Ok, I'm sure there was already a thread aobut this already. But i just finished the book last night and I'm so pumped! Did anyone else completely fall in love with this book or am I crazy? The amount of detail amazed me. I heard that a lot of it was true? It only took me two days to read it. I just couldn't put it down!
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Lots of other people liked the book. It was on top of the bestseller lists for months. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean it was well-written OR contained much, if anything, that was actually true.
I'm sorry, but you -- like many Americans -- like crap.
Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
I actually thought it was very poorly written. It reminded me of Eragon...a somewhat interesting read, but it felt like it was written by a novice.
Of course, that might be becuase I have read Robert Ludlum who is a master in the genre. His Matarese books are amazing. When compared to him, anyone looks like a novice.
I also found the fact that he thought his book was true to be a bit annoying. It destracted from the story...sort of like the Movie King Arthur. King Arthur could have been a great movie, if they had not had to little disclaimer at the start saying that it was the "true" story of Arthur.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
The subject matter and the theories were interesting. Unfortunately everything else was sadly lacking.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
Eragon was written by a 15 year old, wasn't it?
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
I think he was 15 when he wrote it, 19 when it was published by Random House. I'm actually rather eagerly looking forward to the next book.
Goody
Posted by kaioshin00 (Member # 3740) on :
I liked the Da Vinci Code ... I like it's idea of questioning things that you think are true. It wasn't the best written, but it did have it's moments of mystery and plot change.
I enjoyed Angels and Demons more, though - the prequel to the story. If all, or most, of the information is correct, then I'm glad Dan Brown shared his knowledge of art with his readers.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
And if it's not?
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
I read Angels and Demons a month ago. It was interesting. I didn't like the ending, though.
Posted by Eduardo_Sauron (Member # 5827) on :
I'm reading the last 20 pages of "The Da Vinci Code". After I finish I tell you what I thought.
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
I liked it because I thought it was fun to guess what happens next, but it's also the first real mystery I've read (unless you count Boxcar children) so I cant't judge fairly.
quote: I'm sorry, but you -- like many Americans -- like crap.
And you -- like many Americans -- are spoiled in your taste and will only accept the best .
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
*laugh* Leaving aside the question of whether my reading habits really are restricted to "the best," I'm just glad to live in a world with so many books that I'm not forced to read the bad ones just to find something to do with my eyes.
Posted by kyrie (Member # 6415) on :
de vice code was deffinitly his best work. there was a reason the rest did not make it to the best seller list! But i still enjoyed reading them.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Kyrie, the rest of Dan Brown's books DID make it to the bestseller list (TNYT list anyway), just in paperback.
I also liked Angels & Demons better.
The thing that bothered me most about The Da Vinci Code is the hype. It's just a book. Yes, I found that it brought up interesting questions, but please remember that on the cover, on the VERY COVER it says "A Novel".
It's not the worst mystery/thriller I have ever read, but it's probably the worst mystery/thriller I ever forced myself to finish.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
Just from the hype I got the impression that the Da Vinci Code was mainly a book aimed at disrespecting as many Christian beliefs in as short a time as possible. Even though I'm not Christian anymore, that really bugged me. Granted, I haven't read it, but that's why I'm not going to.
Sometimes bad books can be really fun, it's just silly to read books that are bad and aren't any fun.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
I didn't mind the plot, but the ending was just plain bad. There were so many other places it could have gone, but instead it went trite.
AJ
Posted by Book (Member # 5500) on :
You know what struck me as garbage? The Bourne trilogy. I found myself a large fan of the gritty spy movie series, but the books (especially the second and third) were nonsensical and ridiculous.
The Da Vinci code... well, I never read the whole thing. I skipped two out of three lines, and never felt I was missing much. I missed most of the book, in retrospect.
Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
Book- I agree completely about the Bourne Trilogy- I enjoyed the first one, I tolerated the second one but I couldn't bring myself to finish the third one- I knew what was going to happen and exactly how it would end.
As for the DaVinci Code- neat ideas-- I thought it was even cooler since I was reading it this summer while traveling in Paris. It was a nice no-brainer for my summer break.
I have to agree with the majority- Angels and Demons is better, but I read The Digital Fortress and found it to be almost predictable. I disliked that greatly.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I liked the first one a lot, and a lot of his research was well founded in that one. But he takes the story into dangerous ground, and that is what is not cool...many readers view the whole book as a "TRUTH" (notice the caps... ), to be swallowed whole.
The Illuminati DID exist, and started much as he described it, but that doesn't mean that he really knows what is in the Pope's closet, or the whole layout of Vatican City is completely correct. It's just a book, folks...
Now back to your regularly scheduled mis-information....
Kwea
[ September 06, 2004, 11:48 PM: Message edited by: Kwea ]
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
quote: Just from the hype I got the impression that the Da Vinci Code was mainly a book aimed at disrespecting as many Christian beliefs in as short a time as possible.
Actually, much of the book is an exploration of Christian theosophy/gnosticism. After reading the book, I felt like he was very positive towards Christianity and Christians in general.
Posted by Jill (Member # 3376) on :
I actually liked Da Vinci Code better than Angels and Demons, which I couldn't force myself to finish. And no, most of the facts in Angels and Demons are not true. I vaguely remember him saying that the Church stole the ritual of Holy Communion from the Aztecs, when Europe didn't have contact with South America until centuries after they ritual began (around 300 A.D.).
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
I finished it today, and boy was this a stinker. It read like a poorly adapted movie script. It doesn't matter whether the events were true, none of the characters were beautiful or compelling.
National Treasure worked for me not because of the puzzles or the treasure, but because of the considered responsibility Gates understood. His understanding of the world is what made that movie, and seperated him from all of the other treasure seekers. Everyone else, including Robert Langdron and Indiana Jones, just have a fetish for old things. It's shallow. Sure, even if they devote their whole life to it, it doesn't inform who they are as people.
Gates took seriously his responsibility and put everything at stake, not just life, but his being.
[ December 28, 2004, 09:55 AM: Message edited by: Irami Osei-Frimpong ]
Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
I've read Angels and Demons, I loved it, did my research found that a lot of it is true. But, other things are bogus. It's true the ambigrams are not made from the real illuminati... they were made by this guy, www.johnlangdon.net Fun to see them though! I have fun at school flipping the book at people, they just stare and take the book to do that for... I dunno fifteen minutes, utterly bewildered.
In the end, I loved the ending, it was actually predictable to me. I just... really liked the book.
I got Da Vinci Code for christmas, we'll just see how I enjoy it now won't we?
***********************************************
In the end with Dan Brown, what I find with his writing is not to take it as historical truth, but just... enjoy it. Turn off your brain saying 'this reads poorly!' 'Look at how short the chapters are! He can't keep a concept for longer!?' 'Bah, what bad writing!' To me, I just... enjoy the stuff he pumps out. I believe it's best described as... it's not going to be your smart person book, reading it doesn't show you're smart. It's just a fun book to read.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
It's not that. It's that his style reads more like Dan Brown just read this great book called "The DaVinci Code" and he's telling you about it. Gets on my nerves something fierce.
However, I do recommend "The Dick Cheney Code," a parody written by former Lampooner Henry Beard that nails the style perfectly.
""You can come right down, or we can come up," said Fine in a tone that Franklin remembered from the drill sergeants in his basic training unit at Fort Dix, where for some unknown reason he had been selected to receive special training in Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Warfare. Strange that he would recall that odd fact at this particular moment, but then he did hold a degree in Explanatory Dialogue and Story Advancement from UCLA."
Posted by jehovoid (Member # 2014) on :
That's hilarious. I might have to pick that up. I enjoyed the books when I read them. If you don't take them too seriously they're just harmless fun.
Posted by Megachirops (Member # 4325) on :
Now if you want to read *really* crap books that are designed *purely* to be made into ultra crap b-grade action movies then try some Matthew Rielly. "Area 7" was so horrifically bad that I only kept reading it out of morbid fascination....
Posted by Traveler (Member # 3615) on :
I enjoyed The DaVinci Code mostly because I sometimes like books where I can turn off most of my brain and just go along for the ride. This book was great for that. I also have some strange fascination with books that feature conspiracy theory involving things like the Knights Templar, etc. I just love that stuff for some reason.
I really enjoyed the Illustrated version of this book that has recently been released. It shows all the artwork and places mentioned during the story with very nice photos. It adds a new level to the story to be able to see the clues/riddles that drive the characters along the path.
I agree that the characters are not all that fleshed out or interesting and the action forced at times, but the story IS interesting and the ideas behind the book are very compelling.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
quote: If all, or most, of the information is correct, then I'm glad Dan Brown shared his knowledge of art with his readers.
Well, then, apparently you haven't read all the articles by true Art Historians who say that everything he says in that book is a load of crap, and they were appalled by it...
Overall, I also thought it was very poorly written when reading it and recognizing it as pure fiction.
(but, I've already said all this in a previous thread on the topic)
FG
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I was given a copy of Digital Fortress for my birthday, and was somewhat less than impressed with it. Based on that book I've decided to give the rest of Dan Brown's work a miss.
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
It's interesting that so many people have said they thought Angels and Demons was a better book. I read that one, and while I thought it was an interesting read, I wasn't impressed with Dan Brown as an author at all. I'll still probably read DaVinci Code someday just to see what all the fuss is about, but after reading A&D, I'm not in any hurry.
Posted by David Bowles (Member # 1021) on :
Couple of things: first, the Spanish translation of Brown's book really improves his compositional style, ironically, since most American authors' voices are muddled by translation; second, for a really *good* novel in a similar but much more literate vein, try The Dante Club (which I'm in the middle of reading).
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
"I enjoyed The DaVinci Code mostly because I sometimes like books where I can turn off most of my brain and just go along for the ride."
While I also enjoy some books that don't necessary engage my brain or bump it to a higher gear, my brain nevertheless idles too high to get any traction from Dan Brown. He's like the literary equivalent of an oil slick.
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
I really don't see what's so bad about them. I just finished Angels & Demons and it was a cool book. And not because I just "turned my brain off and went along for the ride". I can't really defend the books because I have no idea why I liked them, I just thought it was cool and entertaining. What's so bad about them?
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
"What's so bad about them?"
1) They're insanely pretentious, especially since they pretend to be "researched." 2) They're poorly and generically plotted. 3) They're written at a fourth-grade reading level with occasional flashes of clumsy ambition. 4) They consist mainly of stock -- and often ridiculous -- "action" scenes interspersed with long, thuddingly dull exposition.
Basically, they're the "Left Behind" books all over again. *shudder*
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
Then why was it so popular? There must be something about it that draws Americans in.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
"Then why was it so popular?"
I believe there is ample evidence out there to support the assertion that the American public, in its tastes and habits, is not necessarily discriminating.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I liked the books for fun reading. I read Angels and Demons in the hospital. I found that it could have ended about two hundred or so pages sooner than it did.
Actualy, I prefer Catherine Neville's books, The Eight and The Magic Circle, as the history-mystery-adventure. I think they are better, yet they never got much recognition at all.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
The idea that by reading it they are getting admitted into some special "club" of people with esoteric knowledge.
Without the controversy it would have been a poorly written book that languished on the shelves.
I read it, and wasn't impressed either by the claims he made about things that were "historically true" or by his writing. But, hey, it cost me nothing to borrow it from the library and read it, and now when I call it trash I'm not being a hypocrite that denounces something she hasn't even read. I read it, and it's crap. Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
They are enjoyable and fun.
That's not a bad thing.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
quote:I believe there is ample evidence out there to support the assertion that the American public, in its tastes and habits, is not necessarily discriminating.
Witness Sandra Lee.
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
I point to Michael Jackson, myself.
Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
To me, it's just a book, it's not a life changing course in book form. It's just something fun, I'll agree with the points made on why someone would see it as bad, but just read them for fun. If you don't read for just enjoyment... why bother reading a book on your free time? If you don't enjoy the books, meh oh well.
I'm not going to be one to judge on the author's work, I know I couldn't produce something like that, even if it is seen as... bad.
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
Actually, the two people that really leave me scratching my head lately are Tony Danza and Clay Aiken. Really, whose idea was it to give Tony Danza his own show? Is there anyone who can stand his voice for more than three seconds without changing the channel? Enquiring minds want to know. And Clay Aiken? I'm not musical genius or anything, but he sounds completely mediocre to me. I don't get it.
Posted by Alucard... (Member # 4924) on :
And in related news, Wal-Mart ousted General Electric as the largest corporation in the world...
But I will defend, with force if necessary, my American right to have crappy taste. And, therefore, I liked Dan Brown's efforts.
Somedays I might want the best caviar on a board of Manichewich bread, others, I want a longhorn with creme filling from the bakery at the local grocery store.
I am so confused.
But LD, I for one am happy that you were excited about the book. Good reading!
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
Well, Tony Danza is really cute . . .
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
The best part of The Da Vinci Code for me was the fact that most of the rest of my office-mates read it so we could talk about something besidesSurvivor Posted by Trisha the Severe Hottie (Member # 6000) on :
I haven't read it. But I'm less committed to not reading it than, say, Harry Potter. Like if I were trapped in a dentist's waiting room for all eternity and the only two items of reading material were the Da Vinci Code and Harry Potter, I'd read the Da Vinci Code. I wound up reading my first Grisham novel through some similar circumstance.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
KarlEd! So good to see you! I've missed you lately.
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
What's your objection to Harry Potter? Just curious. If you've answered it elsewhere, let me know. If you feel like it. No pressure.
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
), to be swallowed whole.![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
I don't get it.