Rating: 
Summary: Pseudo-Intellectual Pulp Fiction
Review: From what I surmise, Dan Brown has an intense interest in the early roots of Christianity. I guess that he had a number of interesting theories supported by specious but tantalizing evidence that couldn't stand up to the scrutiny of non-fiction writing. Instead, he turns his theories into the background for a rather pedestrian murder mystery that Agatha Christie could have churned out between lunch and tea. The plot twists are outrageous, the settings are your typical tourist site backdrops, with standard conspiracy theory thrown in for flavoring. The puzzles for which the book has become famous are far too easy. On the one hand, the two-dimensional characters are incredibly knowledgeable, but on the other it takes them forever to solve puzzles that any one who paid attention in high school world history could solve. The popularity of this novel will inevitably lead to a screenplay, which is well suited for canned Hollywood blockbusters. I gave this book two stars because it is a fairly pleasant read, despite the poor plot and character development. The historical theorizing are also interesting. If Dan Brown had been able to write an entire book just on the anti-feminism of the early church, he would have had a great work. However, it seems that he recognized his scholarship was too shallow for academic scrutiny, so he tried to convey his ideas through rather trite pulp fiction. I sugggest he take all the money he's made from this book and devote his career to plumbing the depths of his theories. He may have something to write about some day.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't bother...
Review: From www.opusdei.org
The Da Vinci Code is a fictional work. Notwithstanding the book's marketing promotion and its pretension to authentic scholarship, the truth is that the novel distorts the historical record about Christianity and the Catholic Church and gives a wholly unrealistic portrayal of the members of Opus Dei and how they live. For example, the Da Vinci Code presents as fact the absurd notion that the fourth century Roman emperor Constantine invented the doctrine of the divinity of Christ, when in fact the New Testament and the very earliest Christian writings manifest the Christian belief in the divinity of Christ. Likewise, the novel asserts that it was Constantine who chose to include the four Gospels in the Bible, when in fact they had always been recognized as authentic. The Da Vinci Code likewise gives a bizarre and inaccurate portrayal of the Catholic institution Opus Dei. The numerous inaccuracies range from simple factual errors to outrageous and false depictions of criminal or pathological behavior. For example, the novel depicts members of Opus Dei practicing gruesome corporal mortifications and murdering people, implies that Opus Dei coerces or brainwashes people, suggests that Opus Dei has drugged new members to induce religious experiences, and insinuates that Opus Dei bailed out the Vatican bank in return for its establishment as a personal prelature. All of this is absurd nonsense. In short, the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction. Promoting it as anything more would be dishonest to the novel's readers, and disrespectful to the faith of millions of Catholics and other Christians.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read But Runs Out of Steam
Review: Fun book, great read. So good in beginning that the last third is a bit of a let down.
Rating:
Summary: The Da Vinci Code
Review: Fun reading, addictive fiction (though the prose and style leave much to be desired), if it were not for Brown's claim that all facts, rituals, etc are "accurate". Oh my! Umberto Eco has done way better in entertaining the reader while being historically accurate at the same time. Brown smuggles crackpot history for facts, along the worse Hollywood style. So be it... I do not recommed this book to anyone interested in learning rather than being entertained.
Rating: 
Summary: Mithra-nthrope
Review: Fun, fast facts about intriguing subjects (templars, paganism, big, bad catholic church, big, bad men...) I thought it would make a good afternoon movie for Lifetime for Women channel. However, bad characterizations, flimsy plotlines, and that oh so condescending "all scholars agree that Christ wasn't God and Da Vinci and Newton were Goat-head wearing fertility god and goddess worshipers... like me!" comments denigrated from the story. Umberto Echo in "Foucalt's Pendelum" handled the tangled web and intentional ambiguity of early Christian/Mason/Templar symbology and mythology better than this book. My deep despair is in the book reviews written here by readers who take it all as unambiguous fact and state "I never knew that Christianity was nothing more than just a corruption of the TRUE naturalistic religions of Sex worshipping Pagans. I'll just grab the kids and join the local Wicca coven. Hope they have a Sunday School for Junior!"
Rating:
Summary: Nice Mystery But ....
Review: Give credit where it is due, this is a relatively absorbing mystery that will keep you turning pages. In addition, there is an interesting "revelation" about early Christianity (new to me, at least), and I will never look at "The Last Supper" the same. That being said, Brown's writing style is hit-you-over-the-head manipulative (reveal crucial incidents a tiny bit at a time, just to maintain suspense, etc.). And the characters are extraordinarily dull-witted, perhaps the better for the story and plot but at a considerable sacrifice to plausibility. (To avoid modest spoilers, stop reading now.) Our hero, for example, doesn't seem to realize that the "Divine Proportion" is an irrational number. Furthermore, anagrams and backward writing are pretty obvious on their face, yet hero & heroine -- "experts" both -- are curiously oblivious. Finally, the supposed cryptologist has to have the 'atbash cypher' explained to her. If you are like me you won't regret reading this book, but you will be frustrated by all these lapses that keep it from living up to its hype as a truly intellectual mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Pretentious crap.
Review: Give me a break! I was lead to believe this was something special, it's not. Poorly written,poorly (biased) research that
will lead all the gullibles to the band wagon.
The characters, the plot, the very idea are laughable. Look
elsewhere for the truth.
Rating:
Summary: An insult to intelligent people everywhere
Review: Give me a break. This is two books in one: The first book is a theoretical research manual on the history of the "EVIL CATHOLIC CHURCH," with alternate theories on the life of Jesus, the second book is an over-done, completely unbelievable police-chase through the streets of Paris, in which the two main characters (both one dimensional and exhaustively boring even during the "Climactic" scenes) are on a quest to uncover the true meaning of the Holy Grail, and how it relates to the murder of the Louvre's curator. I started skimming entire paragraphs by the time I was halfway through this book and didn't miss a thing. This book would've been ten times better if it were just a research novel, and after finishing it I have now wondered what has happened to great literature. The chapters in this book are less than three pages (on average), and just trying to get through them caused me phsyical pain. I am embarrased for Dan Brown, all the effort went into research; none of it went into crafting believable characters or creating dynamic and fresh prose. It's a typicall, modern day bestseller with tons of action that manages to never produce a single sense of urgency. The Paris Police Cheif, Bzeu Fache (No, I'm not kidding, that's his name), is typified by his angry take no prisoners attitude, and just for good measure, there's an albino religious nut thrown into the fruitcake mix of The Davinci Code, who cuts into his skin to purge himself with pain. I felt like I should've done the same by the time I was done this horrid book. It's shameful maketing explotation that uses the popularity of Catholic bashing to sell a gazillion copies. The next time Dan Brown writes a novel I'm going to use the pages to wipe my pooh.
Rating:
Summary: Trite and Formulaic
Review: Given that Dan Brown weaves his thriller throughout with obscure "facts" and surprising architectural references, I can understand the misguided hype and enthusiasm that it has generated. However, if one pauses long enough to consider the basic structure of this book without the smoke and mirrors, it is very poorly written and favors the formulaic in the extreme. The characters jump through incredibly convenient plot twists and coincidences which miraculously appear just when the author can't throw in another "unbelievable but true" fact. The prose is cumbersome and stilted with characters - or should i say caricatures - repeating themselves and others ad nauseum (just in case the reader started the book somewhere in the middle). In fact, chapter after chapter conveniently ends with a - gasp! - cliffhanger just so Brown doesn't have to work on his craft and actually drive any character growth. That supposedly "stunning ending" is a foregone conclusion if you've managed to see past Brown's magic tricks or, better yet, made it to the end of the book without rending your hair and gouging out your eyes. The premise may be interesting but the execution is deplorable. It is beyond me to understand how this book got even one positive review. No matter the "revelations" within, Dan Brown would fail a sixth-grade writing assignment. His editor must be the best on the planet for making this palatable to even a few - or the worst for not dumping it in the garbage after the first page.
Rating:
Summary: Good beach read
Review: Good book to take on vacation or to the beach - entertaining and quick.
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