Some books become popular phenomena of such extraordinary dimensions that it becomes impossible not to pick them up; usually this is because something about them makes them impossible to put down, no matter how hard we try. The Da Vinci Code, which dominated the bestseller list between 2003 and 2006, is a case in point. The whole framework is designed to intoxicate nominally skeptical readers with the possibility that history might mean more than it really does, at least for the space of a few hundred pages. The sheer energy of Brown's invention is transporting. It is not that his critics are entirely wrong, but rather that their cavils are beside the point. Sometimes, a page-turner is all you want to get your hands on—holier grails being much too hard to find.
The popularity of this was astounding--this book created readers of people who never read or never finished a book, especially among men. And it is a fast-paced and fun read.
This is obviously no literary masterpiece, but it is a good introduction to the "dad book". It is a primary example of the contemporary genre that combine rich and accurate historical references to a modern day thiller/mystery.
A masterful, because probably intentional, misreading of both gnosticism and catholicism. What he criticizes in catholicism was asceticism and suppression of sexuality. Many gnostics loved both those ideas. What Dan Brown glorified in gnosticism was unrepressed sexuality. The gnostics hated the physical and those who practiced "unrepressed sexuality" intended it as a denigration of the physical body, which they considered inherently evil. But Dan Brown is a true gnostic and does what they always do, take existing materials (like pure Christianity or history) and warp and rework them to align with their preexisting philosophy.
This book was really gripping, I read it straight through without putting it down. The attention to detail in the symbology used was very neatly tied into the story writing.
I agree that it's worth being on this list because it is a thrill to read even if it doesn't reflect reality. It's suspenseful and inspires wonder about the world around you and I think that's always a good thing.
If you are going to read only handful of books off of this list, this needs to be one of them. It is one of the most researched, well written books I have ever read. It makes you wonder if the conspiracies are real, and makes you want to know more. This book will get you hooked.
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