Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6671 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 605 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoterica culled from 2,000 years of Western history. A murder in the silent after-hours halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle.

The duo become both suspects and detectives searching not only for Neveu's grandfather's murderer, but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England and history itself. Brown has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought. --Jeremy Pugh, Amazon.com

Synopsis
Robert Langdon, Harvard Professor of symbology, receives an urgent late-night call while in Paris: the curator of the Louvre has been murdered. Alongside the body is a series of baffling ciphers. Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, are stunned to find a trail that leads to the works of Da Vinci - and further. The curator, part of a secret society named the Priory of Sion, may have sacrificed his life to keep secret the location of a vastly important religious relic hidden for centuries. It appears that the clandestine Vatican-sanctioned Catholic sect Opus Dei has now made its move. Unless Landon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine code and quickly assemble the pieces of the puzzle, the Priory's secret - and a stunning historical truth - will be lost forever.

Customer Reviews

a great read
when i skimmed through some other reviews i failed to see the problem that you were all mentioning. i think that many of you have forgoten that this book is in fact fiction, and only a little is bassed on fact. i think that it is a good point of the books, it makes you wonder that it could be true, and what if it were. it is never boring even when he goes into some quite long explainations. it has a great plot and a good twist at the end.
please dont let the other reviews put you off reading this book, as it is a truly great read and you will regret it if you do.

p.s. sorry for spelling mistakes.

Bog-standard American hype
My girlfriends, whose advice I entertained as she had read most of Terry Pratchett's witty novels, advised that I should read the Da Vinci Code. I complied, if anything to just get it over and done with. Though I was prepared to be disappointed, it succeeded in disappointing me further.

First of all, the writing is unimaginitive. Considering the research that must have gone into the mythology that Dan Brown's novel encompasses, why come up with a grey-haired tutor to give it credibility, being American to give it relatability to his audience.. Why set it in Europe to create that mystical feel, then in France most of all as that is the definition of Europe to most people (sorry but 'Paris' and 'Europe' seem to be of the same meaning most of the time in the US). Then why link a younger sexually available female to the plot, of considerable (yay feminism!) but lesser intellect than our hero (yeeha old values!), and why continue to an English upper class idiot with a French castle to give the book a market in the UK. "Location location location" did well on telly and "Chocolat" was a popular film in the UK, so surely if something appeals both to French and UK customers it appeals to every European?!

The book is full of cliche's, and while I've read plenty of novels getting away with the same unimaginative story-telling and bog-standard vocabulary (Stephen King, Peter Blenchley, looking at you here!!), I was especially disgusted with this book as it has such a captivating story to start with, then ruined it. At least Stephen King has a knack for turning cliche's into shocking twists. There is a few promised here. Did Jesus have a lover, kids even? Well if he did, would it be the shock of centuries?! Perhaps, but Dan Brown explains it in such a way that you nod off after reading the blurb on the back page, and end up up shrugging "who gives a damn?".

Honestly, try a pc game called "The Broken Sword" 1 and 2, that both pre-date Dan Brown's lame novel. It takes less time, it's cheaper, it provides more thrills AND it goes further. I feel very sad that I have to admit a pc game provides more depth than a popular novel. It is the truth though. And Dan, that relegates you to pulp fiction before Quentin Tarantino made it cool again..

I have reverted to reading Greek and Roman mythology as though Christian mythology never happened and never had any importance. Dan Brown certainly makes it appear as though it still serves no one but a desparate thriller 'author' lacking originality in his writing and ideas, raking in money all the same. Thanks dude, you've given aspiring authors like myself bugger-all to strive for. Supposedly, making money as a writer is about re-hashing any plain stuff you can find in a library, promising a revolutionary view and keeping a reader's interest until the very last equally disappointing page.

Avoid.. Even if you have avoided it sofar. You'll get more satisfaction out of brushing your teeth for four hours, than spending this time reading the very undeserved hype. In fact, avoid anyone ever having read it, and you'll be guaranteed more interesting minds to come across. Sigh.

One of the worst books I have ever read
I threw this book across the room in disgust. It is simply awful. There is hardly any suspense- surely the point of a thriller?- because of the heavy handed hints and clues, in particular the use of italics and bold type to make the point. The writing is clunky and the supposedly English characters' dialogue is all "gotten" and "I'll have him call you". I won't be reading any more Dan Brown, but I'm sure that won't worry him, even though my local Oxfam has shelves of his books!