The Da Vinci Deception

by Ted Sri, Mark Shea, Editors of the Catholic Exchange

Why has The Da Vinci Code sold tens of millions of copies worldwide? Is the book’s phenomenal success due to its compelling characters, thrilling plot points, or impeccable research? No. The Da Vinci Code has become an international hit because of its lurid prose and its sensationalistic—even blasphemous—claims regarding the “true” history of Christianity. In the end, it is nothing more than a thinly veiled assault on the person of Jesus Christ and His Church. Millions of people, who are not experts in history, art, theology, or archeology, are being led astray by The Da Vinci Code’s fraudulent assertions and invented history. On May 19th, The DaVinci Code will be released as a major motion picture. Film critics have predicted it will be one of the year’s biggest blockbusters. The Da Vinci Deception is a powerful antidote to the spiritual poison found in The DaVinci Code. This easy-to-read, question-and-answer book tackles the key errors in this devastating cultural phenomenon. It is the perfect giveaway to family, friends, parishioners, and anyone that may be in danger of having their faith in Christ and His Church eroded by the mockery of Truth that is The Da Vinci Code.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Religion

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't worry, any of you who love to hate the Church and other powers sent up by Dan Brown will find plenty to criticize in this book. But while it skews pro-Catholic, it's nowhere near the degree to which Brown's work is anti-cathlic, and at least the facts in this book can be verified to some degree.

[Relaxingreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is difficult to describe this book without being overly negative.
The book's subtitle says it it contains '100 Questions about the Facts and Fiction of The Da Vinci Code', but I would say it contains '100 Ways to take an obviously fictional story too serious and pick on the author'.
The first 99 questions repeatedly describe how everything in the novel The Da Vinci Code is wrong, how the story is poisonous for Christians, how it is damaging for Christianity as a whole, and how the book was badly written because it constantly contradicts itself.
It really comes across as sub-par if a book describes everything as 'fake and wrong' but then proceeds to not cite (or not do so correctly) any sources when proving the truth of a subject.
Calling the novel poisonous and damaging is pretty strong language, but doesn't really leave as much of an impact if you then read the 'answer' the 100th question.
This paragraph proceeds to suddenly inform it's readers that in fact, Dan Brown's novel can actually be used for good, which in turn contradicts everything said previously.
Out of the entire book; this is the only chapter I could really agree with. Instead of demonizing an author for combining religion with an interesting fictional story; you could also use this popular book to engage people and have informative discussions with people.
I will leave you with the paragraph I mentioned:
"Informed Christians have nothing to fear from The Da Vinci Code's many bogus and easily refutable claims. Rather, we should regard its popularity as an opportunity to study our Faith and proclaim it to others."

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

This book is just okay. It goes through "100 facts ... of The Da Vinci Code," but one of the "facts" it discusses is basically "Why does the character of Sophie Neveu suck?" I don't think that really counts as a "fact" that this book needs to correct. Sure, set people straight on the Christianity or art that Dan Brown gets wrong; but criticizing/critiquing Brown's writing seems petty. We already know that the point of the book is to cut down Brown for his historical inaccuracies; to carry that on to "Boy, he writes and develops his characters suckily" is completely unnecessary.

The authors also don't cite sources, so can we trust what they say any more than we're supposed to trust what Dan Brown says?

If you're interested in just quick and dirty facts and explanations of what Dan Brown got wrong, this might be a good book for you. If you want more thorough explanations, and sources, though, then I'd recommend Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code: A Historian Reveals What We Really Know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene & Constantine, The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, or even the short de-Coding Da Vinci: The Facts Behind the Fiction of the Da Vinci Code.

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time reading this book and there's still lots of good information here. While I've not actually read The Da Vinci Code or seen the movie (nor do I intend to), any excuse to give myself a refresher on Catholic teaching is a good one. This book goes through a series of questions addressing points about Dan Brown and his book and then breaking down the lies and elevating the truth. A good book for those who read Da Vinci Code and have questions, as well as for those who are just curious about some of the topics the book addresses.

[Marko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a great job of pointing out-- and correcting-- many of Dan Brown's errors in The DaVinci Code. For example, the name of the artist who painted "The Last Supper" was not da Vinci, but Leonardo. Da Vinci is where he was from.

[Daiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting 100 facts about Da Vinci code books that proves what author did wrong. I'm convinced.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

In some ways this was more entertaining than the book. I can't believe people question their faith because of this completely fictional book. This book probably helped Dan Brown's sales of his novel.

[Kevin Heldt · Rating 3 out of 5]

100 points devastating to Brown's insidious fictions.