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Robert Langdon #2
The Da Vinci Code
Librarian's note: This is an alternate cover for both B000FA675C and 9780385504218.
Other covers for them can be found: here, here, and here
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.
Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.
Other covers for them can be found: here, here, and here
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 cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.
522 pages, ebook
First published March 18, 2003
27394 people are currently reading
603235 people want to read
About the author
Dan Brown
96 books110k followersDan 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 56 languages around the world with over 200 million copies in print.
In 2005, Brown was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME Magazine, whose editors credited him with “keeping the publishing industry afloat; renewed interest in Leonardo da Vinci and early Christian history; spiking tourism to Paris and Rome; a growing membership in secret societies; the ire of Cardinals in Rome; eight books denying the claims of the novel and seven guides to read along with it; a flood of historical thrillers; and a major motion picture franchise.”
The son of a mathematics teacher and a church organist, Brown was raised on a prep school campus where he developed a fascination with the paradoxical interplay between science and religion. These themes eventually formed the backdrop for his books. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy, where he later returned to teach English before focusing his attention full time to writing. He lives in New England with his yellow lab, Winston.
Brown’s latest novel, Origin, explores two of the fundamental questions of humankind: Where do we come from? Where are we going?
In 2005, Brown was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME Magazine, whose editors credited him with “keeping the publishing industry afloat; renewed interest in Leonardo da Vinci and early Christian history; spiking tourism to Paris and Rome; a growing membership in secret societies; the ire of Cardinals in Rome; eight books denying the claims of the novel and seven guides to read along with it; a flood of historical thrillers; and a major motion picture franchise.”
The son of a mathematics teacher and a church organist, Brown was raised on a prep school campus where he developed a fascination with the paradoxical interplay between science and religion. These themes eventually formed the backdrop for his books. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy, where he later returned to teach English before focusing his attention full time to writing. He lives in New England with his yellow lab, Winston.
Brown’s latest novel, Origin, explores two of the fundamental questions of humankind: Where do we come from? Where are we going?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59,718 reviews
July 15, 2008
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 of the men depicted in ''The Last Supper'' is actually a woman!
MOTHER: I know! Isn't that incredible? And it turns out that she's . . .
SHARK (spitting out the child): Don't give it away! I'm only on page 187!
The key to The DaVinci Code is that it's filled with startling plot twists, and almost every chapter ends with a ''cliffhanger,'' so you have to keep reading to see what will happen. Using this formula, I wrote the following blockbuster novel, titled The Constitution Conundrum. It's fairly short now, but when I get a huge publishing contract, I'll flesh it out to 100,000 words by adding sentences.
CHAPTER ONE: Handsome yet unmarried historian Hugh Heckman stood in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., squinting through the bulletproof glass at the U.S. Constitution. Suddenly, he made an amazing discovery.
''My God!'' he said, out loud. ``This is incredible! Soon I will say what it is.''
CHAPTER TWO: ''What is it?'' said a woman Heckman had never seen before who happened to be standing next to him. She was extremely beautiful, but wore glasses as a sign of intelligence.
''My name is Desiree Legume,'' she said.
Heckman felt he could trust her.
''Look at this!'' he said, pointing to the Constitution.
''My God, that's incredible!'' said Desiree. ``It's going to be very surprising when we finally reveal what we're talking about!''
CHAPTER THREE: ''Yes,'' said Hugh, ``incredible as it seems, there are extra words written in the margin of the U.S. Constitution, and nobody ever noticed them until now! They appear to be in some kind of code.''
''Let me look,'' said Desiree. ``In addition to being gorgeous, I am a trained codebreaker. Oh my God!''
''What is it?'' asked Hugh in an excited yet concerned tone of voice. ''The message,'' said Desiree, ``is . . . ''
But just then, the chapter ended.
CHAPTER FOUR: ''It's a fiendishly clever code,'' explained Desiree. 'As you can see, the words say: `White House White House Bo Bite House, Banana Fana Fo Fite House, Fe Fi Mo Mite House, White House.' ''
''Yes,'' said Hugh, frowning in bafflement. ``But what can it possibly mean?''
''If I am correct,'' said Desiree, ``it is referring to . . . the White House!''
''My God!'' said Hugh. ``That's where the president lives! Do you think . . . ''
''Do I think what?'' said Desiree.
''I don't know,'' said Hugh. ``But we're about to find out.''
CHAPTER FIVE: Hugh and Desiree crouched in some bushes next to the Oval Office.
''We'd better hurry up and solve this mystery,'' remarked Desiree anxiously. ''It's only a matter of time before somebody notices that the Constitution is missing.'' She had slipped it into her purse at the National Archives while the guard wasn't looking.
''The answer must be here somewhere,'' said Hugh, studying the ancient document, which was brown from age and the fact that he had spilled Diet Peach Snapple on it.
''Wait a minute!'' he said. ``I've got it!''
''What?'' said Desiree, her breasts heaving into view.
''The answer!'' said Hugh. ``It's . . .
But just then, shots rang out.
CHAPTER SIX: ''That was close!'' remarked Desiree. ``Fortunately, those shots had nothing to do with the plot of this book.''
''Yes,'' said Hugh. ``Anyway, as I was saying, the answer is to hold the Constitution up so that it is aligned with the White House and the Washington Monument. . . . There, do you see what I mean?''
''My God!'' said Desiree, seeing what he meant. ``It's . . . ''
''Hold it right there,'' said the president of the United States.
CHAPTER SEVEN: '' . . . and so you see,'' concluded the president, ``you two uncovered a shocking and fascinating secret that, if it should ever get out, could change the course of history.''
''Mr. President,'' said Desiree, ``thank you for that riveting and satisfying explanation, which will be fleshed out into much greater detail once there is a publishing contract.''
''Also,'' noted Hugh, ``we may use some beverage other than Snapple, depending on what kind of product-placement deals can be worked out.''
''Good,'' said the president. ``Now can I have the Constitution back?''
They all enjoyed a hearty laugh, for they knew that the movie rights were also available...
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 of the men depicted in ''The Last Supper'' is actually a woman!
MOTHER: I know! Isn't that incredible? And it turns out that she's . . .
SHARK (spitting out the child): Don't give it away! I'm only on page 187!
The key to The DaVinci Code is that it's filled with startling plot twists, and almost every chapter ends with a ''cliffhanger,'' so you have to keep reading to see what will happen. Using this formula, I wrote the following blockbuster novel, titled The Constitution Conundrum. It's fairly short now, but when I get a huge publishing contract, I'll flesh it out to 100,000 words by adding sentences.
CHAPTER ONE: Handsome yet unmarried historian Hugh Heckman stood in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., squinting through the bulletproof glass at the U.S. Constitution. Suddenly, he made an amazing discovery.
''My God!'' he said, out loud. ``This is incredible! Soon I will say what it is.''
CHAPTER TWO: ''What is it?'' said a woman Heckman had never seen before who happened to be standing next to him. She was extremely beautiful, but wore glasses as a sign of intelligence.
''My name is Desiree Legume,'' she said.
Heckman felt he could trust her.
''Look at this!'' he said, pointing to the Constitution.
''My God, that's incredible!'' said Desiree. ``It's going to be very surprising when we finally reveal what we're talking about!''
CHAPTER THREE: ''Yes,'' said Hugh, ``incredible as it seems, there are extra words written in the margin of the U.S. Constitution, and nobody ever noticed them until now! They appear to be in some kind of code.''
''Let me look,'' said Desiree. ``In addition to being gorgeous, I am a trained codebreaker. Oh my God!''
''What is it?'' asked Hugh in an excited yet concerned tone of voice. ''The message,'' said Desiree, ``is . . . ''
But just then, the chapter ended.
CHAPTER FOUR: ''It's a fiendishly clever code,'' explained Desiree. 'As you can see, the words say: `White House White House Bo Bite House, Banana Fana Fo Fite House, Fe Fi Mo Mite House, White House.' ''
''Yes,'' said Hugh, frowning in bafflement. ``But what can it possibly mean?''
''If I am correct,'' said Desiree, ``it is referring to . . . the White House!''
''My God!'' said Hugh. ``That's where the president lives! Do you think . . . ''
''Do I think what?'' said Desiree.
''I don't know,'' said Hugh. ``But we're about to find out.''
CHAPTER FIVE: Hugh and Desiree crouched in some bushes next to the Oval Office.
''We'd better hurry up and solve this mystery,'' remarked Desiree anxiously. ''It's only a matter of time before somebody notices that the Constitution is missing.'' She had slipped it into her purse at the National Archives while the guard wasn't looking.
''The answer must be here somewhere,'' said Hugh, studying the ancient document, which was brown from age and the fact that he had spilled Diet Peach Snapple on it.
''Wait a minute!'' he said. ``I've got it!''
''What?'' said Desiree, her breasts heaving into view.
''The answer!'' said Hugh. ``It's . . .
But just then, shots rang out.
CHAPTER SIX: ''That was close!'' remarked Desiree. ``Fortunately, those shots had nothing to do with the plot of this book.''
''Yes,'' said Hugh. ``Anyway, as I was saying, the answer is to hold the Constitution up so that it is aligned with the White House and the Washington Monument. . . . There, do you see what I mean?''
''My God!'' said Desiree, seeing what he meant. ``It's . . . ''
''Hold it right there,'' said the president of the United States.
CHAPTER SEVEN: '' . . . and so you see,'' concluded the president, ``you two uncovered a shocking and fascinating secret that, if it should ever get out, could change the course of history.''
''Mr. President,'' said Desiree, ``thank you for that riveting and satisfying explanation, which will be fleshed out into much greater detail once there is a publishing contract.''
''Also,'' noted Hugh, ``we may use some beverage other than Snapple, depending on what kind of product-placement deals can be worked out.''
''Good,'' said the president. ``Now can I have the Constitution back?''
They all enjoyed a hearty laugh, for they knew that the movie rights were also available...
December 25, 2007
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.
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.
December 4, 2013
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.
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.
April 16, 2022
(A-) 80% | Very Good
Notes: Excessive exposition and ludicrous writing discolor an otherwise captivating, thought-provoking, page-turning read.
Notes: Excessive exposition and ludicrous writing discolor an otherwise captivating, thought-provoking, page-turning read.
August 12, 2024
The Movie Was Better
When the curator of The Louvre is found murdered, Robert Langdon finds himself in the middle of a mystery filled with riddles and puzzles. Will Langdon be able to figure out all of the clues?
The Da Vinci Code is structured in very short chapters which at first was refreshing but became old pretty fast. Instead of focusing on one major mystery with a bunch of players, there are a bunch of riddles to solve. Of course, I wasn’t able to solve the riddles (alright well I did solve the first riddle because if I was guessing someone’s password that would have been my very first try). The prose is simply horrible in this book. The sentences were very short.
To read this, you have to suspend reality (and not in a good way, yes, I’m talking to you all of my fantasy friends!). There was always a car ready to whisk them away. The police were constantly outsmarted. Planes could easily be redirected in mid-flight. If you ask Langdon the most basic yes/no question, he would answer you with a full treatise. But apparently this is really quite an aphrodisiac because the women seem to just love this nerdy guy.
Thank you to everyone who participated in The Da Vinci Code Readalong!
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Insta My Bookstore at Pango
When the curator of The Louvre is found murdered, Robert Langdon finds himself in the middle of a mystery filled with riddles and puzzles. Will Langdon be able to figure out all of the clues?
The Da Vinci Code is structured in very short chapters which at first was refreshing but became old pretty fast. Instead of focusing on one major mystery with a bunch of players, there are a bunch of riddles to solve. Of course, I wasn’t able to solve the riddles (alright well I did solve the first riddle because if I was guessing someone’s password that would have been my very first try). The prose is simply horrible in this book. The sentences were very short.
To read this, you have to suspend reality (and not in a good way, yes, I’m talking to you all of my fantasy friends!). There was always a car ready to whisk them away. The police were constantly outsmarted. Planes could easily be redirected in mid-flight. If you ask Langdon the most basic yes/no question, he would answer you with a full treatise. But apparently this is really quite an aphrodisiac because the women seem to just love this nerdy guy.
Thank you to everyone who participated in The Da Vinci Code Readalong!
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Insta My Bookstore at Pango
August 13, 2025
أولا زي ماقلت في ريفيو ملائكة وشياطين
الرواية دي لو حابب تتمتع وانت بتقراها بجد ليها حل من الاتنين
1-Illustrated Edition تقرأ النسخة الإنجليزية المصورة
أو
2- وانت تقرأ نسختك تفتح جوجل صور وتبحث وتشوف صورة كل مكان يزوره روبرت لانجدو��،كل قاعة باللوفر أو لوحة لدافنشي ومخطوطاته، والكنائس وشوارع باريس
أهم لوحات الرواية وسر حبكتها، شفرة دافنشي، العشاء الاخير
واﻷن اربط الحزام، الطائرة ستقلع بك إلي باريس لرحلة جديدة مع لانجدون لكشف أسرارها،خباياها وتاريخها
وشفرتها
شفرة دافنشي
مع فتاة تعشق لعبة "البحث عن الكنز" وضابط يبحث عن جريمة قتل وراهب يسعي للقتل من اجل اخفاء سر وجماعات سرية ودكتور يعرف اكثر مما ينبغي والأهم
روبرت لانجدون
***
تاني تجربة ليا في قراءة رواية مليانة تفاصيل ومعلومات حقيقية مع دان براون والشخصية الممتازة روبرت لانجدون
وكملائكه وشياطين المعلومات في اطار تشويقي فعلا يخليك مستني تعرف المعلومة اللي بعدها وتحاول تبحث عن حقيقتها او اصلها علي الانترنت خاصا انها المرة دي مثيره للجدل جدا
فكما قدم لنا بروايته الأولي صدام العلم مع الدين في القرن السابع عشر بالأخص مع نظريات جاليليو ..هنا يقدم لنا تاريخ اقدم , من دافنشي وعصر النهضة من القرن الرابع عشر مع نظريات مثيرة للجدل حول لوحته الأشهر "العشاء الأخير" وليزيد في معلومات مثيرة أكثر عن فرسان الهيكل والحملة الصليبية والتي تعود قبل عصر النهضة بثلاث قرون تقريبا
وكمان معلومات تانية عن التنويريين والماسون بتكمل الجزء السابق في رواية ملائكة وشياطين
افتكر ان من الأفضل انك تدخل بين صفحات الرواية أفضل لمعرفة تلك المعلومات والتاريخ والفن والعلم الغامض عند دافنشي وغيره من فناني عصره...اما عن رأيي بيها فشايف فعلا فيها بعض التكهنات أكيد وبعضها يصدم بالدين المسيحي مما اثار الجدل حول الرواية
لكن بعض الأخر منها يرمي بصيص من التنوير عن بعض الأحداث الغامضة عن تاريخ الأديان عاما -مثل حقيقة ظروف تعميد الامبراطور الروماني والاعتراف الروماني بالدين المسيحي وماحدث لفرسان الهيكل ومحاكماتهم المثيرة للجدل واسرار حرق الساحرات وغموض مصير مريم المجدلية وغيرها من بعض المواضيع الجدلية
-وكالكتاب السابق الذكر , بنجاح تلك الرواية أدي لمحاولات للعديد من الكتب تقليدها او الوصول لتلك المرحلة التاريخية
وابسط مثال لمستفيدي هذا النجاح روايات وان كان قدمها البعض بابتذال وتعدي علي الدين نفسه كـيوسف زيدان في ظل الأفعي وعزازيل
مع ان دان براون نفسه روايته قيل انها متشابهة في الموضوع الجدلي الكنسي كرواية امبرتو ايكو
The Name of the Rose 1980
وبرغم من انها من الثمانيات الا انها لم تلق نصيبها من الشهرة الواسعة الا عندما تم اطلاق عليها دعائيا "اصل رواية شفرة دافنشي لدان براون
وايضا استخدام عنصر لوحة العشاء الأخير وفرسان الهيكل التي أثارت جدلا من قبل خاصا بعد 1997 بصدور كتاب
لكن يظل دان براون هو الأشهر والأقوي بروايته المثيرة تلك
"وربما تنبأ دان براون بهذا الاعتلاء علي عرش اعلي مبيعات الكتب اثناء كتابته للرواية بذكره لكتابين من اعلي مبيعات الكتب في العالم من قبله في الحوار التالي:
الذي دار بين روبرت لانجدون الذي يريد نشر كتابه حول نظريته عن الكأس المقدسه وبين صديقه ناشر كتبه الذي يساله لماذا لم يحاول احد الكتاب من قبله نشر الحقائق التي كتبها لانجدون حول ذلك الموضوع
يمكن المفاجأت الأقوي بالنسبة لي واللي اعجبني جدا جزء المعلومات عنها هي ليست المعلومات الدينية فحسب -لبعض التكهنات بها وليس الحقائق- , هي المعلومات الكونية الحقيقة "مثل حقائق الرقم المقدس فاي، اﻷديان عبر العصور , لفظة "أمين" التي نقولها في كل الأديان تقريبا وغيرها
و ايضا معلومات عن الأنثي المقدسة وتاريخ أضطهاد الأنثي علي مر العصور والأديان كان موفق فيه جدا ... مع بعض التلميحات لمعرفه دافنشي باسرار الانثي المقدسة هي سبب ميوله الانثوية , وان كانت قد تندرج تحت بند التكهنات
ولكن لندع الجدال الديني جانبا ... لا أنكر انني احترم من يدافع عن الدين , وتأتي النجمة الخامسة فقط لفقرة كاملة في الرواية أعجبتني جدا ... هي الجزء الذي يشرح فيه لانجدون اهمية الدين في حياة الانسان والذي قدمه بشكل محايد ومتميز بعكس ملحدي عصرنا ، فبالرغم من أن لانجدون نفسه غير مؤمن إلا أن كلامه عن الدين كان موفقا جدا ومحترما ويجعل من الرواية أثرا جيدا حتي أن اختلفت معه في بعض الأجزاء
~~~~~~
ونعود للرواية
بالنسبة للشخصيات
***********
مثل الرواية الاولي شخصية روبرت لانجدون لم تخرج عن اطارها..نفس الدقة في رسم الشخصية,قوه الملاحظة وتصرفه وقت المواقف المثيرة..شخصية الهادئ الوقور و 'كمبيوتر' رموز متنقل
صوفي وماضيها الذي يطاردها منذ ان شاهدت جثة جدها ، الفتاة الرقيقة القوية بنفس الوقت والتي تتورط في مطاردة لكشف أسرار جماعة غامضة كانت السبب في تفرقتها عن جدها
فكرة ماضيها والكشف عن الكنوز والكريبتيكس مع جدها كانت اكثر من ممتازة
لاحظ أنك تجد ان صوفي..جدها..الظابط..العالم..الكاهن..والمجرم التائب..دافنشي..وحتي مريم المجدلية
كلها شخصيات مهمة في الاحداث يتم فك شفرتهم جميعا فصل فصل
لكل شخصيه شفرة, شفرة قد تكون..ماضي..سر دفين..رغبه..علاقه..شفرة تنكشف لك
ولكن بتدريج محسوب ومتقن طوال اﻷحداث
و بالنسبة للاحداث
**********
الرواية متعددة وجهات النظر دائما تحتاج لبراعه في الكتابة...لم تنقص في هذه الرواية عن الرواية السابقة بل كانت مثيرة اكثر
والمرة دي كمان الرواية كلها في يوم واحد او يوم ونصف لكن المكان اتغير في تنقل مثير وسلس ولايقل سحر عن روما والفاتيكان..المرة دي بين باريس ليلا وانجلترا صباحا
الأحداث هنا ايضا متلاحقة في فترة زمنية تعتبر قصيرة بالنسبة لرواية ضخمة
ولكن الحبكة تختلف..فهذه المرة لانجدون هو المطارد من قبل الشرطة الفرنسية وليس مساعدا للشرطة كما كان في الفاتيكان
والمشكلة أنه ليس مطاردا من الشرطة فحسب....بل من منظمة دينية غامضة ستتعرف عليها خلال اﻷحداث في أسلوب سينمائي متلاحق
الوصف للاماكن واللوحات متقن و لايفوقه الا الصور الملونة في النسخة المصورة من الرواية
Illustrated Edition
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
الهروب من المطاردات والاختفاء في اخر لحظة
Narrow Escapes
كان كثيرا جدا في الرواية "واللي كان يشفع للفيلم نجاحه الوحيد في أبرازها سينمائيا" الموضوع ده زاد الاثارة في الرواية دي عن سابقتها، لكنه كان احيانا زائد جدا في بعض الأحيان لدرجة ازعجتني في أحدهما
في النهاية انسوا الفيلم تماما وابدأوا بالرواية .. حتي لو كان توم هانكس مبدع ..المخرج رون هاورد عبقري..حيفضل دان براون افضل مؤلف ومخرج وممثل علي الورق
محمد العربي
الاسكندريه من 10 مارس 2013
الي 19 مارس 2013
The English Review
First of all I hate Action books, thriller and just action novels.
I hate book would got that much of Facts that can sometimes got the equal pages of the novels events itself..
I love fiction ,I adore fiction with a hint of fantasy ,that make me escapes of our realistic, raw, ugly most of times, unpleasant world to another different one ..I'm a big fan of Harry Potter -although J.K. Rowling successfully made me read her greedy, realistic, raw, ugly most of times, unpleasant world on The Casual Vacancyand even loving it -
So what kind of magic does Dan Brown got to make me fall in love with Robert Langdon's adventures?
*Is it his mixing and blending the real historical events with his non-stop thriller "fiction". I know some of the historical events he mention are true and some are not-or are they!? :)-?
*Is it the characters itself? The Mickey Mouse watch is amazing touch -as a Disney's big fan-
*Is it the talented story telling and the easy swift from a POV to another?
*or Is it the melting of the wall between the Hard and Row REAL Facts,Historical Events and Symbols meanings and Enjoying reading about it -WITHOUT being an expert or even interested to know about them from the start-
All of what I can say is that the search and hunt of that kind of a thriller novel,A SMART thriller is set for me by Dan Brown with these 2 novels "Angels and Demons" and the squeal "The Da Vinci Code"
March 2014
الرواية دي لو حابب تتمتع وانت بتقراها بجد ليها حل من الاتنين
1-Illustrated Edition تقرأ النسخة الإنجليزية المصورة
أو
2- وانت تقرأ نسختك تفتح جوجل صور وتبحث وتشوف صورة كل مكان يزوره روبرت لانجدو��،كل قاعة باللوفر أو لوحة لدافنشي ومخطوطاته، والكنائس وشوارع باريس
أهم لوحات الرواية وسر حبكتها، شفرة دافنشي، العشاء الاخير
واﻷن اربط الحزام، الطائرة ستقلع بك إلي باريس لرحلة جديدة مع لانجدون لكشف أسرارها،خباياها وتاريخها
وشفرتها
شفرة دافنشي
مع فتاة تعشق لعبة "البحث عن الكنز" وضابط يبحث عن جريمة قتل وراهب يسعي للقتل من اجل اخفاء سر وجماعات سرية ودكتور يعرف اكثر مما ينبغي والأهم
روبرت لانجدون
***
تاني تجربة ليا في قراءة رواية مليانة تفاصيل ومعلومات حقيقية مع دان براون والشخصية الممتازة روبرت لانجدون
وكملائكه وشياطين المعلومات في اطار تشويقي فعلا يخليك مستني تعرف المعلومة اللي بعدها وتحاول تبحث عن حقيقتها او اصلها علي الانترنت خاصا انها المرة دي مثيره للجدل جدا
فكما قدم لنا بروايته الأولي صدام العلم مع الدين في القرن السابع عشر بالأخص مع نظريات جاليليو ..هنا يقدم لنا تاريخ اقدم , من دافنشي وعصر النهضة من القرن الرابع عشر مع نظريات مثيرة للجدل حول لوحته الأشهر "العشاء الأخير" وليزيد في معلومات مثيرة أكثر عن فرسان الهيكل والحملة الصليبية والتي تعود قبل عصر النهضة بثلاث قرون تقريبا
وكمان معلومات تانية عن التنويريين والماسون بتكمل الجزء السابق في رواية ملائكة وشياطين
افتكر ان من الأفضل انك تدخل بين صفحات الرواية أفضل لمعرفة تلك المعلومات والتاريخ والفن والعلم الغامض عند دافنشي وغيره من فناني عصره...اما عن رأيي بيها فشايف فعلا فيها بعض التكهنات أكيد وبعضها يصدم بالدين المسيحي مما اثار الجدل حول الرواية
لكن بعض الأخر منها يرمي بصيص من التنوير عن بعض الأحداث الغامضة عن تاريخ الأديان عاما -مثل حقيقة ظروف تعميد الامبراطور الروماني والاعتراف الروماني بالدين المسيحي وماحدث لفرسان الهيكل ومحاكماتهم المثيرة للجدل واسرار حرق الساحرات وغموض مصير مريم المجدلية وغيرها من بعض المواضيع الجدلية
-وكالكتاب السابق الذكر , بنجاح تلك الرواية أدي لمحاولات للعديد من الكتب تقليدها او الوصول لتلك المرحلة التاريخية
وابسط مثال لمستفيدي هذا النجاح روايات وان كان قدمها البعض بابتذال وتعدي علي الدين نفسه كـيوسف زيدان في ظل الأفعي وعزازيل
مع ان دان براون نفسه روايته قيل انها متشابهة في الموضوع الجدلي الكنسي كرواية امبرتو ايكو
The Name of the Rose 1980
وبرغم من انها من الثمانيات الا انها لم تلق نصيبها من الشهرة الواسعة الا عندما تم اطلاق عليها دعائيا "اصل رواية شفرة دافنشي لدان براون
وايضا استخدام عنصر لوحة العشاء الأخير وفرسان الهيكل التي أثارت جدلا من قبل خاصا بعد 1997 بصدور كتاب
لكن يظل دان براون هو الأشهر والأقوي بروايته المثيرة تلك
"وربما تنبأ دان براون بهذا الاعتلاء علي عرش اعلي مبيعات الكتب اثناء كتابته للرواية بذكره لكتابين من اعلي مبيعات الكتب في العالم من قبله في الحوار التالي:
الذي دار بين روبرت لانجدون الذي يريد نشر كتابه حول نظريته عن الكأس المقدسه وبين صديقه ناشر كتبه الذي يساله لماذا لم يحاول احد الكتاب من قبله نشر الحقائق التي كتبها لانجدون حول ذلك الموضوع
""These books can't possibly compete with centuries of established history, especially when that history is endorsed by the ultimate bestseller of all time."
Faukman's eyes went wide. "Don't tell me Harry Potter is actually about the Holy Grail."
"I was referring to the Bible."
يمكن المفاجأت الأقوي بالنسبة لي واللي اعجبني جدا جزء المعلومات عنها هي ليست المعلومات الدينية فحسب -لبعض التكهنات بها وليس الحقائق- , هي المعلومات الكونية الحقيقة "مثل حقائق الرقم المقدس فاي، اﻷديان عبر العصور , لفظة "أمين" التي نقولها في كل الأديان تقريبا وغيرها
و ايضا معلومات عن الأنثي المقدسة وتاريخ أضطهاد الأنثي علي مر العصور والأديان كان موفق فيه جدا ... مع بعض التلميحات لمعرفه دافنشي باسرار الانثي المقدسة هي سبب ميوله الانثوية , وان كانت قد تندرج تحت بند التكهنات
ولكن لندع الجدال الديني جانبا ... لا أنكر انني احترم من يدافع عن الدين , وتأتي النجمة الخامسة فقط لفقرة كاملة في الرواية أعجبتني جدا ... هي الجزء الذي يشرح فيه لانجدون اهمية الدين في حياة الانسان والذي قدمه بشكل محايد ومتميز بعكس ملحدي عصرنا ، فبالرغم من أن لانجدون نفسه غير مؤمن إلا أن كلامه عن الدين كان موفقا جدا ومحترما ويجعل من الرواية أثرا جيدا حتي أن اختلفت معه في بعض الأجزاء
~~~~~~
ونعود للرواية
بالنسبة للشخصيات
***********
مثل الرواية الاولي شخصية روبرت لانجدون لم تخرج عن اطارها..نفس الدقة في رسم الشخصية,قوه الملاحظة وتصرفه وقت المواقف المثيرة..شخصية الهادئ الوقور و 'كمبيوتر' رموز متنقل
صوفي وماضيها الذي يطاردها منذ ان شاهدت جثة جدها ، الفتاة الرقيقة القوية بنفس الوقت والتي تتورط في مطاردة لكشف أسرار جماعة غامضة كانت السبب في تفرقتها عن جدها
فكرة ماضيها والكشف عن الكنوز والكريبتيكس مع جدها كانت اكثر من ممتازة
لاحظ أنك تجد ان صوفي..جدها..الظابط..العالم..الكاهن..والمجرم التائب..دافنشي..وحتي مريم المجدلية
كلها شخصيات مهمة في الاحداث يتم فك شفرتهم جميعا فصل فصل
لكل شخصيه شفرة, شفرة قد تكون..ماضي..سر دفين..رغبه..علاقه..شفرة تنكشف لك
ولكن بتدريج محسوب ومتقن طوال اﻷحداث
و بالنسبة للاحداث
**********
الرواية متعددة وجهات النظر دائما تحتاج لبراعه في الكتابة...لم تنقص في هذه الرواية عن الرواية السابقة بل كانت مثيرة اكثر
والمرة دي كمان الرواية كلها في يوم واحد او يوم ونصف لكن المكان اتغير في تنقل مثير وسلس ولايقل سحر عن روما والفاتيكان..المرة دي بين باريس ليلا وانجلترا صباحا
الأحداث هنا ايضا متلاحقة في فترة زمنية تعتبر قصيرة بالنسبة لرواية ضخمة
ولكن الحبكة تختلف..فهذه المرة لانجدون هو المطارد من قبل الشرطة الفرنسية وليس مساعدا للشرطة كما كان في الفاتيكان
والمشكلة أنه ليس مطاردا من الشرطة فحسب....بل من منظمة دينية غامضة ستتعرف عليها خلال اﻷحداث في أسلوب سينمائي متلاحق
الوصف للاماكن واللوحات متقن و لايفوقه الا الصور الملونة في النسخة المصورة من الرواية
Illustrated Edition
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
الهروب من المطاردات والاختفاء في اخر لحظة
Narrow Escapes
كان كثيرا جدا في الرواية "واللي كان يشفع للفيلم نجاحه الوحيد في أبرازها سينمائيا" الموضوع ده زاد الاثارة في الرواية دي عن سابقتها، لكنه كان احيانا زائد جدا في بعض الأحيان لدرجة ازعجتني في أحدهما
في النهاية انسوا الفيلم تماما وابدأوا بالرواية .. حتي لو كان توم هانكس مبدع ..المخرج رون هاورد عبقري..حيفضل دان براون افضل مؤلف ومخرج وممثل علي الورق
محمد العربي
الاسكندريه من 10 مارس 2013
الي 19 مارس 2013
The English Review
First of all I hate Action books, thriller and just action novels.
I hate book would got that much of Facts that can sometimes got the equal pages of the novels events itself..
I love fiction ,I adore fiction with a hint of fantasy ,that make me escapes of our realistic, raw, ugly most of times, unpleasant world to another different one ..I'm a big fan of Harry Potter -although J.K. Rowling successfully made me read her greedy, realistic, raw, ugly most of times, unpleasant world on The Casual Vacancyand even loving it -
So what kind of magic does Dan Brown got to make me fall in love with Robert Langdon's adventures?
*Is it his mixing and blending the real historical events with his non-stop thriller "fiction". I know some of the historical events he mention are true and some are not-or are they!? :)-?
*Is it the characters itself? The Mickey Mouse watch is amazing touch -as a Disney's big fan-
*Is it the talented story telling and the easy swift from a POV to another?
*or Is it the melting of the wall between the Hard and Row REAL Facts,Historical Events and Symbols meanings and Enjoying reading about it -WITHOUT being an expert or even interested to know about them from the start-
All of what I can say is that the search and hunt of that kind of a thriller novel,A SMART thriller is set for me by Dan Brown with these 2 novels "Angels and Demons" and the squeal "The Da Vinci Code"
March 2014
July 17, 2007
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.
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.
February 5, 2023
Alternate history, uchronias, and indirect criticism of faith and ideology combined into one of the most successful thriller series of all time.
The separate parts were already there
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.
Uchronia, dystopia, or big history?
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. 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.
Religious fan fiction
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.
Hard vs soft science
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
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
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...
Sakrileg ist der Titel der 2004 erschienenen Übersetzung eines
The separate parts were already there
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.
Uchronia, dystopia, or big history?
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. 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.
Religious fan fiction
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.
Hard vs soft science
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
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
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...
Sakrileg ist der Titel der 2004 erschienenen Übersetzung eines
May 26, 2007
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.
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.
May 20, 2022
الرجل الفيتروفي ايقونة الحضارة الغريبة يتحول الى :الجثة الاكثر شهرة ادبيا عندما استخدم سونيير دمه كحبر ومستعملاً بطنه كلوحة..رسم عليه رمزاً بسيطا :اًلنجمة الخماسية لننطلق لاغرب مجموعة من الرموز قد تقابلها في حياتك
اجمل ما يمنحنا إياه إي كتاب :المعلومات الممتعة..و
هناك روايات تمت كتابتها لتحتفظ بها في رف خاص :رف الصدارة ..فبعض المعلومات لن تبحث عنها بنفسك ابدا
ولكنك ستلتهمها اذا وضعها لك دان براون في اطار مغامرات شيقة لن تنساها ما حييت
فمن ينسى الشفرات البارعة واللعب بالكلمات
..والرسائل المستترة..والجناس التصحيفي
..و الوقت المتامر ضد البطل والحفيدة
و ترتيب الأحداث في يوم واحد في براعة لا تجدها الا عند براون
..و المفاجأة في النهاية
و الضجة التي إثارتها الرواية. .الضجة التي أعادت الكتب رونقها 📚و صار الجدل من جديد على لسان رجل الشارع و هو يناقش أحداث رواية. .ليست مجرد رواية بل هي حجر حرك المياه الادبية الراكدة
..ا..و رغم حجم الكتاب الذي يقترب من الكومدينو الا انه افضل من الفيلم بما لا يقاس
اجمل ما يمنحنا إياه إي كتاب :المعلومات الممتعة..و
هناك روايات تمت كتابتها لتحتفظ بها في رف خاص :رف الصدارة ..فبعض المعلومات لن تبحث عنها بنفسك ابدا
ولكنك ستلتهمها اذا وضعها لك دان براون في اطار مغامرات شيقة لن تنساها ما حييت
فمن ينسى الشفرات البارعة واللعب بالكلمات
..والرسائل المستترة..والجناس التصحيفي
..و الوقت المتامر ضد البطل والحفيدة
و ترتيب الأحداث في يوم واحد في براعة لا تجدها الا عند براون
..و المفاجأة في النهاية
و الضجة التي إثارتها الرواية. .الضجة التي أعادت الكتب رونقها 📚و صار الجدل من جديد على لسان رجل الشارع و هو يناقش أحداث رواية. .ليست مجرد رواية بل هي حجر حرك المياه الادبية الراكدة
..ا..و رغم حجم الكتاب الذي يقترب من الكومدينو الا انه افضل من الفيلم بما لا يقاس
April 11, 2025
"الجهل يعمي أبصارنا ويضللنا
أيها البشر الفانون ! افتحوا أعينكم !"
ليوناردو دافنشي
في رواية الكاتب البوليسي "دان بروان" الثالثة, والثانية لشخصية "روبرت لانجدون" عالم الرموز, يحدثنا عن الأصول التاريخية لوضع المرأة في ثنايا قصته البوليسية المحبوكة جيداً, والمرصعة بالأعمال الفنية لفنانين تمركزت أعمالهم عن هذه القضية
"الكريبتكس"
"جزء من لوحة العشاء الأخير لـ ليوناردو دافنشي"
ففي عالمنا الحالي ينظر للنساء نظرة دونية, فلا يوجد حاخامات يهوديات ولا كاهنات كاثوليكيات, ولا شيخات مسلمات
وهذا الحال كان مختلفاً تماماً في الأديان الوثنية القديمة, فقد كانت المرأة هي رمز الخصوبة والحياة, كانت المرأة مقدسة وكانت الآلهة نساء
ولكن متى وكيف حدث هذا التحول في نظرة الأديان الرئيسية للمرأة؟
"جزء من لوحة الموناليزا"
يعود الأمر, كما يحكي لنا دان بروان, للصراع بين الكنيسة المسيحية والأديان الوثنية في الدولة الرومانية
وكان آنذاك الدين الرسمي في روما هو عبادة الشمس التي لا تقهر, وكان قسطنطين هو كبير كهنتها.
لكن لسوء حظه, كان هناك اهتياج ديني متزايد يجتاح روما. فقد كان عدد أتباع المسيح يتضاعف بشكل مهول, وذلك بعد مرور ثلاثة قرون من صلبه
عندئذ بدأ المسيحيون والوثنيون يتحاربون وتصاعدت حدة النزاع بينهما حتى وصلت لدرجة هددت بانقسام روما إلى قسمين
فرأى قسطنطين أنه يجب أن يتخذ قرار حاسم في هذا الخصوص. وفي عام 325 قرر توحيد روما تحت لواء دين واحد, ألا وهو المسيحية
ولقد كان قسطنطين رجل أعمال حاد الذكاء, فقد استطاع أن يرى أن نجم المسيحية كان في صعود فقرر ببساطة أن يراهن على الفرس الرابحة
واتبع طريقة ذكية لتحويل الوثنيين عن عبادة الشمس إلى اعتناق دين المسيحية, حيث أنه خلق ديناً هجيناً كان مقبولاً من الطرفين وذلك من خلال دمج الرموز والتواريخ والطقوس الوثنية في التقاليد والعادات المسيحية الجديدة
عملية تشويه في الشكل, فأثار الدين الوثني في الرموز المسيحية شديدة الوضوح ولا يمكن نكرانها. فأقراص الشمس المصرية أصبحت الهالات التي تحيط برؤوس القديسين الكاثوليكيين, والرموز التصويرية لإيزيس وهي تحضن طفلها المعجزة حورس أصبحت أساس صورنا الحديثة لمريم العذراء تحتضن وترضع المسيح الرضيع
وكل عناصر الطقوس الكاثوليكية مثل تاج الأسقف والمذبح والتسبيح والمناولة وطقس "طعام الرب", كلها مأخوذة مباشرة من أديان قديمة وثنية غامضة
ولا يمكن أن تكون صدفة أن الإله الفارسي مثرا - والذي كان يلقب أيضاً بابن الرب ونور العالم - كان قد ولد 25 ديسمبر, وعندما مات دفن في قبر حجري ثم بعث حياً بعد ثلاثة أيام.
حتى أن يوم العطلة الأسبوعية قد سرق من الوثنين عابدي الشمس, ففي البداية كان المسيحيون يتعبدون مع اليهود في يوم السبت, ثم انتقلوا للاحتفال بيوم الأحد Sunday, أي يوم الشمس.
وأثناء عملية دمج الأديان تلك, كان قسطنطين بحاجة لتوطيد التعاليم المسيحية الجديدة, فقام بعقد الاجتماع المسكوني الذي عرف بالمجمع النيقاوي نسبة إلى مدينة نيقة
وفي هذا الاجتماع تمت مناقشة العديد من مظاهر المسيحية والتصويت عليها, مثل اليوم الذي سيتم فيه الاحتفال بعيد الفصح ودور الأساقفة وإدارة الأسرار المقدسة وأخيراً إلوهية يسوع المسيح
حتى تلك اللحظة في تاريخ البشرية, كان المسيح في نظر أتباعه نبياً فانياً... رجل عظيم ذو سلطة واسعة, إلا أنه كان رجلاً ... إنساناً فانياً
ليس ابن الرب, ففكرة ابن الرب قد اقترحت رسمياً وتم التصويت عليها من قبل المجلس النيقاوي, وكان الفرق في الأصوات يكاد لا يذكر.
غير أن تأكيد فكرة إلوهية المسيح كان ضرورياً جداً لتوطيد الوحدة في الإمبراطورية الرومانية ولإقامة القاعدة الجديدة لسلطة الفاتيكان
ومن خلال المصادقة الرسمية على كون المسيح إبناً للرب, حول قسطنطين المسيح إلى إله مترفع عن عالم البشر ... كينونة تتمتع بسلطة لا يمكن تحديدها أبداً
وهذا الأمر لم يعمل على وضع حد لتحديات الوثنيين للمسيحية فحسب, بل بسبب ذلك لن يتمكن أتباع المسيح الآن من التحرر من الخطايا إلا بواسطة طريق مقدسة جديدة وهي الكنيسة الكاثوليكية الرومانية
إن المسألة كلها كانت مسألة سلطة ونفوذ لا أكثر
وبما أن قسطنطين قد قام برفع منزلة المسيح بعد مضي حوالي أربعة قرون على موته, فقد كانت هناك الآلاف من الوثائق التي سجلت حياته على أنه إنسان فان
وعرف قسطنطين أنه لكي يتمكن من إعادة كتابة التاريخ, كان بحاجة إلى ضربة جريئة
فأمر قسطنطين, بإنجيل جديد وقام بتمويله. أبطل فيه الأناجيل التي تحدثت عن السمات الإنسانية للمسيح وزين تلك التي أظهرت المسيح بصفات إلهية وحرمت الأناجيل الأولى وتم جمعها وحرقها
وكان كل من يفضل الأناجيل الممنوعة على نسخة قسطنطين, يتهم بالهرطقة وكلمة مهرطق تعود إلى تلك اللحظة التاريخية, وإن الكلمة اللاتينية هيريتيكوس haereticus تعني الاختيار ولذا فأولئك الذين اختاروا التاريخ الأصلي للمسيح كانوا أول (المهرطقين) في التاريخ
ولحس حظ المؤرخين, فإن بعض الأناجيل التي حاول قسطنطين محوها من الوجود تمكنت من النجاة. فقد تم العثور على وثائق البحر الميت عام 1950 مخبأة في كهف, كما عثر على الوثائق القبطية 1945.
وقد تحدثت تلك الوثائق عن كهنوت المسيح بمصطلحات إنسانية تماماً بالإضافة إلى أنها روت قصة مريم المجدلية الحقيقية
وقد حاول الفاتيكان كعادته في إخفاء الحقيقة وتضليل البشر, أن يمنع نشر تلك الوثائق. حيث أن الوثائق تلقي الضوء على تناقضات وفبركات تاريخية فاضحة تؤكد بشدة أن الإنجيل الحديث كان قد جمع ونقخ على يد رجال ذوي أهداف سياسية تتجلى بنشر أكاذيب حول إلوهية الإنسان يسوع المسيح واستخدام تأثيره لتدعيم قاعدة سلطتهم ونفوذهم
إن الكنسية كانت بحاجة لإقناع العالم بأن النبي الفاني يسوع المسيح كان كائناً إلهياً
ولهذا فإن أي إنجيل من الأناجيل كان يتضمن في طياته وصفاً لمظاهر إنسانية فانية من حياة المسيح, كان يجب حذفه من الإنجيل الذي جمع في عهد قسطنطين
لكن من سوء حظ المحررين الأوائل, كان هناك موضوع بشري مزعج يتكرر في كل الأناجيل, وهو موضوع زواج يسوع من مريم المجدلية
والتي حسب إنجيل مريم المجدلية, هي من اختارها يسوع ليعهد إليها بتعاليم بناء الكنيسة المسيحية في حالة تم اغتياله, واعترض بطرس المتعصب للرجال, والذي كان يغار منها, بشدة.
وتحولت مريم المجدلية من سيدة غنية من السلالة الملكية, إلى فقيرة مومس في العهد الجديد, لكي يحطوا من قدرها, ومن بعدها قدر كل أنثى.
كان أحد أساسات الديانات القديمة مفهوم أن المرأة هي المانحة للحياة. حيث أن عملية الولادة كانت حدثاً سحرياً ومؤثراً
ولكن ذلك كان يتعارض مع مصالح رجال الكنيسة, كمحتكري طريق الخلاص, والتعاليم التي تمنح للبشر أفضل حياة. كما أن فكرة الأنثى المقدسة تغذي فكرة الآلهة الأنثى المقدسة في مقابل الإله المسيحي يسوع.
فقررت الكنيسة أن تسرق قوة المرأة الخالقة من خلال إنكار الحقيقة البيولوجية وجعل الرجل هو الخالق. يخبرنا سفر التكوين أن حواء خلقت من ضلع آدم. وبذلك أصبحت المرأة فرعاً من الرجل والأسوأ هو أنها ارتكبت خطيئة من أجل ذلك. كان سفر التكوين هو بداية النهاية بالنسبة للآلهة الأنثى.
قسطنطين وخلفاؤه الذكور نجحوا في تحويل العالم من الوثنية المؤنثة إلى المسيحية الذكورية وذلك بإطلاق حملات تشهير حولت الأنثى المقدسة إلى شيطان مريد ومحت تماماً أي أثر للآلهة الأنثى في الدين الحديث
ولم يتوقف الأمر عند الأنثى فقط, فقد قامت الكنيسة بتشويه كل رموز الديانات القديمة وشيطنتها
فالنجمة الخماسية رمز فينوس آلهة الأنوثة الحب والجمال, تم تعديلها بواسطة الكنيسة الرومانية الكاثوليكية القديمة لتصبح رمز للشيطان
ورمح بوسيدون الثلاثي أصبح شوكة الشيطان
وقبعة العجوز الحكيمة المدببة أصبحت رمز الساحرة الشمطاء
وبافوميت, إله الخصوبة والإنجاب, الذي يتمثل برأس خروف, هو تصور الشيطان ذو القرنين الحالي
وأصبحت كلمة بيجان – عبادة الطبيعة – ترادف تقريباً عبادة الشيطان, والبيجانز هم حرفياً سكان القرى, والذين لم يؤمنوا بمذهب معين وتمسكوا بالأديان القروية القديمة التي تقوم على عبادة الطبيعة. ووصل خوف الكنيسة منهم لدرجة أن كلمة "فيلان" أي القروي, والتي كان يوماً بريئة, أصبحت تعني اليوم الأرواح الشريرة.
ثم كان أكثر كتاب دموي عرفه تاريخ البشرية على الإطلاق, وهو "مالوس مالفيكاروم" – أو مطرقة الساحرات - هذا الكتاب الذي لقن العالم فكرة "خطر النساء الملحدات ذوات الأفكار المتحررة"
وعلمت الإكليروس كيفية العثور عليهن وتعذيبهن وقتلهن
ومن بين اللواتي كانت تحكم عليهن الكنيسة بأنهن "ساحرات" كن كل العالمات والكاهنات والغجريات والمتصوفات ومحبات الطبيعة وجامعات الأعشاب الطبية
وكان يتم قتل القابلات بسبب ممارستهم المهرطقة حيث يستخدمن الخبرة والمعرفة الطبية لتخفيف آلام الوضع – وهي حسب ادعاء الكنيسة آلام فرضتها العدالة الإلهية على النساء عقاباً لهن على ذنب حواء التي أكلت من تفاحة المعرفة, وهذا الإدعاء كانت فكرة نشوء الخطيئة الأولى
ولعلكم تذكرون أن هذا المنع استمر للعصور الحديثة, حيث أنه عندما اكتشف المخدر في أول الأمر حظرت الكنيسة استخدامه في الولادة
وفي النهاية أثمر تشويه الحقيقة وإراقة الدماء, وتم التخلص من خمسة ملايين ساحرة في خلال الثلاثة قرون الأولى
**
و يبدو لي أن الحديث التاريخي مثل الجزء السابق من المراجعة, تمت كتابته كمقال أو بحث عن الموضوع, ثم أدخل عليها الحوار, فإذا أزلت تعليقات "صوفي", ستجد موضوعاً مفصلاً. وبهذه الطريقة أحسست بوجود نقص ما كان قد كتبه دان براون ولكنه اقتطعه لاحقاً. جزء عن حياة المسيح الأولى. ربما لم يكن متأكداً وربما أراد حصر ردود الفعل الغاضبة في زاوية ضيقة.
لقد قدّم الكاتب كتابه في أكتر صيغة من الممكن أن يرضي بها المسيحيين, لقد قدّم الكثير من قرابين المودة ليكسبهم في صفه ضد الكنيسة الكاثوليكية, التي قدمها وكأنها قد خدعت المسيحيين.
لقد قدّم تاريخ موازي, مخالف لما يرويه الفاتيكان, فما كان من الفاتيكان إلا أن أمرت المسيحيين بعدم قراءة الكتاب.
تعم, نحن في الألفية الثالثة وهناك من يظن أنه يستطيع أن يمنع الناس من قراءة شيئاً. وتتوهم الفاتيكان بأنه عندما تخبر الناس بأن قراءة هذا الكتاب حرام, فسيمتنعون عنه.
كما أنها تتعمد التزييف بأن دان بروان يتناول المسيح بسوء, والواقع أنه إنما يتناول الكنيسة الكاثوليكية الرومانية (الفاتيكان) فقط بالسوء.
"كثيرون هم الذين اتخذوا من الأوهام
والمعجزات الزائفة وخذاع البشر تجارة لهم"
ليوناردو دافنشي
**
ترجمة الدار العربية للعلوم لـسمة محمد عبد ربه, جيدة وأمينة, وتحاكي أسلوب الكاتب لأقصى حد ممكن
August 23, 2011
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 see all the rage. Other than the obvious religious flavor of the content, it reminded me of your typical page-turning, popcorn beach read and I thought it accomplished its goal in decent, if unremarkable, fashion.
Now I have a strict “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t mock, don’t preach” approach when it comes to religiousness so I am going to ignore the bird-flipping Vatican bash aspects of the story, though I can certainly see people on both sides of the fence having “epic rah rah” or “epic fail” reactions and I respect that. For me, it didn’t move my needle much in either direction beyond my fondness for the “big hidden history mystery” which is something I generally really enjoy.
The plot of this one has been talked to death and beyond so rather than adding one more jelly bean to the jar, I thought I would just run down a few likes and dislikes about the story and leave it at that.
TURN ONS
1. Conspiracy theories: are just fully fun and I am a major sucker for plots concerning “shadow” histories and secret people doing secret things behind secret doors for reasons that are SHHHHHHH. I love a good conspiracy. Find me a rumor involving Kim Kardashian being a Bilderberger and using a secret banking pipeline running from Area 51 through Microsoft to the Saudi Royal Family and laundering vast monies to be used to coordinate the sale of Boise, Idaho to a mysterious consortium headed by Jay Z and Justin Bieber who will then turn the city into a giant quasi-government facility used for the testing of alien “cloning” technology………….and I am glued to my seat and ONE HAPPY FELLA.
2. Knights Templar: As much as I love conspiracies in general, when you throw the Knights Templar into the mix, it’s gonna perk me up better than a latte enema. I am always in favor of having them show up as a lynch pin to any massive global plot. The Knights Templar are like caramel on ice cream and just make a good conspiracy better. I had a lot of fun with the rehash of the Templar’s place in the center of EVERYTHING.
3. Symbology, Da Vinci and the Holy Grail (the IDEA): I thought the major plot components themselves were interesting and I enjoyed following the hidden clues, messages, riddles and the tie in to all of the famous historical artifacts. It was fun. I also liked the “historical significance” of the search (i.e., the “big reveal”) and the implications to the world if revealed.
TURN OFFS
1. Symbology, Da Vinci and the Holy Grail (the EXECUTION): As much as I enjoyed the plot concept, the execution of the story was often frustrating and occasionally insulting. I’m not talking about the clunky, “serviceable at best” prose as that’s gotten enough play without my squirting lighter fluid on the bonfire. My issue is more with Dan feeling the need to “spoon feed” me details about his “oh so clever plot” so that my economy-sized brain could grasp it.
For example, there would be a “reveal” that I thought was interesting….and then Dan would exhaust me with explaining EXACTLY what that meant and EXACTLY what the implications were and make sure I knew EXACTLY what he had told me. I get it Mr. Brown, heard you the first time.
2. THRILLer killing amounts of PLOD: For a page turning, actiony thriller, there was just too much sideways movement of the plot and some really unnecessary amounts of plod to the narrative. Part of this has to do with the excessive “hand holding” Dan does with his audience mentioned above. However, there are also WAY too much time spent slowing down to take a look around and where we are and where we’ve been. I started getting the impression that Brown was trying to hit a particular page count for the book and didn’t have anything but filler to loan the pages with. This is never a good thing for this kind of story.
3. The End: Not a big fan of the final resolution of the story and I found it very un climaxy and a bit of a let down. Once we have the big reveal, very little new information ever really got added to the picture and I felt like my curiosity should have been stroked a few more times than it was in the home stretch. This lack of satisfying climax left me with a serious case of “blue brain.”
Still, overall, this was a good, serviceable mystery-thriller that seems tailor-made for a warm afternoon on the sand. It isn’t great literature, or even good literature, but it is a good thriller, a good concept and, for the most part, fun. It seems to accomplish pretty much exactly what it set out to do.
2.5 to 3.0 stars.
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 see all the rage. Other than the obvious religious flavor of the content, it reminded me of your typical page-turning, popcorn beach read and I thought it accomplished its goal in decent, if unremarkable, fashion.
Now I have a strict “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t mock, don’t preach” approach when it comes to religiousness so I am going to ignore the bird-flipping Vatican bash aspects of the story, though I can certainly see people on both sides of the fence having “epic rah rah” or “epic fail” reactions and I respect that. For me, it didn’t move my needle much in either direction beyond my fondness for the “big hidden history mystery” which is something I generally really enjoy.
The plot of this one has been talked to death and beyond so rather than adding one more jelly bean to the jar, I thought I would just run down a few likes and dislikes about the story and leave it at that.
TURN ONS
1. Conspiracy theories: are just fully fun and I am a major sucker for plots concerning “shadow” histories and secret people doing secret things behind secret doors for reasons that are SHHHHHHH. I love a good conspiracy. Find me a rumor involving Kim Kardashian being a Bilderberger and using a secret banking pipeline running from Area 51 through Microsoft to the Saudi Royal Family and laundering vast monies to be used to coordinate the sale of Boise, Idaho to a mysterious consortium headed by Jay Z and Justin Bieber who will then turn the city into a giant quasi-government facility used for the testing of alien “cloning” technology………….and I am glued to my seat and ONE HAPPY FELLA.
2. Knights Templar: As much as I love conspiracies in general, when you throw the Knights Templar into the mix, it’s gonna perk me up better than a latte enema. I am always in favor of having them show up as a lynch pin to any massive global plot. The Knights Templar are like caramel on ice cream and just make a good conspiracy better. I had a lot of fun with the rehash of the Templar’s place in the center of EVERYTHING.
3. Symbology, Da Vinci and the Holy Grail (the IDEA): I thought the major plot components themselves were interesting and I enjoyed following the hidden clues, messages, riddles and the tie in to all of the famous historical artifacts. It was fun. I also liked the “historical significance” of the search (i.e., the “big reveal”) and the implications to the world if revealed.
TURN OFFS
1. Symbology, Da Vinci and the Holy Grail (the EXECUTION): As much as I enjoyed the plot concept, the execution of the story was often frustrating and occasionally insulting. I’m not talking about the clunky, “serviceable at best” prose as that’s gotten enough play without my squirting lighter fluid on the bonfire. My issue is more with Dan feeling the need to “spoon feed” me details about his “oh so clever plot” so that my economy-sized brain could grasp it.
For example, there would be a “reveal” that I thought was interesting….and then Dan would exhaust me with explaining EXACTLY what that meant and EXACTLY what the implications were and make sure I knew EXACTLY what he had told me. I get it Mr. Brown, heard you the first time.
2. THRILLer killing amounts of PLOD: For a page turning, actiony thriller, there was just too much sideways movement of the plot and some really unnecessary amounts of plod to the narrative. Part of this has to do with the excessive “hand holding” Dan does with his audience mentioned above. However, there are also WAY too much time spent slowing down to take a look around and where we are and where we’ve been. I started getting the impression that Brown was trying to hit a particular page count for the book and didn’t have anything but filler to loan the pages with. This is never a good thing for this kind of story.
3. The End: Not a big fan of the final resolution of the story and I found it very un climaxy and a bit of a let down. Once we have the big reveal, very little new information ever really got added to the picture and I felt like my curiosity should have been stroked a few more times than it was in the home stretch. This lack of satisfying climax left me with a serious case of “blue brain.”
Still, overall, this was a good, serviceable mystery-thriller that seems tailor-made for a warm afternoon on the sand. It isn’t great literature, or even good literature, but it is a good thriller, a good concept and, for the most part, fun. It seems to accomplish pretty much exactly what it set out to do.
2.5 to 3.0 stars.
November 5, 2022
The literati: "The Da Vinci Code is simply a poorly written thriller with a controversial hypothesis about the life of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church."
Millions of readers: "I am obsessed with The Da Vinci Code".
Literati: "now go and get a very well written thriller with key themescentred around the human existence".
Millions of readers: "cheers, but no thanks...we've just ordered the first book in the Robert Langdon series".
For all those that lambast The Da Vinci Code's writing, grammar, depth etc. maybe they finally realised what many readers could have told them (if they'd ask), that maybe the key component of a story, is the story? And that's Dan Brown's winning play in this convoluted secret (faux) history uncovered adventure with over-the-top antagonists, he gives us a story that could touch all our lives, and to a degree that we care about. Hey, and it got millions of people interested in Fibonacci Numbers; and in reading in general :) On first reading it's pretty gripping but by my third (this) read the bending of so many facts and or inclusion of so many conspiracy theories takes the gleam of the story for me, to be honest, so a Two Star, 5 out of 12 from me.
2004 read; 2005 read; 2022 read
Millions of readers: "I am obsessed with The Da Vinci Code".
Literati: "now go and get a very well written thriller with key themescentred around the human existence".
Millions of readers: "cheers, but no thanks...we've just ordered the first book in the Robert Langdon series".
For all those that lambast The Da Vinci Code's writing, grammar, depth etc. maybe they finally realised what many readers could have told them (if they'd ask), that maybe the key component of a story, is the story? And that's Dan Brown's winning play in this convoluted secret (faux) history uncovered adventure with over-the-top antagonists, he gives us a story that could touch all our lives, and to a degree that we care about. Hey, and it got millions of people interested in Fibonacci Numbers; and in reading in general :) On first reading it's pretty gripping but by my third (this) read the bending of so many facts and or inclusion of so many conspiracy theories takes the gleam of the story for me, to be honest, so a Two Star, 5 out of 12 from me.
2004 read; 2005 read; 2022 read
December 25, 2024
Dan Brown - image from USA Today
A real page-turner, about a Holy Grail quest. It is replete with oodles of interesting little items about church history, the true meaning of the grail, secret societies through the ages, Opus Dei and architectural details.
Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou as Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu - image from Rotten Tomatoes
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 with characters such as Silas, an albino ex-con who has seen the light and been taken in by the head of a Catholic extremist cult, Leigh, a British knight obsessed with finding the grail. Great fun!
Paul Bettany as Silas - image from Rotten Tomatoes
(Rotten Tomatoes gave it only a 57% rating, but I liked it a lot.)
I also reviewed Brown''s
-----Angels and Demons
-----The Lost Symbol and
-----Inferno
June 23, 2008
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 fashion I found it to be one of the mindless things ever.
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 fashion I found it to be one of the mindless things ever.
December 29, 2017
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 author.
It is not a well-written, exciting thriller.
It is Brown in Wonderland, minus the humour, the wit and the beautiful language of the Wonderland Alice visited, and minus the credible plot.
It is not something a bookworm like me HAS to read! Okay? Once and for all, no!
"Lisa, you as a book lover and art historian must love Dan Brown!"
No! Period. I don't. I read three ... THREE! ... of his arrogant idiocies posing as novels. I DON'T love him.
It makes me furious to get the question, over and over:
"How much of what he discovered on Leonardo is true?"
I did not write a review, I hope. It would have been a bad one. Let's forget it.
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 author.
It is not a well-written, exciting thriller.
It is Brown in Wonderland, minus the humour, the wit and the beautiful language of the Wonderland Alice visited, and minus the credible plot.
It is not something a bookworm like me HAS to read! Okay? Once and for all, no!
"Lisa, you as a book lover and art historian must love Dan Brown!"
No! Period. I don't. I read three ... THREE! ... of his arrogant idiocies posing as novels. I DON'T love him.
It makes me furious to get the question, over and over:
"How much of what he discovered on Leonardo is true?"
I did not write a review, I hope. It would have been a bad one. Let's forget it.
July 2, 2017
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.
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.
May 12, 2016
Exciting news for the blind and partially-sighted community, as the publishers release a Braille version:
February 23, 2022
"French doctors make me nervous."
This was... well, not disappointing, but quite repetitive after reader Angels & Demons. I felt like I should've just read this first instead of trying to work my way through the series from first book in release order.
"I would not wish a British chef on anyone except the French tax collectors."
It's not that the book was bad, but everything came out like it's the same story as the first using a different core element. While everything good about the first book, the pace, the suspense, the twists are stil here, I don't think there is a ton of novelty here other than some detailed and immersive code-breaking. Even the character setup was quite similar to Angels & Demons, with only a couple of minor changes. But as far as pure entertainment is concerned, Brown does deliver well. Not to mention the improved inclination towards humor, which was a welcoming change. What's not so welcoming is the author's continuous use of a second language for conversations.
"Men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire."
This was... well, not disappointing, but quite repetitive after reader Angels & Demons. I felt like I should've just read this first instead of trying to work my way through the series from first book in release order.
"I would not wish a British chef on anyone except the French tax collectors."
It's not that the book was bad, but everything came out like it's the same story as the first using a different core element. While everything good about the first book, the pace, the suspense, the twists are stil here, I don't think there is a ton of novelty here other than some detailed and immersive code-breaking. Even the character setup was quite similar to Angels & Demons, with only a couple of minor changes. But as far as pure entertainment is concerned, Brown does deliver well. Not to mention the improved inclination towards humor, which was a welcoming change. What's not so welcoming is the author's continuous use of a second language for conversations.
"Men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire."
January 14, 2025
Impossibly complicated plot. Really, really, really bad writing. This book was forced upon me. I should have known better.
June 16, 2017
شيفرة دافنتشي عنوان موفق.
فكل الأحداث والرموز والأسرار تبدأ من شيفرة دافنتشي.
لا أستطيع ان انهي رواية لدان براون بسرعة، فهي تحتاج الى قراءة مركزة وإلا فإن الأحداث ستفوتك وتتوه.
طبعا الرموز والصور والمواقع جميعها حقيقية ولكن ان تطوعها من اجل رواية بوليسية مليئة بالمغامرات فهي العبقرية بعينها.
والتنقل بين فصول الرواية غاية في الروعة، فهو ينهي الفصل عند اكتشاف جديد ، كأنك تشاهد فيلما سينمائيا وعندما ينتقل الى موقع اخر في الرواية تغضب وتريد ان يعود الى حيث كنّا ولكن عبقريته في التنقل بين الأحداث يجعلك لا تطيق صبرا للانتهاء من هذا الفصل لتعود الى حيث كنت مع الاكتشاف الجديد.
اعتقد انها اروع رواياته مع انني لم اقرأ رواية الجحيم بعد.
استخدام جوجل للبحث عن الأماكن ورؤيتها او اللوحات الفنية ومشاهدتها أساسي لقراءة الرواية وكل رواياته.
شكرا دان براون
فكل الأحداث والرموز والأسرار تبدأ من شيفرة دافنتشي.
لا أستطيع ان انهي رواية لدان براون بسرعة، فهي تحتاج الى قراءة مركزة وإلا فإن الأحداث ستفوتك وتتوه.
طبعا الرموز والصور والمواقع جميعها حقيقية ولكن ان تطوعها من اجل رواية بوليسية مليئة بالمغامرات فهي العبقرية بعينها.
والتنقل بين فصول الرواية غاية في الروعة، فهو ينهي الفصل عند اكتشاف جديد ، كأنك تشاهد فيلما سينمائيا وعندما ينتقل الى موقع اخر في الرواية تغضب وتريد ان يعود الى حيث كنّا ولكن عبقريته في التنقل بين الأحداث يجعلك لا تطيق صبرا للانتهاء من هذا الفصل لتعود الى حيث كنت مع الاكتشاف الجديد.
اعتقد انها اروع رواياته مع انني لم اقرأ رواية الجحيم بعد.
استخدام جوجل للبحث عن الأماكن ورؤيتها او اللوحات الفنية ومشاهدتها أساسي لقراءة الرواية وكل رواياته.
شكرا دان براون
December 9, 2025
L’UOMO DI VITRUVIO
Il film omonimo è diretto da Ron Howard. È stato un grande successo paragonabile a quello del libro, che ha venduto oltre 80 milioni di copie.
Parigi, il Louvre, un dipinto di Caravaggio, probabilmente La morte della Vergine, un vecchio ferito a morte, allarme che scatta, grate di ferro che scendono, l’assassino che rimane fuori e sembra non riuscire a completare l’opera, il vecchio si denuda e stende per terra per assumere la posizione del celebre Uomo vitruviano di Leonardo da Vinci, che tutti quelli che usano l’aeroporto di Fiumicino hanno imparato a riconoscere. Quando arrivano i soccorsi è troppo tardi, il vecchio è passato a peggiore vita. Ma ha lasciato un testamento prezioso scritto col sangue, alcuni numeri e il nome di Robert Langdon.
Un inizio al Fulmicotone.
Robert Langdon è Tom Hanks, la giovane alle sue spalle è Audrey Tautou.
I vangeli apocrifi, i rotoli del Mar Morto, Maria Maddalena incinta sotto la croce che sposò Gesù resuscitato, una setta con duemila anni alle spalle per custodire il mistero del Santo Graal, i Templari, l’Opus Dei, Merovingi, Priorato di Sion, codici vari, simbologia (il protagonista, Robert Langdon, è celebre proprio per la sua capacità di interpretare segni e simboli), e molto altro, con ritmo incalzante, mozzafiato, mescolato agitato e frullato.
Il film è uscito tre anni dopo il romanzo, nel 2006. Il Louvre, come nel libro, è un set importante.
Per quanto Dan Brown lo presenti come basato su fatti storici reali, documentati e comprovati, e per quanto si sia fatto a gara invece a demolirli e contraddirli, risultano coerenti e verosimili; per quanto io lo abbia a suo modo divorato steso in spiaggia ad evitare l’ombra; e per quanto sia rimasto affascinato per il tempo della lettura – e solo per quello, non un attimo dopo – dal ritmo, dal montaggio alternato, da descrizioni , snodi drammaturgici e colpi di scena, al momento di chiuderlo e metterlo via mi sono accorto che stavo sorridendo e non avevo creduto in nulla di quanto avevo letto.
Opera di pura immaginazione e fantasia.
Alla quale purtroppo manca anche un minimo pizzico di ironia, che avrebbe potuto renderla memorabile: al contrario, è romanzo che si prende dannatamente sul serio.
Il cattivone è un attore che mi piace molto, ma riesco a vedere troppo poco: Paul Bettany.
Il film omonimo è diretto da Ron Howard. È stato un grande successo paragonabile a quello del libro, che ha venduto oltre 80 milioni di copie.
Parigi, il Louvre, un dipinto di Caravaggio, probabilmente La morte della Vergine, un vecchio ferito a morte, allarme che scatta, grate di ferro che scendono, l’assassino che rimane fuori e sembra non riuscire a completare l’opera, il vecchio si denuda e stende per terra per assumere la posizione del celebre Uomo vitruviano di Leonardo da Vinci, che tutti quelli che usano l’aeroporto di Fiumicino hanno imparato a riconoscere. Quando arrivano i soccorsi è troppo tardi, il vecchio è passato a peggiore vita. Ma ha lasciato un testamento prezioso scritto col sangue, alcuni numeri e il nome di Robert Langdon.
Un inizio al Fulmicotone.
Robert Langdon è Tom Hanks, la giovane alle sue spalle è Audrey Tautou.
I vangeli apocrifi, i rotoli del Mar Morto, Maria Maddalena incinta sotto la croce che sposò Gesù resuscitato, una setta con duemila anni alle spalle per custodire il mistero del Santo Graal, i Templari, l’Opus Dei, Merovingi, Priorato di Sion, codici vari, simbologia (il protagonista, Robert Langdon, è celebre proprio per la sua capacità di interpretare segni e simboli), e molto altro, con ritmo incalzante, mozzafiato, mescolato agitato e frullato.
Il film è uscito tre anni dopo il romanzo, nel 2006. Il Louvre, come nel libro, è un set importante.
Per quanto Dan Brown lo presenti come basato su fatti storici reali, documentati e comprovati, e per quanto si sia fatto a gara invece a demolirli e contraddirli, risultano coerenti e verosimili; per quanto io lo abbia a suo modo divorato steso in spiaggia ad evitare l’ombra; e per quanto sia rimasto affascinato per il tempo della lettura – e solo per quello, non un attimo dopo – dal ritmo, dal montaggio alternato, da descrizioni , snodi drammaturgici e colpi di scena, al momento di chiuderlo e metterlo via mi sono accorto che stavo sorridendo e non avevo creduto in nulla di quanto avevo letto.
Opera di pura immaginazione e fantasia.
Alla quale purtroppo manca anche un minimo pizzico di ironia, che avrebbe potuto renderla memorabile: al contrario, è romanzo che si prende dannatamente sul serio.
Il cattivone è un attore che mi piace molto, ma riesco a vedere troppo poco: Paul Bettany.
July 30, 2007
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.
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.
August 6, 2023
Was that the book that made the Vatican tremble? This detective story builds like a TV movie where a handsome guy and a girl strive to solve a schoolboy's riddles to discover the scandalous secret that everyone already knows. The fact that Jesus was a man, that he fucked Mary Magdalene and impregnated her (why not?), and that he was not God's son. Dan Brown was ignoring, in a novel that uses and abuses the notion of mystery, the mystery of the identity of Christ, true God, and true man.
Let's move on. The Da Vinci Code is nothing more than a new version of Indiana Jones, in the American style, with the initial murder, the police error, the (so little) incredible escape of the heroes, the betrayal of the good guy becoming Machiavellian, the hidden microphones, two or three deaths lying around, the reunion of the lost grandmother and brother and the final kiss, prudish, without the slightest trace of eroticism. Yet, simultaneously, the whole book applies itself to magnify the Sacred Feminine.
How, then, to understand the dazzling success of this novel? Let's face it: I let myself take. This feeling of collaborating in the truth's discovery upsets the world's order by deciphering anagrams. This satisfaction of feeling oneself the discoverer as if the solution of a sodoku could collapse an entire civilization. At this little game, the end of the book can only disappoint. Nothing. This scum. Virgo worms. That's to designate only the cup, the chalice, and the Holy Grail. The real mystery is undoubtedly there: by what miracle can a little detective story of nothing become a world affair? Revealing this secret seems much more complicated than Dan Brown's treasure hunt.
Let's move on. The Da Vinci Code is nothing more than a new version of Indiana Jones, in the American style, with the initial murder, the police error, the (so little) incredible escape of the heroes, the betrayal of the good guy becoming Machiavellian, the hidden microphones, two or three deaths lying around, the reunion of the lost grandmother and brother and the final kiss, prudish, without the slightest trace of eroticism. Yet, simultaneously, the whole book applies itself to magnify the Sacred Feminine.
How, then, to understand the dazzling success of this novel? Let's face it: I let myself take. This feeling of collaborating in the truth's discovery upsets the world's order by deciphering anagrams. This satisfaction of feeling oneself the discoverer as if the solution of a sodoku could collapse an entire civilization. At this little game, the end of the book can only disappoint. Nothing. This scum. Virgo worms. That's to designate only the cup, the chalice, and the Holy Grail. The real mystery is undoubtedly there: by what miracle can a little detective story of nothing become a world affair? Revealing this secret seems much more complicated than Dan Brown's treasure hunt.
August 8, 2008
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 political process has been poisoned by it and the danger of theocracy is quite real. Furthermore, Brown's indictment of the Church for removing or suppressing feminine divinity figures is justified and needs a much closer look. Women do not have enough of a role in religion, religious practice, heroic myths, and creation myths, nor are they portrayed as divinity figures enough. In short, our religious systems and institutions lack balance and have a bias to suppress issues, stories, and roles that empower women to live as equals to men. Finally, Brown wrote his story simplistically, in my view, to spread his tale to as broad an audience as possible. Though it is not as pristine a narrative as, say, Umberto Eco, the message it conveys is one that needs to be heard. More obscure books on the matter are not as accessible as Da Vinci Code and if someone were to write an accessible book of genius on this subject, I would give him/her all due praise. In the meantime, Dan Brown is telling a story that needs to be told. It is one that has been kept quiet and in the dark for far too long.
May 8, 2018
Español - English
Cuando sabe que lo asesinarán, Jacques Sauniere, deja una serie de pistas dirigidas a su nieta Sophie para que contacte a Robert Landon y le ayude a decifrarlas. El secreto podría cambiar por completo la historia de la humanidad.
En mi país, República Dominicana, este libro causó un gran revuelo ya que la historia católica prohibió a sus seguidos que leyeran el libro por encontrar que la historia es en contra de las bases de su doctrina, logrando con esto justamente lo contrario.
Creo que es primer libro que leí del género y esta tan bien escrito que me enganchó y no pude parar de leerlo.
La película es muy buena, pero nada iguala al libro.
---
When he knows that he will be murdered, Jacques Sauniere leaves a series of clues to his granddaughter Sophie to contact Robert Landon and help her decipher them. The secret could completely change the history of humanity.
In my country, Dominican Republic, this book caused a stir as Catholic church forbade its followers to read the book to find that the story is against the bases of their doctrine, achieving just the opposite.
I think it's the first book I read of the genre and it's so well written that I got hooked and could not stop reading it.
The movie is very good, but nothing equals the book.
Cuando sabe que lo asesinarán, Jacques Sauniere, deja una serie de pistas dirigidas a su nieta Sophie para que contacte a Robert Landon y le ayude a decifrarlas. El secreto podría cambiar por completo la historia de la humanidad.
En mi país, República Dominicana, este libro causó un gran revuelo ya que la historia católica prohibió a sus seguidos que leyeran el libro por encontrar que la historia es en contra de las bases de su doctrina, logrando con esto justamente lo contrario.
Creo que es primer libro que leí del género y esta tan bien escrito que me enganchó y no pude parar de leerlo.
La película es muy buena, pero nada iguala al libro.
---
When he knows that he will be murdered, Jacques Sauniere leaves a series of clues to his granddaughter Sophie to contact Robert Landon and help her decipher them. The secret could completely change the history of humanity.
In my country, Dominican Republic, this book caused a stir as Catholic church forbade its followers to read the book to find that the story is against the bases of their doctrine, achieving just the opposite.
I think it's the first book I read of the genre and it's so well written that I got hooked and could not stop reading it.
The movie is very good, but nothing equals the book.
June 29, 2017
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.
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.
June 30, 2007
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.
March 31, 2022
Interesting plot, but not quite an entertaining thriller. It was too long or was it because this was a group read and we read a few chapters a day so it felt like forever. I enjoyed the movie better.
I borrowed three formats from my library. Audio, ebook, and this interesting edition "The Da Vinci Code special illustrated edition". It looks like the glossy hardcover type for your coffee table. The chapters match the actual book. It's less wordy and includes photographs of objects, paintings, and places which makes it more interesting.
Still, I'm happy I "read along" with Goodread folks, thanks Lisa!!🥰 I may continue with the series since the latest one Origin was very good!
I borrowed three formats from my library. Audio, ebook, and this interesting edition "The Da Vinci Code special illustrated edition". It looks like the glossy hardcover type for your coffee table. The chapters match the actual book. It's less wordy and includes photographs of objects, paintings, and places which makes it more interesting.
Still, I'm happy I "read along" with Goodread folks, thanks Lisa!!🥰 I may continue with the series since the latest one Origin was very good!
July 18, 2013
It's considered an unfair advantage using a cryptex box to solve this.
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