What readers think of The Da Vinci Code, plus links to write your own review.

Intrigue, conspiracy and murder are the essential elements of a good mystery and Dan Brown has all of these in his Da Vinci Code thriller. The plot moves at a good pace until about two thirds into the novel. Then it seems to get mired down in detail and explanations that contribute little to the story but set up the reader for what Mr. Brown is going to finally reveal. I don't know how Opus Dei is going to view this book but I would imagine that his references to the organization are specific to a small minority. Some of the deciphering in the early chapters is a masterfull stretch of the cryptanalyst's imagination. Even so, given that this was the fire that lights the flame, Brown follows the fire to a conflagration. In summary, I could never determine whether his sleuths were intelligent, or just plain lucky. All in all, though, a good read.

I just finished reading the 'Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown and I'm going to disagree with those who found the novel an insignificant, trivial read without merit. If you're not into art history or figurative & literal symbolism in literature then this is not the book for you. This novel is full of symbols and subliminal messages that invite the reader to take a closer look at the works of one of our most famous & influential artists in history, Leonardo Da Vinci, and that's the central focal point of this story. Before you read this novel, did you ever examine Da Vinci's works closely and wonder why he painted the things he did? What society he was living in back then and the moral fiber they followed? During his time, the Catholic church was the most powerful organization in Europe and if you know anything about European history you know that it was also corrupt and archaic in its methods to force non-Christians to convert to Catholicism. Christians has had a history of subjugating non-Christians to their will. People back then could not openly resist the Church or face dire consequences. Da Vinci was a man ahead of his time not only in terms of art but also in science & engineering. It would not be inconceivable to think that he might have his own ideas & questions about the Church but smart enough to keep his ideas subtle & puzzling. Dan Brown's focus on Da Vinci's paintings & the subliminal messages in them was ingenious and unforgettable. That's the most exciting part about this novel. The religious conclusions made about the Church & the line of Christ is debatable and always will be as long as this subject keeps coming up in books, movies, & threater. There is a paragraph or two in 'The Da Vinci Code' conveying the true meaning of history and man's involvement with it. Those who dominate & win can write history as they see fit. Those who lose will cease to exist in history. Don't get me wrong, I was raised Catholic but I also have my own questions and ideas about the history of Christianity. We can criticize Dan Brown's ideas about Christian history & research forever but the fact of the matter is do you believe the history you know as an undeniable truth or do you question it. Is history all black & white or are there shades of gray that need to be examined further? Critics can find fault with Dan Brown's research & conclusions but you have to respect the guy for having the guts to question history & going further than most people to explore those shades of gray.

This is a brilliant book that is great because it makes people think and examine more closely what they believe. The only thing is that this book is missing a couple key ideas. First if the priory indeed worship mary magdelene and she is seen by so many through history as being "saintly" for carying on the bloodline, why are these people not also worshiping Jesus the "provider of the seed"? If she is indeed so important shouldn't the man who chose her and impregnated her recieve some admiration from these groups? NO, he just seems pushed to the side.
And most improtantly, and what classifies this book as fiction, is that no mention is made to Jesus' true purpose on earth; to die for our sins. Something he did do and his cruxifiction and rising from the dead is his proof that he was the son of God, FULLY MAN and FULLY GOD. His resurection, also recorded, recieves no mention is this book. So whether Jesus is married or not and even father or not is not relevent, he died and rose that we might live forever. That was his purpose and without that there would be no reason for any of the early believers to start the church. Even if he was just a man to them he would be recieved as a failure for not doing what he constantly promised and no one would want to spread the name of a failure even if he was a "great man". There were plently of great men in those days if they were looking for the "flavour of the week" to worship.
So not only did Jesus die and rise again he made an impact after his death, not appearing to a handful of people but to over 500 over a month period. For those who see this as troubling it's interesting how the starters of the early church were willing to die for something if their lives had not been changed forever. No one dies for a lie, it's just not worth it.

I am a 17 year old high school student. My tastes usually run towards sci-fi/fanasty, but this book was excellent in terms of pace, story, etc, and I can honestly say it's my new favorite book. After reading the book, I examined many of Da Vinci's paintings and found all of the details matching Brown's descriptions exactly. As a confirmed history buff, I found the wealth of details fasinating, and I want to travel to many of the places Brown mentioned to see all of the symbols he talks about.
I am not a Christian, I am a follower of the Old Ways, and I know that this exposure on the Goddess and the God will help bring understanding to a way of life that has been demonized for the past 2,000 years. While I think Brown may have spent a bit too much ink on the Goddess by herself, instead of the duality of the God/Godess, She has been too long ignored and deserves the extra attention. I do not believe Brown is trying to destroy the Bible, I think he is pointing out that the Bible was written by MORTAL MEN, who natrually added their own perspective. This bias may not have been totally consious, as any writer is unable to totally be unbiased. Upbringing, philosphy, etc, all contribute to a writer's perspective. I also don't think Brown is trying to set Goddess worship as the one true religion. All religions have an equal voice. No, not all of Brown's facts are totally suportable. This is, after all, an amazing work of fiction. However, his grasp of pagan symbology was nearly dead on. While he only chose to discuss a portion of the many symbols of the pentacle, ignoring the natural conatations and focusing on the more estoric connantations, he was still correct. Those with an open mind and an intrest in hearing a new perspective on history will love this book, and I totally recommend reading it.

I had to use a large piece of lined paper as a bookmark. I made a list of all of the words and phrases I did not know and looked up in dictionary or internet.
It was a book requiring a lot of concentration. It did hold my interest throughout, however I felt let down by the ending. The point of view is just as plausible as any other. Since I am an agnostic, I did delight in most of the contradictions with existing Christian belief.

I liked the book purely as a story-teller's story. It matters not whether the history in it is purely accurate. After all, it is on the fiction shelves! It reminded me on a smaller scale of Umberto Eco's Foucoult's Pendulum. As for the outrage of those of the Church, everyone knows that every organization has it's deep secrets and scandulous goings-on. All the author does is use real things in the world to propel his story; the Jesus/Magda-lene thing is pure poetic license, and has been speculated on for centuries. Lighten up, have a good read, and go back to Mass on Sunday!

Better than average, but not great.
I have to admit that I'm a sucker for puzzles. Present me with one of those logic problems ("John lives in the blue house. The owner of the lamborgini lives next the guy with the iguana..") and I'll stay out of trouble for a long time.
That's over half the fun in this book. Of course a well-educated reader can figure out the clues several pages ahead of the protagonists; I spent the last third of the novel wanting to scream at the hero "Wake up, you dummy! The answer to the second riddle is freaking *obvious*! Does it have to hit you on the head?" Also, the name of one of the main characters is an absolute plot-spoiler for anyone with an elementary knowlege of European theology.
It reminds me a lot of Catherine Neville's novel *The Eight* - another cliff-hanger that takes the reader through a romp with history and cryptology. If you want a serious book on these themes, check out Neal Stephenson's *Cryptonomicon*.
Cardboard characters? Sure, but so is the guy with the iguana.
I thought *The Da Vinci Code* was delicious brain candy.
I thought this

Upon starting this book I believe that the story engulfs you from the very first chapter. The unusual short chapter length keeping you in a constant rush. If the chapters were long someone might lose the feel of the chase and be convinced that the police went off on a coffee break. Character development was fine. I suppose Robert Langdon's character didn't need anymore development since he was from the previous book Angles and Demons and Sophie's story is meant to be developed as the story goes on. What kind of set me off though were the repetitive stand offs; though I did enjoy the final deception played on Teabing. I also noticed that many of the tricks and puzzles where incredibly simple. Far too simple for the expertise accounted for. I'm sure that the writer of this book could have made everything vaguely complicated but then it wouldn't definitely shorten the reader base. If there were some things I could change in this book I would say it would have to be some of the character positions. I wish that Aringarosa had played a bigger part and that Silas wasn't so stupid. Maybe if he had a few more skills instead that of a thug. It would have made him a little bit more of an enjoyable character to hate. All you feel at the end for him is pity. This book was definitely a great read despite it shortcommings. I'm off as well to read Angles and Demons.

Media.Misfit
http://www.suicideminds.com

P.S. I also found the online game extremely fun.