dan brown - absolutely amazing

[dMores]

reading tip for anyone who's into crime/mystery:
you should read dan brown.
i started with "angels and demons", then moved to "the davinci code".
they're some of the most gripping, entertaining books i've ever read.

i just started "deception point", which is somewhat of a let-down since it cannot keep up with his previous works.

more info at www.danbrown.com

[Paula]

reading tip for anyone who's into crime/mystery:
you should read dan brown.
i started with "angels and demons", then moved to "the davinci code".
they're some of the most gripping, entertaining books i've ever read.

i just started "deception point", which is somewhat of a let-down since it cannot keep up with his previous works.

more info at www.danbrown.com


I totally agree about Dan Brown.

FYI--- Deception Point is one of Dan Brown's previous works along with Digital Fortess. The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons are his two latest works of brilliance.

Paula

[dMores]

right, with "previous" i mean "previous i've read" :)

i believe the chronographic order is

digital fortress (1998)
angels & demons (2000)
deception point (2001)
the davinci code (2003)

[Paula]

You are right. I had the dates of the 2 middle books reversed.
I have been reading reviews of Deception Point and Digital Fortress and people agree with you, they are not impressed. I just finished Angels and Demons a few days ago and was going to start reading Digital Fortress, but now I am having second thoughts.

It is just too bad that DB's new book won't be out until the summer of 2005.

[dMores]

digital fortress was very interesting, though. i wonder why people didn't like it. it wasn't long-winded, the action all the way through, and really immersive.

but after angels and demons, you should get the davinci code. it's part 2 of the beckett "series", and it's a nice feeling to read about someone you already know.

[The Yaz]

I'm just finishing up Angels & Demons, and its been a great read.

I don't know how many on this site know of www.fictionwise.com , but for Dan Brown and other authors, this site is quite useful. They have micropay rebates that you accumulate when you purchase from them.

I actually picked up this book with my micropay balance, so it really works.

Steve 8)

[sjo]

My ranking:

Angels&Demons
Digital Fortress
The Da Vinci Code (worth reading and very engrossing, but i did not think the plot held together well)
Deception Point (a distant 4th)

If you are interested in some of the surprising "historical" statements "revealed" in Davinci Code check out:

http://www.crisismagazine.com/september2003/feature1.htm

[jazzrome]

I am assumiing you read these as e books if so where did you find them. I have read them all in hard bound and I will agree he is a great writer. I am looking foward to his next book his next book.

[ignar]

I read Digital Fortress a month ago, and I didn't like it at all. I heard great things about Da Vinci Code, but after Digital Fortress, I'm not sure I will try Dan Brown again. :|

[dMores]

digital fortress wasn't one of his better works, although i liked it since i could sort of identify with the computer topics.

"davinci code" and "angels and demons" are about secret societies, religion, so i think it's a completely different experience reading them. but i couldn't say which one i liked better.

[disconnected]

My husband read all of them and especially liked the davinci code. He's now reading The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, which he says is kind of similar and also very good. There was a big article about it in today's USA Today.

[PR.]

My husband read all of them and especially liked the davinci code. He's now reading The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, which he says is kind of similar and also very good. There was a big article about it in today's USA Today.

I'm doing the same.

Angels & Demons and Da Vinci Code where good reads, I did buy the Da Vinci Code Fact or Fiction but it was more religious propoganda than actually giving what was true and what wasn't (e.g. "The question that Jesus might have been a normal man is obviously fake because in the bible it says he was resurected!") I wanted something a bit more factual

[winsquared35]

I am assumiing you read these as e books if so where did you find them. I have read them all in hard bound and I will agree he is a great writer. I am looking foward to his next book his next book.
I found Dan Brown's books at eReader.com. I read the DaVinci Code first, and liked it so much I bought ANgels and Demons. eReader has really good prices for these books. I'm now reading the "DaVinci Code -Fact or Fiction". It is interesting that a work of fiction could provoke the need for the defense of the Church and the Bible, and this book has itself become a best-seller! I enjoy reading from both sides.
Some people want to stay with paper book. I'm really hooked on ebooks on the PPC. Great to read in bed, with lights on or off.

[dMores]

same here. i'm hooked on ebooks.

unfortunately, since my main device is still the sonyericsson p900 and i'm using a program called "handy book", i cannot purchase books from the largest ebookstore available, ereader.com.

so for books that are only available on that platform, i have to resort to other means.

i hope "handy book" will soon be updated to work with ereader format, so i can ease my conscience.

angels&demons / davinci code are controversial, since they take a number of facts and build fiction around them. i think religion doesn't like that, since it basically accounts to "lying", wheras when a story is based on pure fiction, it's just the writer's immagination being brought to paper.

i was left a little confused since i didn't know where facts ended and fiction began. but i like stories, not factbooks so i didn't bother to read the "davinci - facts and fiction" book mentioned and moved right along to sidney sheldon :)

[wing]

I've been describing his books as "Action books for intellectuals," since they are all fast paced books that centre on brains moreso than brawn.

Does anyone know if his work is any comparisson to
The Eternity Code
by Eoin Colder (I think)
People are saying that this series is as exciting and captivating as the Harry Potter books.

[mrkablooey]

i'm trying to setup my time for more opportunities to read, and i've been eyeing davinci code for a while. i'll probably borrow it from the library but as a gadget freak, the ebook option intrigues me. for a book the size of the davinci code, is it easy to read in ebook format? the screen on my 2215 is smaller than a paperback book, at 31, will it make me go blind? :?

[The Yaz]

Wing,

The Eternity Code is the third book in the Artemis Fowl series. They are short reads but the stories are engrossing. If you liked Harry Potter, you'll like it as well.

MrKablooey,

I've read the Lord of the Rings series in ebook form. Don't worry about your eyes as you can change the font size to a large enough size to easily read any book. The only thing you have to get used to is the idea that a 300 paper-page book equates to 4,400 e-pages on your small screen.

Hope your PocketPC has a scroll wheel.

Steve 8)

[Jorgen]

will it make me go blind?

No, I for one (nearly) only read ebooks [apart from the many technical books I have on paper] and have done so for years on Psion, hp-200lx, Palm and PPC PDAs not to mention computers.

But try for yourself free of charge. Go to www.blackmask.com and choose a book (fiction, history or whatever fancies you) and download one in the format(s) you prefer.

If you insist on something more modern go here http://www.sakoman.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=other and http://www.baen.com/library/ for some free contemporary ebooks. Also sign up with www.fictionwise.com and get their free ebooks.

Jorgen

[mrkablooey]

MrKablooey,

I've read the Lord of the Rings series in ebook form. Don't worry about your eyes as you can change the font size to a large enough size to easily read any book. The only thing you have to get used to is the idea that a 300 paper-page book equates to 4,400 e-pages on your small screen.

Hope your PocketPC has a scroll wheel.

Nope (2215) but it does have a d-pad. The X30 I've been eyeing (and waiting for new coupons and offers to surface) does though! :wink:

Jorgen: Thanks for the links :)

[ignar]

Nope (2215) but it does have a d-pad. The X30 I've been eyeing (and waiting for new coupons and offers to surface) does though! :wink:


2215 is not a great PDA as an ebook reader because of its unreliable d-pad. The D-pad is too sensitive and often erratic. It might be great for gaming, but not so for ebook reading. In fact D-pad was one of the reasons I chose to upgrade to 4150 from 2215. 4150, on the other hand, is not ideal for reading either due to its yellow tint screen and the lack of a jog dial. For heavy ebook reader, I think Dell X30 or Sony Clie could be a better choice.
Another option to "read" the book is using Audible. Many of Dan Brown's books are available in audible format.

[Jorgen]

My 1910 dos not have a scroll wheel or dpad, so I have programmed the record button to perform a pagedown. Not a good as a scrollwheel, but ...

Jorgen

[ironguy]

I use ubook for my ebook reading. I've assigned 'page down' to the buttons on either side of the d-pad. Thatw ay I can scroll a page reagardless of which hand is holding my 2215. The button settings are aprt of ubook so I don't lose functionality when not using it.

I've read about a hundred or so ebooks over the last few years. I'm quite a bit over 31 and not blind yet.

[Jorgen]

Apropos the DaVinci code: According to BoingBoing: apparently there is another book on the same subject called "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" ( http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0440136482/102-3639931-0766521?v=glance ).
The authors are now suing Dan Brown as they accuse him of stealing their research. Brown has made a reference to this book, see the reference toWikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Blood,_Holy_Grail - you may also be interested in some of the other references on that page.

http://www.boingboing.net/2004/12/20/da_vinci_legal_code.html

So, has anyone read "the other book"?

Jorgen

[drop]

The accusation might not be totally unfounded.

Years ago I had watched a documentary about this subject. Not being a religious person, I found that amusing but not earth shuddering. Unfortunately I couldn't remember the name of the documentary. But because of that I guessed the big secret in "Da Vinci Code" pretty quickly. And it became quite painful to finish the book. I don't think much of Dan Brown's writing skills.

Anyone notice the similarities between the two Robert Langdon books? The professor was awoken in the middle of the night and was given a dead person's photo/fax. Then he was taken to a un-named but easily recognizable place once he got there. Met a female family member of the victim. Went off together to solve the big mystery. Right.

I bought "Angels & Demons" as an ebook back in my Handspring Platinum day, i.e. long time ago :D. I like "Angels & Demons" much better for its story. At least I didn't watch a documentary on religious architecture before I read the book.

[Jorgen]

I don't think much of Dan Brown's writing skills

Yes, his writing skills are not good - I have a couple of his books but have never finished any of them.

However, his subjects are interesting (read the links at wikipdia - fascinating!) and I think I may have a go at Holy Blood, Holy Grail - however the title is awful which makes me wonder about the book. Anyway, the Wikipedia links have given me enough pseudo-history for the rest of the year. :)

Jorgen

[ChristopherTD]

I started the Da Vinci code and didn't finish it. Once the action reached London it became simply too wildly unreal (even on simple factual matters) and I found it impossible to suspend disbelief!

An amusing aside on the book can be found at http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/blog.php?article=570

I have read a few books by Jeffrey Deaver and liked them, both heroes and villians are usually quite smart and behave in believable ways (even when they do silly things).

[Jorgen]

Yes, Deaver writes good books! The Bone Colector and the Coffin Dancer springs to mind

Jorgen

[drop]

Yes, Jeffery Deaver is not bad.

I like "The Blue Nowhere" (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671042262/qid=1103637463/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/102-3102030-8250501?v=glance&s=books&n=507846). This one is about hackers, excuse me, crackers. Deaver actually managed to describe technology in such a way that most people could follow and not allowing it to interfere with the story line.

I think I seek out firewall software like ZoneAlarm for the first time upon finishing the book :oops:.

[dMores]

yes, it's amazing how acurately deaver describes "the blue nowhere" (=cyberspace) but keeps up the action and suspence so that even non-geeks are able to appreciate it.
definately a great book !!

[szamot]

same here. i'm hooked on ebooks.

unfortunately, since my main device is still the sonyericsson p900 and i'm using a program called "handy book", i cannot purchase books from the largest ebookstore available, ereader.com.

so for books that are only available on that platform, i have to resort to other means.

i hope "handy book" will soon be updated to work with ereader format, so i can ease my conscience.

angels&demons / davinci code are controversial, since they take a number of facts and build fiction around them. i think religion doesn't like that, since it basically accounts to "lying", wheras when a story is based on pure fiction, it's just the writer's immagination being brought to paper.

i was left a little confused since i didn't know where facts ended and fiction began. but i like stories, not factbooks so i didn't bother to read the "davinci - facts and fiction" book mentioned and moved right along to sidney sheldon :)

may I sugesst Holy Blood Holy Grail, anything by Elaine Pagels, and anything about Gnostic Gospels should help you separate fact from fiction.

[szamot]

Apropos the DaVinci code: According to BoingBoing: apparently there is another book on the same subject called "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" ( http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0440136482/102-3639931-0766521?v=glance ).
The authors are now suing Dan Brown as they accuse him of stealing their research. Brown has made a reference to this book, see the reference toWikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Blood,_Holy_Grail - you may also be interested in some of the other references on that page.

http://www.boingboing.net/2004/12/20/da_vinci_legal_code.html

So, has anyone read "the other book"?

Jorgen

if by other book you mean Holy Blood Holy Grail then yes I have, it is one of the best researched books, I think it was 10 years the 3 authors spend researching it. Same goes for Elaine Pagels all of her books are amazingly well research. She is preeminent figure in the theological community whose impressive scholarship has earned her international respect. She writes amazing stuff, amazingly well.

To simply read Da Vinci Code and dismiss it as all fiction is no more ignorant, than by saying that all PC’s are useless because they are beige?!

[Jorgen]

To simply read Da Vinci Code and dismiss it as all fiction is no more ignorant, than by saying that all PC’s are useless because they are beige?!

I wouldn't know about that. My latest PC is black.

Nothing wrong on it being pure fiction even if that had been the case.

The references plus a couple of searches in Google, gave some very interesting reading!

Jorgen

[Kevin Remhof]

I read Digital Fortress a month ago, and I didn't like it at all. I heard great things about Da Vinci Code, but after Digital Fortress, I'm not sure I will try Dan Brown again. :|

Sorry to hear that. I really liked Digital Fortress. Angels & Demons and DaVinci Code were better but Digital Fortress was a nice diversion after those two. It's pretty light but has some fun stuff in it. The main character reminds me of a woman I went to college with. That made it that much more entertaining.

[dMores]

yep. i agree.

while digital fortress was good, in my opinion, it was lame compared to davinci code and angels & demons.

my girlfriend read them all, and she didn't like digital fortress at all, but she loved davinci and angels.

so i wouldn't advise you to judge dan brown only by his first novel.
(it came out in 1998, then came angels & demons, then deception point, then davinci code.)
deception point was also very different, and for me the worst of dan brown's works.

[Phillip Dyson]

I read Da Vinci Code and have to say that I was very dissappointed. It seemed to start our very interesting, but by the time it got going it lost it all for me.

I found Langdon clueless. Which was only aggravated by the fact that I found out that he was in a previous book. If he already experienced something like this before (riddles with riddles) then why did he seem like a dear caught in the headlights.

Most of the riddles were not very thought provoking. I simply didn't have the history background to solve them. However, I figured out the final riddle as soon as I read it. I won't spoil it for anyone.

I liked that fact that it all happened in one night, but Dan kept messing up with stuff like having Langdon and the woman make eyes at each other. If this was taking place over say a week, then I could see time for that. But not a single night.

Also, by the time we got to the end, I just didn't care about what they were painting as the truth of the holy grail. Although I must admit that I'm not a total stranger to that particular "conspiracy".

The one aspect that I came away liking was the relationship between the Bishop and the albino that was chasing them. I found the tragedy very touching.

[Copter]

deception point was also very different, and for me the worst of dan brown's works.

I think it all depends on the order that you read his books. I read Angels, Deception Point, and then DaVinci. And my appreciation of each book reduced each time. Angels was action packed and interesting but got a bit ridiculous. Deception Point was cool but it just lacked the muster of Angel's Secret Societies and DaVinci's religious speculation. And then there was DaVinci. Cool Cool idea but once you knew Brown's formula the book lost its excitement. Overall I think if he could unite the three in one great novel then that would be a huge hit, but so far he hasn't gotten it perfect.

[Paula]

Does any one know when his new book is coming out? Last year I remember reading it was supposed to be June of this year. I went to his web site the other day and can't find anything about the new book at all.

[dMores]

http://www.danbrown.com/meet_dan/faq.html
When is your next novel coming out?
Because my novels are so research-intensive, they take a couple of years to write. My next novel will be another Robert Langdon adventure (picking up, in fact, where The Da Vinci Code left off). Currently, there is no release date scheduled because the book is not yet near completion.

that's all i found.

[Copter]

Asfar as I know it is only speculation out there. I am sure he wants it to be quality though becuase EVERYONE is going to buy it.

[szamot]

don't quote me on this but I thought his book was not due until August and it is supposed to be about Mormons, Masons and well a bunch of other stuff, sounds promising.

[popabawa]

Because my novels are so research-intensive, they take a couple of years to write.

What a hoot!

I've read the 4 Dan Brown books and they are pretty entertaining (with the exception of 'Deception Point' which is absolutely terrible) but well-researched they ain't.

I don't want to knock him because the books aren't factually correct, after all, they are fiction, but I'd rather he was a bit more honest about it!

[dMores]

actually, i do think they're well researched.

the langdon series is fiction, true, but just immagine you'd have to read up on everything that's needed to base your fiction on.
the locations, the history of those buldings, the way church works in the vatican, the "chain of command" etc.

i just realized he's researched a lot for the digital fortress novel. while he takes a lot of liberties as far as those programs they use, but the basis was very detailed and exact.
maybe he's a perfectionist and needs to read a lot more than he actually uses in his books.
or he's not the brightest and just takes three times as long to research things ;)

just kidding.

[popabawa]

dMores, I understand what you mean and yes, it's obvious he's done a LOT of research, which to be fair is what Dan Brown said.

My critisism though, is that although he's done a LOT of research, it's not all 'well researched' because there's some pretty fundamental flaws in his books. 'Da Vinci Code' at least.

He's missed (or more likely, chosen to ignore) some pretty fundamental critisisms of earlier works which he has VERY heavily borrowed from ('Holy Blood, Holy Grail') BUT, he still claims the contents of that book are 'historical fact', which I find somewhat disingenuous.

[dMores]

ok, that's probably too in-depth for me since i haven't read the book(s) you're referring to.
but could it not be that HE thinks "holy blood, holy grail" is historical fact, despite the criticism it's recieved? i'm on thin ice here, i can just immagine that with a topic as sensitive and mystic as religion and it's past, there are bound to be a number of different views on a lot of things.

anyway, it seems like i'm somehow trying to protect mr brown or something, which i'm not. i agree with you that if something you base your work on is being taken apart and the historical facts start to deteriorate, you should at least state that there are concerns that your "historic proof" might be bogus.
that's what good writers and researchers do ...

ok, ANYWAYS ;), i'm looking forward to the sequel.

[Paula]

Does anyone have the latest news on when Dan Brown's new book will be published?