Rating: 
Summary: Dan Brown's 4th and best book
Review: This mystery thriller doesn?t disappoint as it examines how history might have been rewritten if certain historical events had played out differently. Multi-layered, the book takes readers on a trip through a puzzle that requires a different set of operating instructions for each of the levels. And here?s the fun part: when you?ve finished the book, you can go further in the quest via a website!
Superb.
Rating: 
Summary: Proof
Review: This book is simply proof that the Truths of the One Religion, the Holy Catholic Church, with the One God it loves and promotes, will and must endure attacks from those that hate it throughout the ages to the End. This fiction history is nothing more than a re-surfacing of the third century attack on Christ's Divinity, known then (and now) as the HERESY OF ARIANISM. But, those whose faith is strong and foundations firm will not be troubled by this version of 21st Century anti-Christian nonsense.
Rating: 
Summary: As long as your dont stop to think
Review: A few thousand year old mystery kept secret is solved in just a few hours by the protaganists. I tried hard, really hard to enjoy this book but it is too light a book.Read the "Quincunx" instead.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent Thriller
Review: Dan Brown has crafted an intelligent, well researched thriller that masterfully intertwines religion and art history into a rivetting page turner. How is this for a twist, a symbolist and cryptologist are on one night journey to crack the "Grail Code". It is a lot of fun and is intellectually stimulating. This is the first Dan Brown book I've read but will not be the last. A MUST READ!!!
Rating: 
Summary: A fun read but ...
Review: I give this book 3.5 stars. The DaVinci code is basically the story of a grand scavenger hunt that deals with some of the most fundamental issues in western culture. Dan Brown's writing style is a bit basic and won't lead this book to instant recognition as a classic, but it is a fun read, a real page turner and I can certainly understand its best selling status. The book divides itself between three or so plot threads - by the middle of the book nearly every chapter is ending with a mini-clifhanger and compells the reader to keep reading until the clifhanger is resolved. Its a good story and doesn't take a PhD in mathematics or art history to follow - this is both good and bad - I felt that the plot was not quite as intricate as it might have been based on other similarly themed works I've read recently - on the other hand, it was very involving while remaining easy to follow. In the end, though, I was dissapointed that the plot did not seem to get as intricate as it potentially could have, and to me the ending left a little to be desired in that payoff from the grand quest undertaken by the two main characters is more or less left unspoken, even though the book spends most of its ~450 pages building anticipation for exactly that. For those who liked this book and would like to read a somewhat similar story with a bit more depth, I'd recommend Neal Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon".
Rating:
Summary: Newly among my top 10 favorites!
Review: Not being much for thrillers, I was hesitant to start reading this book. After the first few chapters, I was riveted and couldn't put it down! The premise of the plot is the search for the murderer of the curator of the Louvre who was found under extremely suspicious conditions. It takes off from there into a story filled with riddles, ciphers, and twists in the search for the Holy Grail. While most people think of the Grail as the cup from which Jesus drank at the last supper (as did I), in this tale, the supposition is quite surprising. You will learn much about gnosticism, Leonardo DaVinci's works, and goddess worship while you're trying to decipher the clues that lead to the murderer. More than anything, the story of the Knights Templar, the Opus Dei (both religious organizations), and the search for the lost goddess kept me turning the pages. I can't recommend this captivating novel enough. After thinking that it would be nothing special, it's now among my top 10 favorite books - and I read a lot!
Rating: 
Summary: TREV NV Z YIVZP!
Review: The good news is that it is a heck of a fun read. The author's storytelling skills keep the reader in suspense page after page. And every little detail counts, so it's fun to anticipate and see how it is used later in the book. Plus, the nuggets of what the Amazon review describes as "esoteria" should help readers in Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy, and cocktail parties. The bad news is that, as Langdon and Teabing themselves admit, the conspiracy stuff is old news. The "explosive truth" that is guarded as a secret has been alleged for many centuries and has never received popular or academic acceptance, and this is only its latest incarnation and retelling. The author's "genius" is in weaving merely 3 or 4 accepted facts (which he lists in the introduction to the book), with pagan and neopagan beliefs, anti-Catholic conspiracy theories, Knights Templar lore and legend, liberal feminist theology, postmodern critiques, and so on. I sure hope nobody (not one person) takes the allegations in this book for gospel truth. It's a great airplane/airport/vacation read, accompanied with lots of hype. And nothing more. *review title is in atbash, which is one of the parlor games referred to in the book
Rating:
Summary: Gnosticism redux
Review: As someone once said, "Everyone loves a conspiracy theory." Brown doesn't disappoint and resurrects (pun intended) a bit of Gnosticism, which has been around for millenia. The theory goes something like this: The Catholic Church has suppressed the "truth" about Jesus Christ, who was merely human and married Mary Magdalene, who bore his children. According to The Davinci Code, the Catholic Church, in all its misogynistic glory, has deliberately suppressed this information for thousands of years. Like Mark Furman and the L.A. police force's collusion that resulted in the framing of OJ Simpson, the Catholic Church has engaged in an extensive conspiracy for millenia to prevent the faithful from learning the "truth" about Jesus Christ. Despite the obvious shortcomings of the "theory," the book's a great romp and a real page-turner. Beware of the ending, however, since it's so sweet you may lapse into a diabetic coma.
Rating:
Summary: Good research, acceptable plot, horrible ending
Review: While this book is currently selling well, I will be surprised if most people are not disappointed with the ending. The background material for the book (Grail, art, and religious history) seemed to be well researched and inspires me to learn more. Unfortunately, the plot and ending detract from this material; the book would be better if Robert Langdon had not entered the story.
Rating:
Summary: Some flaws, but still an awesome read.
Review: Yes, there is no character development, the writing style is something you would expect from a high school student, and there are implausible circumstances. However, it was impossible for me to put this book down. That's the reason why much of us read to begin with. To find something so captivating that all we think about is when we can get back to it. That's enough of a reason for me to recommend this book.
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