Rating: 
Summary: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
Review: The subject matter that is contained within the pages of Mr. Brown's book is stellar. For most readers, it will be obvious that he spent an enormous amount of time researching material for his book. And therein lies this author's problem. The story is not as much a story as it is a commercially-driven plot gimmick. The chapters are rarely more than 4 pages a piece. Sometimes, they are not even an entire page. This is to take the reader's breath away, so that s/he feels as though the pace is "lightening fast" (to quote one of the glowing reviews from the back of the book). Yet, this gimmick is incredibly annoying, especially when the intelligent reader knows that half of the time Mr. Brown's chapter breaks are entirely unnecessary and understands that Brown never lets his readers breathe. For over 300 pages. The characters are underdeveloped and the foreshadowing weak. At the end of the story, when the identity of "The Teacher" is revealed, along with one of the accomplices, Mr. Brown has to go back and explain to the reader the hows and whys of who did what, a la a "Scooby Doo" episode. Yet, the information contained in the book is what propells Mr. Brown's story and saves it. It's not a horrible book. Just disappointing because this is interesting, historically accurate material...and Brown completely misses the mark by telling--not showing, the trademark of a good writer--his readers a loose, lazily written story. But the information that drives the plot is fascinating. If you don't mind gimmicks and commercial fiction, then by all means buy this book and enjoy. But if you are interested in it solely because of the information it is based on, I suggest purchasing a piece of nonfiction that deals with the same material. You'll skip the unessential stuff. Fast-paced thriller, yes. Intelligent...hmm, maybe in regards to research and time the author put into his book. Good read? Probably. Good book? No.
Rating: 
Summary: Dan Brown the master of the disguise!
Review: The substance of this book distorts the basis of the faith of one of the great religions of the world, i.e., faith in the Divinity and Integrity of Christ. Much of the book depends on distorting the painting of the Last Supper. Was Leonardo da Vinci capable of this? Although a genius in many fields, he was not known for formal religious faith, but neither was he a religious fool. No, it was not da Vinci who painted Mary Magdalane into the Last Supper scene; he wouldn't have thought of it.
Dan Brown's fantasies did. Shame on you for your distortion of Christianity and for falsifying the history and intent of a great Church. By the way, is that Dan Brown dressed up like Mona Lisa on the cover of the book? Look carefully!
Yes, it DOES resemble him form the inside jacket cover; soft and femine, crossed over eyes, pasty complexion, and vacant eyebrows.
I think we have cause for a book here! "The Brownie Code!"
(The Autobiography of Dan Brown trying to become the next Mona Lisa)
I wonder if Dan could write it?
Probably! He does so well with fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: Deepak Chopra meets Encyclopedia Brown
Review: The subtle and brilliantly hidden clues that Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon discovers are like Chopra's Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire. They're all there yet only by stepping back - real far back- to the borders of the mind and beyond- is Langdon able to see them. What was Da Vinci thinking!?!?! It's the same concept as Seurat's pointilism. This is a great book and actually it made me pick up Chopra's new book as well where I found even more profound clues about real life. Great job by Dan Brown.
Rating:
Summary: Don't let the phony negative reviews fool you
Review: The success of this book is evident in all the phony reviews placed here by extremist fundamental christers who probably haven't read the book at all. I just read an article about extreme fundamentalists being encouraged to leave negative reviews about works thier church leadership deemed worthy of censorship. They fill their reviews with the same dribble near word for word found in their extremist political spam and radio shows. For example: "I've never written a negative review on Amazon before, but I felt I had to alert readers to, as it were, "the facts of the case."" That sounds like a 10 year old faking a letter to Penthouse magazine. And, "The basis of his claims come from second rate New Agey conspiracy theorists and Crunchy Granola Goddess Worshippers." Do good readers really speak that way? Not likely. I've noticed a great many books on Amazon suffer from these bogus reviews that all seem like they are written by the same person. Or more likely, written by many people who all listen to the same lemming hour radio show.
It's a good fun read and the research is great. If only 90% of this is true (proveable) it's a great investment of your time. Still, reading won't unravel your world or bring the end of life as we know it. But you might feel a lot more aware of our world and how it got this way. Good luck!
Rating:
Summary: A thinking person's book
Review: The success of this book is that it's a fictional work that brings the non-fictional world into better focus. As a story, it's fine and interesting enough to hold your attention. I found myself staying up til the wee hours of the morning in a race to finish it, but I'll also admit it's not any kind of epic piece of literature. It's a fun loving and informative summer novel. The 5 star rating is for the fact that it opens the reader's eyes to topics in history, art, mathematics, and religion that might have been overlooked, but which are startingly true. No matter how fantastical the background to the tale may sound, remember that none of the background is a work of fiction. And for those disturbed by how the real world organization of Opus Dei is portrayed in the book, be aware that the organization's aspects depicted in the book are also true. There are many legitimate books, websites and support groups available to confirm all the darker issues depicted in this book. I'm convinced the author was more concerned about informing the world about all these background issues than about the fictional plot. In this he succeeded. This book has provoked many eye opening discussions amongst folks I know and for that I am eternally grateful. Any book that can produce the amount of intellectual discourse and soul searching that I've recently observed deserves 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: An all-around amazing book
Review: The suspense and the riddles made this book fun, but the knowledge it truley contained is why I loved it. Though you have to be openminded to read it, it can truley make you look at things closely and re-consider what you've been told.
Rating:
Summary: Think as you read this book
Review: The suspense in this book makes it riveting in parts. However, one should remember that it is a work of fiction. Undoubtedly, when you mix reality (e.g. names of famous historical figures and the existence to the Church)with fiction, a book becomes controversial. As I read, I actually felt like making marks in the margin where I thought the author was not making too much sense or was simply wrong. For example, claims of pro-feminine aims on the part of the Knights Templar (an exclusively male organisation!)are certainly suspect. In addition, the assertions relating to male-female influences/relations before the time of the Church are clearly seen as incorrect if one has a knowledge of BC world history.
The book appears to assume a significant degree of credulity (as opposed to 'imagination') in the reader, which is unfortunate as it makes the reading experience less pleasurable. One needs to remember that although containing many factual snippets, this is primarily a work of fiction. Keep the brain in gear while reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very fast read
Review: The thing that really got me after I completed the book (in under 2 days!) was that most of the novel expands 7 hours. With a lot of flashbacks, character points of view and history to keep you going, this book is one of the most fast paced books I have ever read. The story behind the mystery is very enticing. I noticed some of the other reviewers mentioned sitting by a computer while they read the story - I too did this and interrupted my reading quite frequently to look up details. At the very least, keep a thorough art book - Renaissance in particular - handy while you read this novel. Definite top 5 books I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Dan Brown, Charlatan
Review: The title of my review says it all. But for those of you out there who think Dan Brown has uncovered the truth about Christian origins--and there seem to be an astounding number of otherwise sensible, intelligent people who think he's done just that--I'll explain myself. It's not that he doesn't have every right to construct a thriller based on perhaps the most egregiously bogus material ever assembled; one just doesn't expect the author (and his fawning followers) to act as if it's plausible and use it as a stick to beat up on an institution as venerable as the Catholic Church. Really, his book is in a category with Erich von Daniken and the people who think the Holocaust never occurred. But hey, these are the days of "advocacy scholarship" a la James Carroll, Garry Wills, Elaine Pagels, John Boswell, John Dominic Crossan, and their ilk. These are also the days, apparently, of open season on the Catholic Church. Which is not to say that, despite its absurd premise so ardently put forward, the book is without merit; hence the additional star. One must admit that Dan Brown can tell a story; that he writes engaging characters; that his pacing is deft; that his story arc and architecture rock. Now, if only he could be won over to the side of the angels, but, alas, I fear that is not to be: There's simply too much of the chest-thumping alienated Catholic about his work for that to happen. So, if you must read this nonsense, read it with eyes open, preferably alongside of N. T. Wright's The New Teatament and the People of God, Jesus and the Victory of God, and The Resurrection of the Son of God.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating topic; predictable story
Review: The topic of this book was new to me, but I found it absolutely fascinating and eye-opening (the only reason for the 3 stars)! I immediately went out and bought some informational books on the Priory of Scion and the premise of the Holy Grail. If this book had been about some other fictional topic, I would have put it down after the first few pages. The murder mystery plot was predictable and the "leave-you-hanging" endings to every chapter got old quickly (especially with the large number of chapters in this book). The speed at which this fast-paced mystery and its cryptographic puzzles was solved was completely unbelievable and, quite frankly, insulting. Admittedly, I did find the Epilogue alittle surprising, but nothing else caught me offguard. I'm not one for reading murder mysteries, but because this came so highly recommended by many, I did. Now I've confirmed for myself why I won't be reading anymore.
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