or exciting language. A mystery devoid of clues, foreshadowing, or facts. A tell-all of half-truths based upon a forged document written by a schizophrenic conman. A character-driven modern novel devoid of character. The second draft of Angels and Demons. Page-turning action thanks to the literary equivalent of pulling out at the moment of orgasm. A spiritual awakening built on new-age conspiracy theory. This book is many things, and none of them good, new, or interes A thriller devoid of pacing or exciting language. A mystery devoid of clues, foreshadowing, or facts. A tell-all of half-truths based upon a forged document written by a schizophrenic conman. A character-driven modern novel devoid of character. The second draft of Angels and Demons. Page-turning action thanks to the literary equivalent of pulling out at the moment of orgasm. A spiritual awakening built on new-age conspiracy theory. This book is many things, and none of them good, new, or interesting. However, it is an excellent litmus test for idealistic delusion.

Upon the first reading, I must admit I found it a bit interesting, but then I turned the final page, and there was no bibliography. No explanation of how the author became familiar with all the concepts he claimed to 'faithfully portray'. He wrote this book and pretended it was a history book, and then refused to support it in any way. And any history you can't check up on is a bad one.

He's no better than James Frey. In fact, he may be worse, since I know people who base their religious beliefs on this book, whereas Frey's only crime was wishing he was Scarface. And really, what macho thirtysomething male doesn't?

Brown had good reasons for hiding his sources: they were forged by con-man Pierre Plantard and snuck into the Bibliotheque National in Paris back in the seventies. And it's not like Plantard got away with it, either--the whole 'Priory of Sion' thing was debunked thirty years before this book was even written.

The artistic 'iconography' that figures heavily into the mystery is also completely made-up, and was declared ludicrous by an art history professor of my acquaintance. There are a lot of well-known symbols and allusions in classic art, but none of them resemble Brown's claims. The whole hinge on which the plot turns--the notion that an inverted triangle is automatically symbolic of women--makes about as much sense as declaring that the use of the swastika by 3rd century, BC Buddhists was proof that they were fascists.

The rest of Brown's book is filled with the sort of cliched religious conspiracies you get from your first year as a theology student. Not only that, but these conspiracies were already explored by better writers in 'Foucault's Pendulum' and the 'Illuminatus! Trilogy'.

Well, I've already done more legitimate historical research on this review than Brown did in his whole book, so I guess I'll call it a day. ...more

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Aug 24, 2008 Stephen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, conspiracies-and-weird-science, 2000-2005, religion-spirituality, thriller, mystery

OKAY PEOPLE…someone let me in on the gag because between the cries of "Greatest Book of Greaty Greatness EVER" and the screams of "Lamest Load of Lamey Lameness EVER", my itty bitty brain is left very…

So post Hype-a-ganza, I finally got around to reading this popular, polarizing, pop culture icon and thought it was….drum roll……………………FINE(sigh). It was a solid read with a slight lean towards the “eh” side of MEH and few moments of genuine “that’s neat.” I don’t see all the love and I don’t s ...more

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Jan 07, 2012 James rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-favorite-books, 3-multi-book-series, 1-fiction

5 stars to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Most folks have seen the movie and probably not read the book. What a loss for them!

That said, I know a lot of people don't enjoy Brown's books, believing he is too commercialized and over-exaggerated in his style. While I can understand why someone may think that, I don't agree. I love the complexity of the story, the reality and the fiction, the test of character strength, the puzzles, the different view points. It completely absorbs me... so I fall i 5 stars to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Most folks have seen the movie and probably not read the book. What a loss for them!

That said, I know a lot of people don't enjoy Brown's books, believing he is too commercialized and over-exaggerated in his style. While I can understand why someone may think that, I don't agree. I love the complexity of the story, the reality and the fiction, the test of character strength, the puzzles, the different view points. It completely absorbs me... so I fall into the category of those who love him and this style of writing, even if others think his writing isn't fantastic. Doesn't mean I don't love the more classic and richly written novels where it's the imagery and the words that win out, too.

I had never heard of Dan Brown in his early years. I heard about the movie being made of the book and how it was coming out relatively soon. I looked it up and saw it had the "treasure-hunter" thrill appeal and decided to read the book before the movie could come out and warp my interpretation. So glad I did!

It's addicting. Growing up Catholic, I knew most of the religious detail, but once it weaved it art, literature, history and philosophy, I was just enamored with the story. Could it really be true? Maybe I'm related to Adam and Eve too! Ok, let's not get too crazy...

Magnificent story-telling. Quick adventure. Beautiful scenes and images. Brown exhibit's intensely good control weaving back and forth between each of the plots, sub-plots and mini-plots. It's as realistic of a treasure hunt as one can get if you are not an adventurer, archaeologist or exhibition-junkie.

But what took it to the next level for me was the amount of detail included for every component. It's the intricate of the intricate, relying on pure puzzles to move the story forward. Each new puzzle creates its own spark of drama directing readers to challenge what they do and do not know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, languages, culture, locations, etc.

It hits so many different waves of appeal that I felt it was at the top of its game. And it probably only edged out Angels & Demons because of how tight this story was. Definitely a must-read for the genre, for Brown and before watching the movie adaption. ...more

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Mar 08, 2018 Mario the lone bookwolf rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: brown-dan

Alternate history, uchronias, and indirect criticism of faith and ideology combine to one of the most successful thriller series of all times.

Everything was already on the table, many authors had dealt with the different ideas Brown is mixing together, and finding and recombining conspiracy theories isn´t that complicated. It´s the mix of different topics that interest many people stirred together that make it entertaining for the ones who like art or thrillers, for atheists and religious peopl Alternate history, uchronias, and indirect criticism of faith and ideology combine to one of the most successful thriller series of all times.

Everything was already on the table, many authors had dealt with the different ideas Brown is mixing together, and finding and recombining conspiracy theories isn´t that complicated. It´s the mix of different topics that interest many people stirred together that make it entertaining for the ones who like art or thrillers, for atheists and religious people, for the ones interested in plot or characterization, it´s just difficult to find someone who would immediately say that she/he isn´t interested in one of the plot vehicles.

It doesn´t just relativizes general history, but religious and political history in a way that makes it a prime example of the fact that history and holy texts are written by the winners. Widening the range, questioning the status quo, and making people skeptical regarding omniscience, commandments, and whatever is something of huge importance and Brown did more than Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens combined and multiplied could have done in centuries by reaching so many people and making them think about the legitimation of any kind of belief.

Imagine many people would start writing fanfiction like that about different religious texts, expanding universes with new and alternative prophets, letting the whole thing collapse into a parody of itself within years.

I tend to equate religious, economic, and political science texts for the simple reason that, as soon as there is one more truth, or in hard science, formulas and equations, the others or even the own one must the wrong. The more open criticism and sarcastic to profound interpretations of all those one hit wonders are made by sophisticated, young people, the less power all of those charlatanries can generate in their stupid quest towards the one and only variation of reality they want to establish.

Blasphemy in a (view spoiler)

A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real life outside books:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critici...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critici... ...more

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Jun 25, 2014 Lisa rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: monster-mash-of-a-mess, postliterate-fiction, so-bad-it-hurts, subterranean, hahahahahaaarrrrrgh, don-t-read-it

No, I am not!

No, I am not going to write a review about this piece of nonsense just because I had yet ANOTHER of those incredibly annoying conversations (in a bookstore to top it off!).

No, I am not.

Oh, for goodness sake!

It is NOT a great book to broaden your cultural horizons, and whatever the humbug mentioned on Leonardo - it is NOT equivalent to reading a book researched by a REAL art historian, - which is something entirely different from a blind-folded arrogant gold digging bestseller aut ...more

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Oct 26, 2008 Will Byrnes rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Dan Brown - image from USA Today

A real page-turner, about a Holy Grail quest. It is replete with oodles of interesting little details about church history, the true meaning of the grail, secret societies through the ages, Opus Dei and architectural details. In this fast-paced adventure an American art expert is accused of killing a director of the Louvre. Rescued by the deceased's granddaughter, a police cryptologist, the pair flees from both French and British police. The tale is enlivened wit ...more

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Jun 23, 2008 Wayne rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I downloaded the book and put it on my ipod and began to listen to it on a long road trip. I found it engaging and the plot twisted and turned, jumping from scene to scene, back and forth in time. Really kept the reader on her toes. I'm not sure if I liked it, the writing style was pretty crude, but it kept me thinking.

About an hour into listening I realized that the ipod was on shuffle mode and in fact all the chapters were being shuffled. I groaned and started over. When played in a linear fas ...more

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Sep 03, 2007 Ruth rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: total-crap

Impossibly complicated plot. Really, really, really bad writing. This book was forced upon me. I should have known better.

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Jul 30, 2007 Maura rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: someone interested in a completely mindless beach read

I've finally started reading that ever so controversial best-seller by Dan Brown. Actually, not reading it, listening to it while driving around Lansing, MI. This book seems to have changed the minds of many Catholics (my grandfather included) and Protestants alike. Granted, there have long been rumors of secret societies and organizations within the Roman Catholic Church, and historical cover-ups are rampant throughout civilization.

HOWEVER,

The book is crap. It's not at all well written. Brown I've finally started reading that ever so controversial best-seller by Dan Brown. Actually, not reading it, listening to it while driving around Lansing, MI. This book seems to have changed the minds of many Catholics (my grandfather included) and Protestants alike. Granted, there have long been rumors of secret societies and organizations within the Roman Catholic Church, and historical cover-ups are rampant throughout civilization.

HOWEVER,

The book is crap. It's not at all well written. Brown seems to feel that in order to impress the mystery of the supposed Holy Grail conspiracy upon his readers, he must be repetitive and condescending. It almost seems that the whole purpose of the book is to tell the world how much Brown knows about obscure art history and symbology, and that he is willing to explain it to the teeming masses of uniformed Christendom. His constant use of cliff-hanger chapter endings (almost every chapter) makes the novel read like it was originally intended as a serial publication. Much of Brown's story hinges upon the loss of the Sacred Feminine, and yet his main female character (a cryptologist for the French police) is constantly having to be led clue by clue to obvious conclusions by her quicker, more worldly, male counterparts.

I might have put some stock into Brown's "history," he writes with conviction, if not much style. I may even have looked into some of his sources on my own. Today, though, Brown completely lost any stock I would have put into his actual knowledge. He referred, multiple times, to Jesus Christ as the Immaculate Conception. As every half-informed Catholic knows, Mary was the Immaculate Conception (conceived without sin), Jesus was the Miraculous Conception (conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit).

How this novel came to be as popular as it is, I can understand. Everyone today is dying to get to the big TRUTH, something which can never be done in religion. Faith is by definition something that is unsubstantiated, we must just believe. What I can't understand is how people can believe this absolute drivel.
...more

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May 18, 2013 Warwick rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dont-own

Exciting news for the blind and partially-sighted community, as the publishers release a Braille version:

...more

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Jun 29, 2017 Brina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, fiction, thriller

Every summer I tend to enjoy reading action and adventure thrillers. The genre seems perfect for the hot weather outside as all of the action builds to a heated crescendo. Last week I participated in a diary called the Pepys Project in one of the groups I am part of, the reading for pleasure book club. The diarist relays pertinent literary information on a daily basis to ones peers. It happened that author Dan Brown celebrated a birthday last week, and as I had never read his best selling DaVinc Every summer I tend to enjoy reading action and adventure thrillers. The genre seems perfect for the hot weather outside as all of the action builds to a heated crescendo. Last week I participated in a diary called the Pepys Project in one of the groups I am part of, the reading for pleasure book club. The diarist relays pertinent literary information on a daily basis to ones peers. It happened that author Dan Brown celebrated a birthday last week, and as I had never read his best selling DaVinci Code, the diary reminded me that the summer was a good as time as any to partake in this thriller.

World renowned Harvard professor Robert Langdon is in Paris to deliver a lecture about his latest findings in cryptic symbology. As Langdon addresses his speech, nearby at the Louvre museum an albino monk on orders from his teacher brutally murders curator Jacques Sauniere. These two events are not mere coincidence as Sauniere had been planning on meeting with Langdon later in the evening. As he lay dying, Sauniere penned cryptic codes to both Langdon and his granddaughter Sophie Neveu. It would be up to the pair to crack these mysteries before the church uncovered the secrets that Sauniere had worked his entire life to guard.

Once Langdon and Neveu meet up, together they discover that Sauniere had been the grand master of the Priory of Sion, an ancient society which believed in an alternate true history of Christianity. Sauniere left the duo a trail of clues to find the true resting place of the holy grail, that is before Catholic fanatical sect Opus Dei beats them to it and destroys the information. Through a intricate web of surveillance and bribes, however, Paris of chief police Bezu Fache believes that Langdon and Neveu to be guilty of Sauniere's murder. Ensuing, is a race through Paris and London to ensure that the grail and its secrets do not fall into the wrong hands.

Brown details centuries of religious symbols and information as he has Langdon and Neveu quest to keep the Priory's secrets safe. Along the way they meet a number of characters, never knowing if one is friend, foe, or double agent. As a result, the action is fast paced, intriguing, and even brain exercising as I thought alongside the pair to crack open the codes that Sauniere left for them. In a structure of short chapters and changing points of view, Brown created a story that grew more thrilling as it went on. This created for an entertaining denouement which read quickly to the end.

While it remains to be seen if the mysteries outlined in The DaVinci Code are fact, fiction, or somewhere in between, Dan Brown has created a fun concept that makes for thrilling summer reading. The novel grew to be an international best seller and later made into a movie starring Tom Hanks. Even though movies are usually not as good as their novel counterparts, Brown's thriller should translate well onto screen as it is all action. The Pepys Project lead me to a summer reading adventure, which I rate 3.75 stars. I look forward to Dan Brown's next installment starring Robert Langdon. ...more

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Feb 22, 2008 Robert rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: female-divinity

For the most part, it seems that people either passionately love this book or they passionately hate it. I happen to be one of the former. For my part, I don't see the book so much as an indictment of the Catholic Church in particular but of religious extremism and religion interfering in political process in general. The unwarranted political control granted to extreme religious organizations like the CBN is an issue that we will be forced to address one way or the other. To my eye, our politic ...more

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Jul 30, 2007 Steve rated it liked it · review of another edition

It's considered an unfair advantage using a cryptex box to solve this.

...more

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Jun 28, 2007 Seth T. rated it it was ok · review of another edition

For cheap supermarket fiction, this sure was cheap supermarket fiction. It would have helped if this was the first book I had ever read. Unfortunately, having read Curious George as a child (a towering work of literary genius by comparison), The DaVinci Code suffered perhaps unjustly. ...more

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May 07, 2007 Joey rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This book is non-stop action.This bo ...more

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Nov 17, 2007 Jeremy rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This book, and everything written by Dan Brown (to varying degrees), represent much of what I most dislike about pop literature. First of all, Mr. Brown, despite teaching English at Amherst College, is a bad writer. This is not to say that I am a good writer. But I recognize a person who can't "show" you vivid scenes, he has to "tell you". Various characters wear expensive clothes. How do we know? The text says they're expensive. How do we know Mr. Langdon is brilliant? The text makes no bones a This book, and everything written by Dan Brown (to varying degrees), represent much of what I most dislike about pop literature. First of all, Mr. Brown, despite teaching English at Amherst College, is a bad writer. This is not to say that I am a good writer. But I recognize a person who can't "show" you vivid scenes, he has to "tell you". Various characters wear expensive clothes. How do we know? The text says they're expensive. How do we know Mr. Langdon is brilliant? The text makes no bones about telling us. Langdon is also famous. Blah.

Furthermore, Mr. Brown's books are ridiculously formulaic. Every single "thriller" that he has written to date begins with the murder of a key character at the hands of a shadowy and "terrifying" assassin individual/group. This group is controlled by a larger group with dubious intentions that generally have to do with world domination. The protagonist is introduced as an "expert" whose credentials relate to the matter at hand, and who takes the job of hunting down the bad guys. He enlists the aid of an extremely avuncular, wise, benevolent helper. This person provides assistance as the protagonist (with a love interest) finds clues to the murder, attempts to find the bad guys, is pursued by the assassin(s), all while TIME IS RUNNING OUT. The avuncular father figure turns out to be pulling the strings of the assassins, is behind the original killing, and provides a forgettable monologue at the end where he pleas for understanding. But our hero takes him down. The end. I'm sorry if I just ruined all Dan Brown's books for you.

Finally, Mr. Brown likes to write about what he sees as religious conflicts. These conflicts take place between believers and non-. Unfortunately, he proves unable to adequately and convincingly describe these conflicts, because he reveals a striking inability to understand why people believe, in the first place. His highly religious characters therefore invariably turn out to be crazed nutjobs. I don't like stories that exploit religion for entertainment, and then use the attention that they draw to this entertainment to subtly undermine the reasons for faith.

But by all means, read the Da Vinci Code. People say it's smart. Others describe it as a fast-paced thriller with historical and theological implications. It could've been in the hands of another author. ...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Richard Derus rated it liked it · review of another edition

Book Circle Reads 11

Rating: 3 stars of five

The Publisher Says: An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.

While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cr ...more

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Mar 26, 2008 CJ rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: people who are gullible

Shelves: mystery

Caveat Academics!!!
I won't belabor the obvious, as it's been done quite well by other reviewers, but I just couldn't stand not to add my own "hear hear!" to the fray. If you're going to create a character who is an expert, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure you check your facts! Whoever edited this drivel ought to be sewn in a sack with a rabid raccoon and flung into Lake Michigan.

And just as a matter of good taste - your expert should not be an expert in everything under the sun. That's one of the Caveat Academics!!!
I won't belabor the obvious, as it's been done quite well by other reviewers, but I just couldn't stand not to add my own "hear hear!" to the fray. If you're going to create a character who is an expert, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure you check your facts! Whoever edited this drivel ought to be sewn in a sack with a rabid raccoon and flung into Lake Michigan.

And just as a matter of good taste - your expert should not be an expert in everything under the sun. That's one of the hallmarks of poor writing.

Even if I were not a practicing pagan, I would find it stretching credibility that every single item the characters run across is a symbol of goddess worship. Five pointed star? Goddess worship. Chalice? Goddess worship. Porcelain toilet bowl? Goddess worship. Pilot ball point pen? Goddess worship. You get the general idea. Not only is every item part of the mythology of the divine feminine, but every number is also part of the divine feminine. Hello? Is a cigar NEVER just a cigar?

And some of the claims of symbolism are just plain wrong, as the editor would have found out if he'd bothered to do some fact checking. Remember those military chevrons that, because of the way they were pointed, represented the female divine and those poor slobs of soldiers had been running around all these countless centuries with goddess symbols flaunted on their uniforms without knowing it? The only problem with that premise is that the chevrons facing in their current direction is relatively recent - according to my military historian husband, they faced the OPPOSITE direction for quite some time before being reversed (for what reason, I have no idea...unless the generals all got together and decided they didn't have quite enough goddess symbols on their uniforms and needed it fixed post haste).

My theology professor ended up traveling around the country giving talks about this book to thousands of interested people. He loves the book if only because he's now giving pretty much the same information that he used to give to dozing freshman and sophomores to packed theaters of interested listeners. He tells a story about being somewhere in southern Ohio and making a joking remark about the celice being something that all Catholics wore and how now the secret was out, and there was a lady in the back row who elbowed her husband and said "See? I told you so!" The increased interest in history is about the only positive thing that's come out of this book. Honestly, you don't need to make anything up about the Catholic church to point out that it's been the source of some horrible things.

I could go on about the poor research and editing in this book, but others have done a pretty thorough job of finding the problems with it.

If you want a decent page turner, go for it. If you want something well researched and accurate, give this one a big ol' pass.

...more

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Oct 08, 2017 Leo . rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Illuminati and Club of Rome. Is Dan Brown illuminated or enlightened?
He is a good researcher that is for sure.

If you like Dan Brown.

Check out Crooked Gold by Carl Knauf.

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Jul 23, 2011 Michelle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I could not put this down! Im 100% sure this book is going to start a love affair with Dan Brown.

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Jun 18, 2014 Lazaros rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, fiction, thriller, adventure

I am utterly stupefied by this masterpiece and Dan Brown's ability to blur the lines between the real and the fictional, as he did in the first book in the Robert Langdon series. It's a mouthwatering book, always keeping you on the edge, from page one up until the last page I could hear my own heart beating because of the thrill.

I had found the first book extraordinary when I read it three months ago and I'm so glad I finally read it, especially after all those years of reading the controversia I am utterly stupefied by this masterpiece and Dan Brown's ability to blur the lines between the real and the fictional, as he did in the first book in the Robert Langdon series. It's a mouthwatering book, always keeping you on the edge, from page one up until the last page I could hear my own heart beating because of the thrill.

I had found the first book extraordinary when I read it three months ago and I'm so glad I finally read it, especially after all those years of reading the controversial reviews regarding this book, which is so full of cryptic messages and honestly is amazing to see how our two protagonists decipher those messages, ultimately leading to the truth. To my view, this one far exceeded the first book of the series. The formula was almost the same, although now we didn't have the illuminati, it was a sole man, not an entire organization ready to take down an entire city.

I really really love how Brown took real events, real symbols etc and wove them into such an intricate story about a secret that could change everyone's beliefs, change the entire world as we know it.

Take Da Vinci's most famous painting to kick off your story nicely and artistically, add a secret organization protecting a powerful secret, add some lies and deceit and lots of intrigue and yes that's the formula to creating an incredible book. But it takes a masterful author to create an incredible book such as this one.

I won't start talking about the protagonists because I'm never gonna stop babbling about their awesomeness. Langdon just rose on the scale of my list of the most brilliant characters, meanwhile I loved Sophie Neveau as the companion of Robert. They fit amazingly good together, always filling the blanks together and assisting each other when they hit an insurmountable cryptic message which neither thought they could decode.

I am in awe by Brown's amazing mind. The way he writes, all those details of real, existing history and art, all mixed together... He must be a genius, and he must have done one hell of a research before writing this.

If you've read the first book, loved it and you fear that this will fall short of your expectations then be sure that this will be one hell of a ride for you. ...more

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Feb 04, 2019 ✨Bean's Books✨ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Well that was unfortunate. 😕
Robert Langdon is an American professor of Symbology who finds himself suddenly thrust into a dangerous plot involving two separate Church organizations revolving around the Roman Catholic Church. Tensions and steaks both rise as Robert Langdon works hard to not only escape but to find out the truth.
Okay I say that this is unfortunate because I have, very unfortunately, made a grave mistake with this book. That is that I have seen the film first before reading the boo Well that was unfortunate. 😕
Robert Langdon is an American professor of Symbology who finds himself suddenly thrust into a dangerous plot involving two separate Church organizations revolving around the Roman Catholic Church. Tensions and steaks both rise as Robert Langdon works hard to not only escape but to find out the truth.
Okay I say that this is unfortunate because I have, very unfortunately, made a grave mistake with this book. That is that I have seen the film first before reading the book. Let me explain...
Although this book is very well written and obviously extensively researched, I find that because I have already watched the film and there really aren't any surprises for me in all the back stories of things and characters mentioned in the book that it is more daunting to read then it is fascinating as probably was the original intention.
I also feel like having watched the film first and enjoying such a fast-paced story that the book just seems long to read. I know what's coming even with the settle differences between the book and the film and I guess I am wanting more of that fast-paced that I get in the film when unfortunately I don't feel like I'm getting it from the book. Dan Brown writes his chapters to be very short and I believe that he does this in order to add to the thrill and the pace of the book but unfortunately it did not work on me.
I really just think that watching the film first has ruined the book for me which is very very unfortunate because this is obviously a very good book that a lot of people have enjoyed but because the movie is so dear to my heart I feel like the book just doesn't stack up to it. And I have to say it like that because the movie came first for me. The DaVinci Code is one of my all-time favorite films and perhaps that was my first mistake when picking this book up.
So I say as a warning to anyone that has yet to get into the Dan Brown series, please read the books first and then watch the films. Otherwise you may suffer my unfortunate fate as well.
Even with my forlorn position on this book, I would still recommend it to just about everyone. Especially those who like mystery, thriller and espionage books. ...more

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Jan 22, 2020 Tamoghna Biswas rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller-crime

**3.5 stars**

“History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, 'What is history, but a fable agreed upon?”

Dan Brown has written quite a few books over the years, and I know the years are past when he was my favorite author (probably for being amongst the selected handful I had read)…but this one still has a place quite **3.5 stars**

“History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, 'What is history, but a fable agreed upon?”

Dan Brown has written quite a few books over the years, and I know the years are past when he was my favorite author (probably for being amongst the selected handful I had read)…but this one still has a place quite close to my heart. I can’t think of a more definitive reason, except that I had read it in one sitting 😊😊

It’s a bit impossible to remember now how many people had recommended me the book, practically everybody I guess, including my parents, history teacher and classmates. However only after I had it finished, I came to know they all did so mainly after watching the movie… I suppose it was like being a bit crestfallen, anyway back to the novel.

Now, if I think of it, the pattern in which Brown had begun his time-congested tale is one that can be masqueraded with such ease, in fact, I found a few striking similarities in his storytelling with a particular novel by Sidney Sheldon, which of course Dan Brown has had revered to as his inspiration in multiple interviews. I don’t think anyone who has read the popular thrillers of these sub-genre will have any trouble in empathizing the multiple perspective narrative with others…it’s not my intention to spoil the fun but even at this moment right next to me sits a trilogy by a popular Indian author, 2 of which can be easily viewed as ‘inspirations’ of Da Vinci Code.

If you even turn a blind eye to the obviously less significant thriller part and look at the historical significance, undoubtedly that’s the part where the novel does excel. So much so, it managed to create a huge number of fanatics (including myself at the earliest stage) who start picking up every novel or historical work in which this context has been confabulated, if not at least regarded.

I haven’t read all of Robert Langdon novels, to be honest. But from what I have, this one does stand out as my favorite, mostly due to the reason that it worked as an inspiration to get me through books I wouldn’t have otherwise. But I do find the character of the protagonist seriously underutilized; I gave up on him after trying to connect through three of his adventures.

On a note of recommendation, I don’t think anyone who’s reading this review hasn’t done one of the 2: watch or read. But if you’re still out there with neither, you definitely can choose the novel. Be just a bit cautious of the cons., but be absolutely sure of its historical authenticity.

“Every faith in the world is based on fabrication. That is the definition of faith―acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove. Every religion describes God through metaphor, allegory, and exaggeration, from the early Egyptians through modern Sunday school. Metaphors are a way to help our minds process the unprocessible. The problems arise when we begin to believe literally in our own metaphors.

Should we wave a flag and tell the Buddhists that we have proof the Buddha did not come from a lotus blossom? Or that Jesus was not born of a literal virgin birth? Those who truly understand their faiths understand the stories are metaphorical.” ...more

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Oct 24, 2009 Manny marked it as not-to-read · review of another edition

Fellow Goodreaders, I have a confession to make. (Strikes Abe Lincoln pose). No, I haven't actually read it, if that's what you're thinking. But, in a way, it's worse. The fact is, I... er... I... I'm sorry, this is rather difficult for me... I once, ah, I once wrote a letter to a national newspaper supporting Dan Brown's book. And had it published.

OK, I've said it, and now I feel better. (Wipes sweat from forehead). I tried to find the offending item just now on Google, but it looks as though Fellow Goodreaders, I have a confession to make. (Strikes Abe Lincoln pose). No, I haven't actually read it, if that's what you're thinking. But, in a way, it's worse. The fact is, I... er... I... I'm sorry, this is rather difficult for me... I once, ah, I once wrote a letter to a national newspaper supporting Dan Brown's book. And had it published.

OK, I've said it, and now I feel better. (Wipes sweat from forehead). I tried to find the offending item just now on Google, but it looks as though well-meaning people have done their best to hide the evidence. I'd really like to thank them for that. Anyway, if you search on my name and "Da Vinci Code" or "Dan Brown", you'll find pointers to it, though I've so far been unable to retrieve the actual text.

As far as I can recall, the background was roughly as follows. A columnist in the Independent, Christina Patterson, had written an article in which she dismissively attacked The Da Vinci Code, and cited a recent interview with the author. Mr Brown had been asked why he thought his book was a success, and had said something about how he believed that what people liked was books with "puzzles and treasure hunts". Patterson remarked with evident contempt that there were no puzzles and treasure hunts in, if I'm remembering correctly, Shakespeare, Dickens or Tolstoy.

Well... I'm a big fan of due process. I thought Saddam Hussein was a monster who deserved death fifty times over; but I opposed the Iraq War on the grounds that virtually the only bad thing he hadn't done was to harbor secret weapons of mass destruction, which was the ostensible reason for invading his country. My feelings about Dan Brown were similar. So the letter pointed out that Ms. Patterson was just cherry-picking her authors. As far as I was aware, she was quite correct in saying that Shakespeare, Dickens and Tolstoy didn't do puzzles and treasure-hunts; but if she'd wanted to argue the contrary position, she could just as easily have cited Lewis Carroll, James Joyce and Vladimir Nabokov. The real problem with Dan Brown was not the subject matter, but the quality of the writing.

Sigh. I thought I'd better come clean. I'd rather that you hear it from me directly than, you know, just stumble over it by accident when you're following a random link. Maybe, some day, you'll be able to forgive me. And while we're talking about Dan Brown and random links, check this out. It's much funnier than my so-called review.
...more

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Jun 22, 2017 Jonathan Ashleigh rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: recent

I thought I was going to hate this when I picked it up. I thought there was no way I was going to fall into the hysteria that happened years ago when this book came out. I didn’t exactly find myself in a frenzy but quickly found myself fifty pages in and interested in a hurry. It reads fast, with short chapters and a thriller pace. Maybe I should read more thrillers but I doubt they will fill the same urge. I enjoyed this book thoroughly but, in the end, I don’t know exactly what I came away wit ...more

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About Dan Brown

Dan Brown

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Dan Brown is the author of numerous #1 bestselling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, which has become one of the best selling novels of all time as well as the subject of intellectual debate among readers and scholars. Brown’s novels are published in 52 languages around the world with 200 million copies in print.

In 2005, Brown was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIM ...more

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Quotes from The Da Vinci Code

“Men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire.” — 2562 likes

“History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, 'What is history, but a fable agreed upon?” — 1281 likes

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