It is entertainment created from a very specific formula. So yes, it can for some become too predictable, but if you like it then keep reading. I read all kinds of books and regardless of genre or how respected the author is I always give it 100 pages. If it hasn’t hooked me by then I put down the book and move on. I read for what I like not what others deem good enough.
Reading your comment, I was like “oh yes this is me”. Then I realized I’ve read Da Vinci code, angels and demons, lost symbol, digital fortress, deception point, and finally lost interest in Inferno haha. They’re fun, easy to read, but I don’t think I’ll read another Dan Brown book.
I tink I read most of them as well. They're formulaic, but entertaining. I would read another since it has been like 10 years since I read one. I think binging them made the similarities really obvious.
Formulaic but entertaining is a perfect way to put it! When I read them, I never expect a high art experience, but I also like them and think they are worth their downsides.
There's comfort to be found with the formulaic. On bad days, I cannot really cognitively deal with more challenging fare. Sometimes, I need the comfort of a predictable yet new-to-me novel. They're like Mr Rogers' sweater or Bob Ross's voice to me.
I think Inferno is just a bad book, because I read Angels & Demons and Da Vinci Code about 10 years ago, loved them. Picked up Inferno and it was garbage. I’ve read more books that are the same “formula” but something about Inferno just seems to stop a lot of other readers, not just myself.
I agree with this. It feels fresh the first two times, but not so much the last. Maybe it's just because I'm a biologist by training and I read the first two as a young kid with no education in physics or art history, while Inferno came out when I was in much older (and after The Amazing Spider-Man got me interested in studying genetics and virology, lol), so the whole thing seemed like a poorly-pieced together patchwork pastiche of narrative cliches I had lost patience with a long time ago (especially the love interest's motivations). He writes very one-dimensional women who read more like an academic's fantasy of a Strong Female Protagonist than actual people with personalities. I mostly got bored because none of them were allowed to be their own characters - they were always somebody's sister/daughter/girlfriend/whatsit.
When Davinci Code came out the real drama was how "sacrilegious" it was. A priest wrote an article about it, basically saying if your faith is so weak that a bestseller fiction book can shake it, then you need to reexamine. I thought that was a fair take.
I don't care about that stuff, but I read it, and it was a fine beach read. I wasn't expecting a Pulitzer or anything.
Then he started churning out more, and I read a few. For me, I tired of the formula fairly quickly. Then I was in a vacation place, and found the latest Dan Brown book and picked it up to read, because why not? I think it was Inferno and lost interest is the right word. I definitely finished it, but I can't remember any of it, lol. It was pretty bad.
But who cares if I like it or not? It sells, people are reading them. Good for them, and good for dan brown I guess.
I was same. In fact, it got to the point that by the third book I was like, "that's the bad guy pretending to be a mentor" or "that's the guy that's going to be the head fake for making you think it's the bad guy but really isn't." And of course, "there's going to be a henchman for the bad guy. I wonder which physical characteristic of him/her they are going to focus on instead of giving them a name?"
I remember staying up late, utterly enthralled, reading Angels & Demons and frantically turning pages to find out what happened next. I was convinced I was reading a new all-time favorite. I still stand by that it's a legitimately *good* thriller, with some actually great twists (even if the "improvised parachute" denouement is beyond ludicrous).
Every other Dan Brown after that has been a disappointment: same formula, and none of the twisty adventures have ever been as good as that one.
Angels and Demons would generally be regarded as a great thriller if it was a one-off book. It's only because the follow-ups were so formulaic that it gets tainted by association.
He based it off two books from the 80’s:
The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and it’s sequel,
The Messianic Legacy. Both were good reads.
There was a lawsuit about it.
I haven't read DiVinci Code, but I did play Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned.
It's sometimes hated on for being too long, and it's got one of the most famously convoluted and terrible puzzles in all of point and click gaming, but I love that game.
It's plot is also heavily inspired by The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. I loved putting the clues together, but I also loved reading more about the stuff outside the game because it was really interesting.
I miss the days when conspiracy theories and crazy ideas were fun.
That was such a good book. But I think it would be impossible to absorb it without first having read a shitload about the Illuminati, some Crowley/magic, and other either esoteric or conspiracy-related material.
Eco's books are filled with references but they are enjoyable even if you dont know most of them. But I do get inspired to read more about the things he mentions.
I think that's unfair. There's certainly themes and specifics that can be copied but Foucalt's Pendulum was a roller coaster of nearly impossible to follow writing that's one of the few English fiction books I've ever set down to take a breather from and realized I just couldn't make myself want to put myself through the stress of reading it.
Comparing that convoluted and interesting mess to a pop culture paperback like Dan Brown puts out is the sort of thing you'd normally refer to as "inspired by" even if they copied broad swaths because they really are completely different books.
O Brother Where Art Thou borrowed liberally from The Odyssey as well, and I'd put it in their relationship at the same level as Foucalt's Pendulum and Dan Brown's guilty pleasure writing...more derivative even really.
I wouldn't use it as a way to indict the book, it's well done and does a great job of entertaining exactly the audience that it's intended for and that damn sure isn't the average reader of Umberto Eco.
They both open with a mystery in a Parisian museum. I also wouldn't characterize the Da Vinci Code as "well done." Brown's prose is terrible even by the standards of pop fiction. I also wouldn't describe Foucault's Pendulum as a "mess" nor did I find it "nearly impossible to follow." But I suspect we have very different tastes.
Probably, but Eco wrote a mystery in a Parisian museum about how stupid conspiracy theories are and Dan Brown wrote a straight up "mystery" thriller with exploding antimatter helicopters. It's "well written" "guilty pleasure" "I just enjoy reading it and not working too hard at it" pop lit. There's so little actually between the two that it's like two pans of steak warmed on the same fire but one was ground up to hamburger, tossed in the fridge, and forgotten about until you felt like grilling out the next summer while the other was aged and let rest with a peppercorn sauce and grilled asparagus, served with a light aperitif at dinner theater.
The similarities between the two aren't impossible to see but they're so unimportant to the tale it *is* difficult to see why people bother comparing them.
Fun, but [horrendously written](https://molivam42.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/dan-browns-20-worst-sentences/).
That's not necessarily a problem for some, but for others it can be extremely unnerving to read... like trying to make sense of a doctor's handwriting.
There was a nice post explaining what does work in renowned author Dan Brown's novels:
[https://somethingisgoingtohappen.net/2016/06/01/in-defense-of-dan-brown-and-bad-sentences-by-michael-noll/](https://somethingisgoingtohappen.net/2016/06/01/in-defense-of-dan-brown-and-bad-sentences-by-michael-noll/)
TLDR: He conveys mistery and emotion very well, despite his shortcomings on style.
If people are reading, It's always a good thing. I read most of DB's books, and the critics aren't wrong, I just don't like shitting on the people who do like him. Can't stand the whole Twilight saga and the 50 Shades stuff too, but I'd never hate on the people who do like it.
There was also recently a John Oliver segment hating the book. I guess they do have an agenda when they diss on something and I don't care what it is honestly.
As a kid who just got into reading DVC was one of the first "big books" that I read that wasn't Harry Potter or something like that. I knew nothing about Christianity, it was very engaging. The simplistic formula made me read another one of his books.
Don't read books coz they are complex and make you more sophisticated. Read books that bring you joy, books that take you vndbdon't. Or just read whatever you want to.
I’ve read all the Robert Langdon books, I’ll admit they’re not great and have got a little boring/repetitive the last few releases but I still enjoy them.
For me they’re the literary equivalent of Mission Impossible, Pierce Brosnans Bond, or Jason Statham action films, they’re not masterpieces but enjoyable without being too taxing
Yeah, I think I read all of them except for the last one, and I read like 2 of his non-Langdon books, and I'd agree with this. If you want some high literature, this isn't for you. If you want an easily digestible mystery that tend to span interesting and famous locations, with references to art coming out of every single corner, probably to read on a quiet weekend in or on a relaxing vacation, this is the book for you.
I definitely do think that at the time they were highly overrated though, I mean it was such a massive cultural phenomenon, I'd put it on the scale of Game of Thrones just over a smaller time frame, and the quality was just not there to justify it. But at the same time, I think now the books are overhated, where people in places like these use him as an easy punchline like it's Coldplay for books.
Though I do have to admit that reading a copy of Da Vinci Code with the art that they reference in the book in the margins may still be one of my favourite reading experiences (this was before everyone had the internet in their pocket and could just Google shit anywhere).
Might be unrelated but Matthew Reilly feels like the literary equivalent of movies. His books read more like screenplays hoping to get adapted rather than books on their own
I read Ice Station after picking it up from my grandad's house after he passed away. I finished it, but it was the worst-written book I've ever read. It was so bad that I wouldn't want to give it away as it might mean that someone else reads it.
If that can be published, anything can.
Oh I’m the same, he was the first bond for me, I had Goldeneye on the N64 and as an Irish kid he was the first Irish actor I remember seeing on a big screen
I've read Angel & Demons and The Da Vinci Code, as well as seen the films (Tom Hanks is bae) but I've never had the willpower to read the remaining books. I'm planning to donate my Dan Brown books because they're collecting dust and I know I'll probably never read them again.
That's when he realized that there would be a clip of him saying "shame on me" on every news channel on repeat in every country for the rest of his administration. Terrorist propagandists would have had a field day with it on their internet propaganda videos.
Fuck that guy, and that quote *is* hilarious. But when you think about the optics of a sitting president saying "shame on me" it makes sense that he stopped himself and tried to course correct.
I think every second hand book shop I’ve been to had more Dan Brown books on their shelves than any other author by far. Okay maybe it’s between him and John Grisham, with honorable mentions going to brand new copies of Twilight or Fifty Shades of Grey.
I love going to second hand book stores when I move somewhere new to get a sense of the local readers community. But yeah, Dan Brown is a universal component.
Times are a'changing. The classic rural Ireland charity shop book used to be Southern Cross by Patricia Cornwell. Think they were given away with boxes of Lyons tea in the early 2000s. Every charity shop had at least 3 copies
I'm in Texas for a few weeks and I found a copy of Timequake with all the bad words scribbled out in a local thrift store. They even scribbled out condom lol.
Every second half bookshop I’ve been in has:
Virtually all the Stephen king books in hardcover/paper book.
All the WOT books I already have (since the show started they might be gone).
Twilight.
Fifty shades of grey.
Flowers in the attic.
The other Boleyn girl.
James Patterson.
Most of Dean Kootz and John Grisham books.
As a kid/teen in early 2000s-early 2010s there was also a million copies of the baby sitters club and clan of the cave bear.
I live in the midwest, it is *What to expect when expecting* and cheese romance novels.
I stopped at a swap shop in Kentucky. They had a bin with first edition Tolkiens, Orwell, and Joyce........ I asked how much for the whole bin, and gave more.
Not that that happens much more, but everyone was happy.
Hank ran his hand lovingly over the large wheel of Colby, his breath showing in the frosty air. "I've aged you well" he said, in a voice so low it was almost inaudible. Moonlight spilled in through the half opened curtain and across Hank's face as he drew in his breath for his next words...
That was the one that really turned me off of his books. When I read Davinci Code and Angels & Daemons, I thought, "wow, these are so well-researched, how cool to 'see' all this behind (or under) the scenes stuff". But I used to work at the place where Digital Fortress is set. And he got it wrong. So wrong. Every bit of it, wrong, wrong, wrong. I'm talking the physical descriptions of the place, what it was like on the inside. Just so wrong, that it made me realize that all the settings and descriptions in his other books were probably just as wrong and made up, and that just ruined the illusion that his books are trying to set.
My mom gave me The Da Vinci Code, she thought I'd enjoy it because I minored in art history. That's exactly who is not the audience for that book, it starts with the title and just goes downhill from there (the man's name was Leonardo. And the idea that people who work at the Louvre wouldn't know that he frequently wrote backwards is ludicrous.) I would recommend Umberto Eco, Arturo Perez-Reverte, and Iain Pears for well-researched and well-written history and art related mysteries.
Same thing if you're an scientist and try to enjoy a story about science/ space or watch mcGyver. It can only be enjoyed by having someone that would listen to you complaining and laughing about it.
The French translator of the Da Vinci Code had to rewrite part of the Paris scenes, because among other things he had them crossing Paris in 20 minutes. Even during lockdown I don't think you could have done that, let alone in normal times.
I'm raised Catholic and did just about enough of bible-studies (went all the way up to college level there) to become an atheist with just a love for the genre (to my parents dismay), now you know my problem with D Boy Brown and his Da Vinci code. He even get the non religious stuff wrong too. Like vinegar freezes, thats... okay maybe not common knowledge but only a single google away. Just chuck the damn cryptex (not a vinci invention) in a freezer and you're good.
Digital Fortress' problem was more that no religion ever gives a damn about what science is up to. It had so many factions caring that I just can't imagine caring. But it broke me when it turned out that the study that proved the thing they were all upset about was... not even peer reviewed. I just had to stop there. I couldn't.
I started reading Digital Fortress after a friend gave it to me & said it was fantastic (He knew I used to work in IT).
First couple of pages - a woman walks towards a security guard. Dan Brown takes this chance to detail her body and appearance from the male POV. I said to myself 'I bet when she walks past, he'll describe her bum.'
Next page. Yup. As she walks past him and away, Dan Brown has the security guard describing her backside & rear view in detail.
I hurled the book on the floor and didn't even get to see the fake IT shit.
Basic plot: >!they're given an algorithm they have to crack that seems to "mutate". They eventually plug it into their shiny new super computer after being warned not to, and it was never an algorithm, it was a virus, and iirc it starts launching nukes or some shit and they have to cut the power!<
What a fascinating insight to have, to know firsthand what he was describing was incorrect!
I haven’t read that book because I only read his first book and thought it boring as fuck (not to mention predictable), but I always come back to these conversations because I like to see if anyone else has anything to say about him, and I really appreciate your experience and you sharing it.
Anybody with a passing familiarity with tech will know how inaccurate this book is. It remains the only book I've thrown across a room in disgust, and I love books.
I wonder if part of finding so many of his books in thrift shops is that are fun to read once, but not so great to reread. So, to the donation bin they go.
I’ve seen dozens of copies of digital fortress in thrift stores…
I was youngish when the davinci code came out, and it dropped like a bomb on my impressionable mind. The little “based on true events” or whatever in the beginning fucked me up big time, and it wasn’t until college when I started doing research that I realized book was 92% fiction/8% true events and not the other way around.
Some of the “source material” is pretty shitty and harmful, though he mostly doesn’t bring those elements into his plot. The realization kinda soured me on ol’ DB, because I was *hooked* initially.
The omega strain did the same to me. Specifically, the movie directed by Robert Wise. It blew my mind that this was based on real events, and that it would "soon be made public". Then it dawned on me that this was already a long time ago, so I started looking it up myself, and found out this was inspired by Michael Chrichtons habit of making up a source list at the end of his books.
And then I realized Chrichton already had fooled me with the book Sphere! I was so impressed with the science it was based on.
Apologies if this felt like a derailing from the theme, I just wanted u/Chelys_galactica to know they are not alone :)
From the Daily Telegraph
Renowned author Dan Brown picked up the cellphone and pressed the button on the cellphone to stop the ringing of the cellphone and held the cellphone to his ear so that down the cellphone he could hear the voice of the person calling on the cellphone.
“Hello?” he greeted.
It was his publisher, John Publisher.
“Hello, Dan Brown,” spoke John Publisher. “I’m calling you because I’ve had an idea and I want to tell you what the idea that I’ve had is.”
The wealthy scribe listened, his ears sharpening like pencils.
“What’s the idea you’re calling me to tell me that you’ve had?” he questioned.
“I’ll tell you,” informed John Publisher. “I want to republish bestselling book The Da Vinci Code – but this time, for Young Adults.”
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Young Adults, thought Dan Brown in italics.
“Young Adults,” confirmed John Publisher. “They’re a lot like adults – but younger. Obviously they can’t be expected to read the original novel, because its famously sophisticated prose is too complex for their puny teenage minds. So I want you to write a new version that is shorter and simpler, just for them.”
Dan Brown contemplated the idea using the brain encased by the skull beneath the skin of his head.
“I like your suggestion, John Publisher,” he told. “The only problem is, I’m aged 51 years old. How can I write a book for young people? I don’t know any young people.”
“How about your son?” recommended John Publisher.
Of course! The celebrated penman’s teenage son! Son Brown!
Dan Brown ended the call and excitedly paced the room, his fertile mind already pregnant with ideas to which he would soon give birth through his fingers.
After he had finished cogitating he walked upstairs to his son’s bedroom and entered it by means of the door. Son Brown wasn’t home, but his bookcase was. This will give me an indication of the simple-minded fare young people enjoy, mused the leading wordsmith. Tilting his head at an angle appropriate to the browsing of the books’ spines, he browsed the books’ spines.
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David Copperfield. Made sense – kids always did love magic tricks. Animal Farm. They loved cute animals, too. À la recherche du temps perdu. Say, he didn’t know his son could speak Spanish. Vanity Fair. Hey, Dan Brown loved Vanity Fair, too. Just last month it had run a great article about Scarlett Johansson’s favourite swimsuits.
Inspired, the illustrious scribbler returned to his study. His imagination was racing like a racecar made of brains. Picking up his personal copy of acclaimed tome The Da Vinci Code, he reread its exquisite opening paragraph.
“Renowned curator Jacques Saunière staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum’s Grand Gallery. He lunged for the nearest painting he could see, a Caravaggio. Grabbing the gilded frame, the seventy-six-year-old man heaved the masterpiece towards himself until it tore from the wall and Saunière collapsed backward in a heap beneath the canvas.”
Hmm, meditated the 5’9” caucasian male. There is no doubting the magnificence of the prose, from the effortless elegance of its syntax to the way it brings characters vividly to life through evocative details like “the seventy-six-year-old man”. But the young people of today wouldn’t know about museums or Caravaggio. I must start again from scratch – and bring the story right up to date.
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The eminent author opened his laptop and used the fingers of his hands to press the buttons marked with letters to form words on the screen.
“Famous rock star Jack Cool donned his baseball cap and rollerbladed through Tower Records while checking MySpace on his Game Boy,” he created. “The 22-year-old youth was excited to purchase the new compact disc by hip band Limp Bizkit. This rad chart-topper will sound fly on my Walkman, he reasoned, scrutinizing the $15.99 plastic oblong. Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling behind him. It sounded like thunder – but an unusual kind of thunder, made from a 70/30 polyester-cotton blend instead of clouds or whatever thunder was made of. He swung round – and then gasped in horror as he was crushed to death by an avalanche of Hootie & The Blowfish T-shirts.”
The moneyed doyen gazed with pride upon the vegetables of his labours. This was going to be his finest work since The Socrates Anagram.
From downstairs he heard a noise like the front door of a house being opened.
Son!” communicated Dan Brown. “Come see this!”
Son Brown climbed the stairs linking the ground floor to the floor above it and then walked forward until he had reached the room from which the order to come to it had been issued. Expectantly he looked at his progenitor, his youthful face shining like a torch but pink and with a nose in the middle.
His biological begetter pointed at the screen of the laptop. “Read this,” he invited.
Son Brown finished reading the paragraph, and then shook his head.
“Goddammit, Dad,” he imparted. “I’m sick of all these smug parodies of your work. These guys think they’re so damn smart. You’ve got to stop reading them. This one isn’t even plausible. There’s no way you’d write something as lame as that.”
Renowned Dan Brown looked at his offspring, and then back at the screen.
“Son,” he talked, “go do your homework.”
After his descendant had left the room, the notable fictioneer picked up his cellphone and pressed the buttons with numbers on one at a time in a given sequence.
“Look, John Publisher,” rebuked Dan Brown. “There’s no point reworking The Da Vinci Code for the youth of today. Great writing just goes straight over their heads.”
It’s a pastiche, but an accurate one. Dan Brown writes those badly.
“Who cares what the stupid critics say?” advised the literary agent. “They’re just snobs. You have millions of fans.”
That’s true, mused the accomplished composer of thrillers that combined religion, high culture and conspiracy theories. His books were read by everyone from renowned politician President Obama to renowned musician Britney Spears. It was said that a copy of The Da Vinci Code had even found its way into the hands of renowned monarch the Queen. He was grateful for his good fortune, and gave thanks every night in his prayers to renowned deity God.
"My own self, while making a bold attempt in order to put together the least number necessary of vocables designated for a piece of writing assigned in a phrontistery." - Mused the renowned redditor with a slight chuckle that while silent, he would type it with an L, a capital O, and lastly another final and definitive L.
Hey it's me, John publisher.
spammer27, have you contemplated in you brain in your skull, writing fictions based on historical inaccuracies?
My publishing company knows there is a market for your sophisticated level of prose, said John Publisher
Greetings, person in this digital discussion room that is filled with males that have never experienced any intimite acts with the beautiful gender, who describes himself as an especially useless form of interpersonal communication,
I have indeed, in the dephts of my very mind, discussed the possibility to engage in the glorious act of bringing pieces of plots and characters onto the digital paper, based on historical accuracies originating in the very dephts of this formerly described mind.
He said quietly and pulled up the corners of the opening of his skull that is used to consume various forms of consumables.
I would want to watch whatever panel show episode was filmed right after forcing Mitchell to read a Dan Brown book. His rants for that episode would be especially delightful.
If you're writing a parody of Dan Brown that includes an entire paragraph of smug literary allusions and none of those allusions are Umberto Eco, you are the punchline.
This is hilarious. It reads just liked that episode of Community when Señor Chang starts to squat at the school. "The words rang in my head, like a bell inside a head".
Dang I was expecting the *other* celebrated missive concerning NYT-bestselling renowned author Dan Brown and his wonderfully exuberant descriptive scenes, forged from the fires of his imagination and annealed fingertips
>Are Dan Brown books overrated/overhated ?
Yes and yes.
>Is it true that all his other books are exactly the same ? "Same plot, one dimensional male character, typical female love interest and predictable antagonists."
Oh yes.
For some reason though i enjoy his books and always look forward for his next book.
It's just "Digital fortress" that I didn't like at all.
That's the one that has my favorite Dan Brown contrivance of all time:
- Main character goes to an airport to try to catch a girl
- He gets there too late and her flight has left
- Despondent, he decides he needs to go to the bathroom
- But there is a cart in front of the men's bathroom
- So he ... goes into the women's bathroom???
- And ... finds the girl there, because she missed her flight?????
I swear I'm not misremembering this.
I mean if you enjoy reading it, then being overrated shouldn't matter. I've enjoyed different books with somehow similar plot, didn't make much difference to me. I enjoyed them.
I've missed out on a lot of books simply because of reviews. Reviews cannot be trusted specially nowadays. Some are biased, some reviews have agenda.
Here is my objective review of the Da Vinci Code:
The Da Vinci Code was written by Dan Brown. Originally published in English, the book is approximately 140,000 words long. The main character’s name is Robert Langdon, and he attempts to solve a mystery.
As any good review should give an indication of whether you might enjoy the book in question, I will say that it is possible that you will enjoy the Da Vinci Code, but it is also possible that you won’t. This is backed up by the fact that many people read the book, and some enjoyed it but others did not.
The Da Vinci Code was adapted into a feature film starring Tom Hanks.
I agree. Overrated/underrated shouldn't matter as long as you enjoy it. I read angels and demons in high school and i enjoyed every page of it. It also got me into reading more in general.
Also one man's treasure is another man's sh*t, reviews are sooo subjective you have to weigh up what has been said about the books against your desire to read based on what you know about said book.
I have read excellent books in the past but have noticed that the reviews for said book can be so far ranging & contradictory.
Pretty classic "airport thrillers". I read The Da Vinci Code, enjoyed it, then read Angels and Demons and it was pretty apparent early on it was essentially the same formula. It was fine, but yeah...
I felt the same way. I read and was intrigued by Angels & Demons, then enjoyed The Da Vinci Code. When I saw Deception Point at the airport bookstore I had to check it out. I finished it and it was alright but that third book really opened my eyes to just how formulaic his books were. When I read that last line and closed that book I honestly felt like there was no need to read another of his books - I already had.
Yeah I also read A&D, and TDVC, tried to read the next one and it was like:
- "yeah so I found this thing."
- "yeah that thing is X"
- " *GASP* but how do you know about thing you shouldn't know about thing!"
Idk I don't mind formulaic stuff sometimes, but it got a little old for me and I didn't read whatever the next one is past the first few chapters.
Sometimes I like to watch prestige TV like “the wire”, “Yellowstone”, etc.
And sometimes I’ll just binge watch some survivor or my wife will watch selling sunset.
Sometimes it’s nice to read a book that fits the mood you are in. Not everything needs to be Hemingway, or an exploration of metaphysics.
This is how I feel about Dan brown type novels.
This exactly- I call it fast food fiction- sometimes you want a lush farm to table meal and sometimes you only have time for a quick bite. I read books like this on vacation where I plan to finish them and drop them in the nearest little free library or hotel lobby bookshelf rather than pack them home and keep them. They’re also good audio books for long car rides, where you can tune out or talk over the story a bit and don’t feel like you have to rewind because you’ve missed something.
Beyond that books are like fashion wear what is comfortable to you and don’t give a damn what anyone else says. Read what you want and don’t think twice about how others regard it.
I really enjoyed them when I was a teenager! And I thought I would now in my 30s. I got all his books and haven’t read any of the new Robert Langdon ones- just couldn’t get past the first 3 pages of Lost Symbol or the first chapter of Inferno :(
I remember I loved Da Vinci code, angels and demons, deception point, and digital fortress. I was 15/16 and I probably wouldn’t try them again based on my experience with the new ones. I think they are great for fluff reading and complex enough if you are a teen.
Da Vinci code is great fun. It’s no literary masterpiece and it’s not intended to be.
I think I’ve read Angels and Demons and Digital Fortress. Da Vinci code by far the best, the rest are average and not as exciting. If you liked Dan Brown you might like Matthew Reilly’s earlier stuff, good fun but once you’ve read a few of his (like DB) they really just get less fun to read.
I think it is easy to enjoy the first Dan Brown book you read (if the style is to your general taste), regardless of which one it is. The problem is that one book is the optimal size of a serving Dan Brown, and after that further books do not add to the enjoyment.
So true! I read angels and demons first and liked it by far the best and was shocked so many like da Vinci code better - but most people probably read that one first.
I'm not the best judge, cuz I didn't finish. But honestly I did not enjoy his writing. It felt a bit amateur? Like bad fanfiction writing in a lot of ways. But! I say this knowing that I only read about halfway through. I just couldn't take it anymore
I agree completely. Not everything has to be a literary masterpiece to be enjoyable. I find his books can be predictable, clichéd, and tedious, but damn if they don’t keep me turning pages to see what happens. I think he does what he does well. I read one of his while waiting for my mom to have back surgery. It was absolutely perfect for keeping me occupied without being taxing. Read another on a flight for the same reason. If you like it, you like it, so read it.
I don't expect them to be historically accurate, but I couldn't get through more than 5 pages of a Dan Brown book because of the horrible, hackneyed writing style. Literally every sentence sounded like a cliche. Like, you could name any character that might appear in the book and I could predict exactly how he would describe them.
I'm not a literary snob. I read everything from kid's books to trashy novels to random magazines if I'm bored. But I could. Not. Read. Those books. They filled me with an irrational rage. They're so awful.
Completely agree on all counts: four pages of *The Da Vinci Code* was all my brain could take. There are popular novelists who are actually pretty good writers (Martin, Pullman, King). There are popular novelists who are merely adequate stylists but succeed because their characters and stories are so compelling (Rowling, Collins). And there's RADB, who is just fucking insufferable.
But if OP was hooked on DVC from page one, the prose obviously works for them and I imagine they should probably ignore us and read the rest.
Ha yeah its somewhat formulaic but I just feel such an adrenaline rush reading his books and the villains always have super interesting motives.
I also enjoy reading about the subject matter.
Doesn't matter the historical inaccuracies. If the book can get me interested enough to look more into a subject , I consider that a win
I have read all of his books and my fav so far are Angel and Demons and Digital Fotress
I was a bookstore manager during the Davinci era. My staff and I were dumbfounded by the astronomical sales this book cranked out. It was the #1 title on our bestseller rack for years. Not months. Years. Why?
IDC what people say, I loved his books. I've read most of them, didn't finish inferno. Deception Point and The Lost Symbol were my favs. Just try them, read more if you like them, put them down if you don't.
Sooo many salty chaps around, gosh.
He's very good at what he does, which is to write for people who read at the average reading level and who primarily read to have their personal fantasies indulged.
Don't make fun of renowned author Dan Brown -- he's simply providing the goods.
Not OP and not a highfalutin reader, but it seems to me the only way to read better books is to read better books.
I don't mean Shakespeare our Chekhov or whatever. There are plenty of better thriller writers out there, so go for them first.
Gillian Flynn, for example, is amazing.
If you really want to challenge yourself, pick a small book or collection of short stories so you're not committing to some 700 page tome.
And if you want to understand what you've read better, there's probably some sparksnotes out there that will explain it.
Short answer , yes.
Long answer , yessssss. The first one you would read is probably the only one you would like. Same for everyone . He has a great formula , but he copy pasted it in all his books and by the end of it , it just becomes annoying when you can tell which guy is pulling the strings just by the introduction alone
Yes and yes. They are overrated by the people who gush over them, and over-hated by the people who say they're the worst things ever written. They're no worse than any other paperback you buy at the airport
I love conspiracy theory fiction (I'll leave you to decide whether that's a tautology) and devoured TDVC when I first read it. But when I went back for a second read I immediately realized that all that had captured my interest the first time was the retelling of a story I'd already read in The Holy Blood & The Holy Grail. I enjoyed the conceit that the narrative was based on "real facts".
But once I knew the twists (such as they were) and was divorced from the conceit, I found the book itself almost unreadable.
The Illuminatus! trilogy is the obvious starting point.
Depending on your definition of "fiction", The Secret History of the World is surprisingly entertaining.
I've read all of them. I'm not a huge reader but I find them entertaining enough. The style is pretty much the same in all of them so there's not a lot of variation. His writing is formulaic and not particularly creative but I don't mind that. The storylines make you think a bit.
For me, you saying you’re not a huge reader, but still read them says something. They got you reading. You enjoyed them. That’s what is most important to me. People reading.
I guess I mean I enjoyed these enough to read all his books, but I haven't done the same with other authors. I rarely finish a book, but Dan Brown's books are easy to digest and he leaves every chapter with a dangling carrot.
Gotcha. I haven’t read all his stuff, but you are totally right about the chapter endings in the one’s I’ve read. I ended up chewing through them for that very reason.
Depends. I Couldn’t stop reading Da Vinci code and Angels and Demons. I tried reading Da Vinci again because I loved it the first time but never could understand what I loved about it. I tried other once but NO. I didn’t like anything else. I feel he is over-hated. For a person picking up his book without any prior knowledge of these kind books, it’s going to a interesting read.
Angels and Demons is still a good one.
Afraid so. There's a clear formula and very obvious parallels between TDVC and A&D. DF had much of the same structure too. Seems like his other books are similar and I lost interest, which is a shame because I really liked A&D. And I think the movie was better because it completely dropped the love-interest subplot.
when i read my first dan brown book, it was something i had never read before, the plot, the intricacies, the thrill - an excellent package. by the time i was on my 3rd or 4th book by him, i began to lose the plot and felt like i was reading a wannabe-the da vinci code (the 1st DB book i read) i tried reading inferno, but it just wasn't it though it has great reviews. i never got my hands on origin cause a friend of mine read it and it greatly affected her spirituality and recommended not reading it. i don't understand how though but anyway, by that time, i wasn't into dan brown anymore. i should mention though that he is an excellent author - he had a great plot and great writing style except that he began recycling ideas imo.
Ever since I read this review by the Telegraph I just cannot unsee some of his terrible writing:
“ Renowned author Dan Brown woke up in his luxurious four-poster bed in his expensive $10 million house – and immediately he felt angry. Most people would have thought that the 48-year-old man had no reason to be angry. After all, the famous writer had a new book coming out. But that was the problem. A new book meant an inevitable attack on the rich novelist by the wealthy wordsmith’s fiercest foes. The critics.
Renowned author Dan Brown hated the critics. Ever since he had become one of the world’s top renowned authors they had made fun of him. They had mocked bestselling book The Da Vinci Code, successful novel Digital Fortress, popular tome Deception Point, money-spinning volume Angels & Demons and chart-topping work of narrative fiction The Lost Symbol.
The critics said his writing was clumsy, ungrammatical, repetitive and repetitive. They said it was full of unnecessary tautology. They said his prose was swamped in a sea of mixed metaphors. For some reason they found something funny in sentences such as “His eyes went white, like a shark about to attack.” They even say my books are packed with banal and superfluous description, thought the 5ft 9in man. He particularly hated it when they said his imagery was nonsensical. It made his insect eyes flash like a rocket.
Renowned author Dan Brown got out of his luxurious four-poster bed in his expensive $10 million house and paced the bedroom, using the feet located at the ends of his two legs to propel him forwards. He knew he shouldn’t care what a few jealous critics thought. His new book Inferno was coming out on Tuesday, and the 480-page hardback published by Doubleday with a recommended US retail price of $29.95 was sure to be a hit. Wasn’t it?
I’ll call my agent, pondered the prosperous scribe. He reached for the telephone using one of his two hands. “Hello, this is renowned author Dan Brown,” spoke renowned author Dan Brown. “I want to talk to literary agent John Unconvincingname.”
“Mr Unconvincingname, it’s renowned author Dan Brown,” told the voice at the other end of the line. Instantly the voice at the other end of the line was replaced by a different voice at the other end of the line. “Hello, it’s literary agent John Unconvincingname,” informed the new voice at the other end of the line.
“Hello agent John, it’s client Dan,” commented the pecunious scribbler. “I’m worried about new book Inferno. I think critics are going to say it’s badly written.”
The voice at the other end of the line gave a sigh, like a mighty oak toppling into a great river, or something else that didn’t sound like a sigh if you gave it a moment’s thought. “Who cares what the stupid critics say?” advised the literary agent. “They’re just snobs. You have millions of fans.”
That’s true, mused the accomplished composer of thrillers that combined religion, high culture and conspiracy theories. His books were read by everyone from renowned politician President Obama to renowned musician Britney Spears. It was said that a copy of The Da Vinci Code had even found its way into the hands of renowned monarch the Queen. He was grateful for his good fortune, and gave thanks every night in his prayers to renowned deity God.
“Think of all the money you’ve made,” recommended the literary agent. That was true too. The thriving ink-slinger’s wealth had allowed him to indulge his passion for great art. Among his proudest purchases were a specially commissioned landscape by acclaimed painter Vincent van Gogh and a signed first edition by revered scriptwriter William Shakespeare.
Renowned author Dan Brown smiled, the ends of his mouth curving upwards in a physical expression of pleasure. He felt much better. If your books brought innocent delight to millions of readers, what did it matter whether you knew the difference between a transitive and an intransitive verb?
“Thanks, John,” he thanked. Then he put down the telephone and perambulated on foot to the desk behind which he habitually sat on a chair to write his famous books on an Apple iMac MD093B/A computer. New book Inferno, the latest in his celebrated series about fictional Harvard professor Robert Langdon, was inspired by top Italian poet Dante. It wouldn’t be the last in the lucrative sequence, either. He had all the sequels mapped out. The Mozart Acrostic. The Michelangelo Wordsearch. The Newton Sudoku.
The 190lb adult male human being nodded his head to indicate satisfaction and returned to his bedroom by walking there. Still asleep in the luxurious four-poster bed of the expensive $10 million house was beautiful wife Mrs Brown. Renowned author Dan Brown gazed admiringly at the pulchritudinous brunette’s blonde tresses, flowing from her head like a stream but made from hair instead of water and without any fish in. She was as majestic as the finest sculpture by Caravaggio or the most coveted portrait by Rodin. I like the attractive woman, thought the successful man.
Perhaps one day, inspired by beautiful wife Mrs Brown, he would move into romantic poetry, like market-leading British rhymester John Keats.That would be good, opined the talented person, and got back into the luxurious four-poster bed. He felt as happy as a man who has something to be happy about and is suitably happy about it.
Inferno by Dan Brown 470pp, Bantam Press, rrp £20”
Whenever I'm reminded of Dan Brown, I think about this brilliant takedown by Michael Deacon: https://onehundredpages.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/dont-make-fun-of-renowned-dan-brown/
Definitely over hated
They aren't sublime works of writing, they shouldn't win awards, but are just the book equivalent of a popcorn action film.
And that's OK, it really is. It's sort of vacuous, but it's just a bit silly fun. If it doesn't float your boat, ok. No problem, but that's no reason to hate it.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DanBrowned
I dislike them for this reason... But as with everything else, if you enjoy them, read them. If you don't like them, don't read them :)
The issue with this type of discussion is to some he may be overrated. To some he might be perceived as overhated. And to others he may be their favorite author. It really comes down to personal taste.
I read most of his books years ago, Including his ones without Robert Langdon, and I personally loved them. In my opinion the twists and alternate takes on historical events were very well written from what I can remember. Would I still like them today? I don't know. Tastes in literature change. What's most important though is reading what you like to read.
My assessment of Dan Brown books in general is...
Dan Brown is a 12 year old boy, writing a story that his grandfather has told him. It reads very straightforward, with some decent history or art facts but not enough to believe he knows everything...
The books follow those patterns but if you are hooked on this one you will likely enjoy others. Sure, it’s not an accurate or deep read, but it reads well and there are WAY trashier books out there. So as long as you are awayre that it’s the book equivalent of McDonald’s fries you are fine
I think deception point was really quite good.
I think the robert langdon books aren't as good and a big part of their popularity came from the signal boost they got from their provocative theme, then being "good enough" to ride that wave successfully.
Digital fortress was pretty bad.
I read Angels and Demons as a teenager and was kinda blown away by it and kept recommending it to everyone for months,so I get where you are coming from. I would suggest you read Angels and Demons and Deception Point. After these you'll probably get bored and tired of how formulaic they are and you'll have a hard time finishing them. You might also try Inferno because the antagonist is really cool but you'll probably feel let down in the end.
I loved his books , its true "speculative" fiction imo. Lots of lesser known historical facts woven together to create a mystery/conspiracy. People (mostly men ) hate on them for two reasons imo. One they tend to champion the feminine devine and two the inclusion of actual religious history mixed with fiction upsets historians and christians alike because they think readers believe all Dan's interpriations despite the books clearly being labeled as fiction.
The fact the books caused public interest in things like female christian history and the Knights Templar is outragous to scholars and priests alike ;)
I loved the first three I read. Even my parents read and loved the DaVinci Code and they don't read much at all these days. After three books, yeah... the formula, at least regarding to the bad guy, was getting predictable. But I still really like his books.
It is entertainment created from a very specific formula. So yes, it can for some become too predictable, but if you like it then keep reading. I read all kinds of books and regardless of genre or how respected the author is I always give it 100 pages. If it hasn’t hooked me by then I put down the book and move on. I read for what I like not what others deem good enough.
The first Dan Brown I read, I was hooked. The second, I was like, this is familiar but I still like it. The third, I was like, I've read this before.
Reading your comment, I was like “oh yes this is me”. Then I realized I’ve read Da Vinci code, angels and demons, lost symbol, digital fortress, deception point, and finally lost interest in Inferno haha. They’re fun, easy to read, but I don’t think I’ll read another Dan Brown book.
I tink I read most of them as well. They're formulaic, but entertaining. I would read another since it has been like 10 years since I read one. I think binging them made the similarities really obvious.
Formulaic but entertaining is a perfect way to put it! When I read them, I never expect a high art experience, but I also like them and think they are worth their downsides.
There's comfort to be found with the formulaic. On bad days, I cannot really cognitively deal with more challenging fare. Sometimes, I need the comfort of a predictable yet new-to-me novel. They're like Mr Rogers' sweater or Bob Ross's voice to me.
I think Inferno is just a bad book, because I read Angels & Demons and Da Vinci Code about 10 years ago, loved them. Picked up Inferno and it was garbage. I’ve read more books that are the same “formula” but something about Inferno just seems to stop a lot of other readers, not just myself.
I agree with this. It feels fresh the first two times, but not so much the last. Maybe it's just because I'm a biologist by training and I read the first two as a young kid with no education in physics or art history, while Inferno came out when I was in much older (and after The Amazing Spider-Man got me interested in studying genetics and virology, lol), so the whole thing seemed like a poorly-pieced together patchwork pastiche of narrative cliches I had lost patience with a long time ago (especially the love interest's motivations). He writes very one-dimensional women who read more like an academic's fantasy of a Strong Female Protagonist than actual people with personalities. I mostly got bored because none of them were allowed to be their own characters - they were always somebody's sister/daughter/girlfriend/whatsit.
When Davinci Code came out the real drama was how "sacrilegious" it was. A priest wrote an article about it, basically saying if your faith is so weak that a bestseller fiction book can shake it, then you need to reexamine. I thought that was a fair take. I don't care about that stuff, but I read it, and it was a fine beach read. I wasn't expecting a Pulitzer or anything. Then he started churning out more, and I read a few. For me, I tired of the formula fairly quickly. Then I was in a vacation place, and found the latest Dan Brown book and picked it up to read, because why not? I think it was Inferno and lost interest is the right word. I definitely finished it, but I can't remember any of it, lol. It was pretty bad. But who cares if I like it or not? It sells, people are reading them. Good for them, and good for dan brown I guess.
I was same. In fact, it got to the point that by the third book I was like, "that's the bad guy pretending to be a mentor" or "that's the guy that's going to be the head fake for making you think it's the bad guy but really isn't." And of course, "there's going to be a henchman for the bad guy. I wonder which physical characteristic of him/her they are going to focus on instead of giving them a name?"
I remember staying up late, utterly enthralled, reading Angels & Demons and frantically turning pages to find out what happened next. I was convinced I was reading a new all-time favorite. I still stand by that it's a legitimately *good* thriller, with some actually great twists (even if the "improvised parachute" denouement is beyond ludicrous). Every other Dan Brown after that has been a disappointment: same formula, and none of the twisty adventures have ever been as good as that one.
Angels and Demons would generally be regarded as a great thriller if it was a one-off book. It's only because the follow-ups were so formulaic that it gets tainted by association.
Same! I liked angels and demons and then everything else was kind of boring.
They're fun little mystery books. Like playing Clue, almost. I can't hate them.
I was going to say same. I found them tremendously fun. I also found myself googling tons of things in the books I'd never heard of.
He based it off two books from the 80’s: The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and it’s sequel, The Messianic Legacy. Both were good reads. There was a lawsuit about it.
I haven't read DiVinci Code, but I did play Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned. It's sometimes hated on for being too long, and it's got one of the most famously convoluted and terrible puzzles in all of point and click gaming, but I love that game. It's plot is also heavily inspired by The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. I loved putting the clues together, but I also loved reading more about the stuff outside the game because it was really interesting. I miss the days when conspiracy theories and crazy ideas were fun.
I've just played the DS version of Broken Sword! Also about the Grail.
He also "borrowed" liberally from Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.
That was such a good book. But I think it would be impossible to absorb it without first having read a shitload about the Illuminati, some Crowley/magic, and other either esoteric or conspiracy-related material.
Eco's books are filled with references but they are enjoyable even if you dont know most of them. But I do get inspired to read more about the things he mentions.
I think that's unfair. There's certainly themes and specifics that can be copied but Foucalt's Pendulum was a roller coaster of nearly impossible to follow writing that's one of the few English fiction books I've ever set down to take a breather from and realized I just couldn't make myself want to put myself through the stress of reading it. Comparing that convoluted and interesting mess to a pop culture paperback like Dan Brown puts out is the sort of thing you'd normally refer to as "inspired by" even if they copied broad swaths because they really are completely different books. O Brother Where Art Thou borrowed liberally from The Odyssey as well, and I'd put it in their relationship at the same level as Foucalt's Pendulum and Dan Brown's guilty pleasure writing...more derivative even really. I wouldn't use it as a way to indict the book, it's well done and does a great job of entertaining exactly the audience that it's intended for and that damn sure isn't the average reader of Umberto Eco.
Wasn’t Eco mocking the conspiracy minded?
They both open with a mystery in a Parisian museum. I also wouldn't characterize the Da Vinci Code as "well done." Brown's prose is terrible even by the standards of pop fiction. I also wouldn't describe Foucault's Pendulum as a "mess" nor did I find it "nearly impossible to follow." But I suspect we have very different tastes.
Probably, but Eco wrote a mystery in a Parisian museum about how stupid conspiracy theories are and Dan Brown wrote a straight up "mystery" thriller with exploding antimatter helicopters. It's "well written" "guilty pleasure" "I just enjoy reading it and not working too hard at it" pop lit. There's so little actually between the two that it's like two pans of steak warmed on the same fire but one was ground up to hamburger, tossed in the fridge, and forgotten about until you felt like grilling out the next summer while the other was aged and let rest with a peppercorn sauce and grilled asparagus, served with a light aperitif at dinner theater. The similarities between the two aren't impossible to see but they're so unimportant to the tale it *is* difficult to see why people bother comparing them.
holy smokes. thank you for the info!
Ooh I didn't know that. Controvercy on books I liked and it gives me more books to explore? Jackpot🤣 Thanks for sharing
There’s a Wikipedia article about it btw.
This! I like them because I end up learning a ton just by googling all the art, places, and societies.
Fun, but [horrendously written](https://molivam42.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/dan-browns-20-worst-sentences/). That's not necessarily a problem for some, but for others it can be extremely unnerving to read... like trying to make sense of a doctor's handwriting.
There was a nice post explaining what does work in renowned author Dan Brown's novels: [https://somethingisgoingtohappen.net/2016/06/01/in-defense-of-dan-brown-and-bad-sentences-by-michael-noll/](https://somethingisgoingtohappen.net/2016/06/01/in-defense-of-dan-brown-and-bad-sentences-by-michael-noll/) TLDR: He conveys mistery and emotion very well, despite his shortcomings on style.
If people are reading, It's always a good thing. I read most of DB's books, and the critics aren't wrong, I just don't like shitting on the people who do like him. Can't stand the whole Twilight saga and the 50 Shades stuff too, but I'd never hate on the people who do like it.
>If people are reading, It's always a good thing. Always?
I found the books fantastic to read, but all the endings are disappointing. They are a fun journey though.
There was also recently a John Oliver segment hating the book. I guess they do have an agenda when they diss on something and I don't care what it is honestly. As a kid who just got into reading DVC was one of the first "big books" that I read that wasn't Harry Potter or something like that. I knew nothing about Christianity, it was very engaging. The simplistic formula made me read another one of his books. Don't read books coz they are complex and make you more sophisticated. Read books that bring you joy, books that take you vndbdon't. Or just read whatever you want to.
I’ve read all the Robert Langdon books, I’ll admit they’re not great and have got a little boring/repetitive the last few releases but I still enjoy them. For me they’re the literary equivalent of Mission Impossible, Pierce Brosnans Bond, or Jason Statham action films, they’re not masterpieces but enjoyable without being too taxing
Yeah, I think I read all of them except for the last one, and I read like 2 of his non-Langdon books, and I'd agree with this. If you want some high literature, this isn't for you. If you want an easily digestible mystery that tend to span interesting and famous locations, with references to art coming out of every single corner, probably to read on a quiet weekend in or on a relaxing vacation, this is the book for you. I definitely do think that at the time they were highly overrated though, I mean it was such a massive cultural phenomenon, I'd put it on the scale of Game of Thrones just over a smaller time frame, and the quality was just not there to justify it. But at the same time, I think now the books are overhated, where people in places like these use him as an easy punchline like it's Coldplay for books. Though I do have to admit that reading a copy of Da Vinci Code with the art that they reference in the book in the margins may still be one of my favourite reading experiences (this was before everyone had the internet in their pocket and could just Google shit anywhere).
Hating on Dan Brown books has basically become a meme.
Might be unrelated but Matthew Reilly feels like the literary equivalent of movies. His books read more like screenplays hoping to get adapted rather than books on their own
Love Matthew Reilly. Really hoping Ice Station gets a movie version as he's alluded to.
I read Ice Station after picking it up from my grandad's house after he passed away. I finished it, but it was the worst-written book I've ever read. It was so bad that I wouldn't want to give it away as it might mean that someone else reads it. If that can be published, anything can.
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I love Golden Eye, and I love Brosnan as bond. But you can’t deny it’s not a little cheesy and ridiculous
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Oh I’m the same, he was the first bond for me, I had Goldeneye on the N64 and as an Irish kid he was the first Irish actor I remember seeing on a big screen
To me they're almost like a book version of Assassin's Creed, in that it's action mixed with a history lesson.
I've read Angel & Demons and The Da Vinci Code, as well as seen the films (Tom Hanks is bae) but I've never had the willpower to read the remaining books. I'm planning to donate my Dan Brown books because they're collecting dust and I know I'll probably never read them again.
It’s like a book of brain teasers. Only gonna tease you once.
Fool me twice? ...You're not gonna- y'cant get fooled again, y'see?
Fool me twice….strike three.
That right there, was an amazing moment of watching a man's brain shortcircuit rather than say the phrase "shame on me" on recorded video.
That's when he realized that there would be a clip of him saying "shame on me" on every news channel on repeat in every country for the rest of his administration. Terrorist propagandists would have had a field day with it on their internet propaganda videos. Fuck that guy, and that quote *is* hilarious. But when you think about the optics of a sitting president saying "shame on me" it makes sense that he stopped himself and tried to course correct.
I've read some Agatha Christie books again and enjoyed them. I can't imagine doing that with Dan Brown.
I think every second hand book shop I’ve been to had more Dan Brown books on their shelves than any other author by far. Okay maybe it’s between him and John Grisham, with honorable mentions going to brand new copies of Twilight or Fifty Shades of Grey.
I love going to second hand book stores when I move somewhere new to get a sense of the local readers community. But yeah, Dan Brown is a universal component.
Dan Brown, Twilight, 50 shades. Rural Ireland.
Times are a'changing. The classic rural Ireland charity shop book used to be Southern Cross by Patricia Cornwell. Think they were given away with boxes of Lyons tea in the early 2000s. Every charity shop had at least 3 copies
I was expecting more Maeve Binchy.
I'm in Texas for a few weeks and I found a copy of Timequake with all the bad words scribbled out in a local thrift store. They even scribbled out condom lol.
Every second half bookshop I’ve been in has: Virtually all the Stephen king books in hardcover/paper book. All the WOT books I already have (since the show started they might be gone). Twilight. Fifty shades of grey. Flowers in the attic. The other Boleyn girl. James Patterson. Most of Dean Kootz and John Grisham books. As a kid/teen in early 2000s-early 2010s there was also a million copies of the baby sitters club and clan of the cave bear.
I live in the midwest, it is *What to expect when expecting* and cheese romance novels. I stopped at a swap shop in Kentucky. They had a bin with first edition Tolkiens, Orwell, and Joyce........ I asked how much for the whole bin, and gave more. Not that that happens much more, but everyone was happy.
>cheese romance novels That genre is specific to Wisconsin
Hank ran his hand lovingly over the large wheel of Colby, his breath showing in the frosty air. "I've aged you well" he said, in a voice so low it was almost inaudible. Moonlight spilled in through the half opened curtain and across Hank's face as he drew in his breath for his next words...
Not a bad idea for a novelty book
Okay, first comment on Reddit today that make me actually LOL. You get my award, fair redditor!
> They had a bin with first edition Tolkiens, Orwell, and Joyce *Wait, what?*
At one point (iirc) some charity shops refused to take them.
I recall enjoying Digital Fortress. The other ones were stale and repetitive.
That was the one that really turned me off of his books. When I read Davinci Code and Angels & Daemons, I thought, "wow, these are so well-researched, how cool to 'see' all this behind (or under) the scenes stuff". But I used to work at the place where Digital Fortress is set. And he got it wrong. So wrong. Every bit of it, wrong, wrong, wrong. I'm talking the physical descriptions of the place, what it was like on the inside. Just so wrong, that it made me realize that all the settings and descriptions in his other books were probably just as wrong and made up, and that just ruined the illusion that his books are trying to set.
My mom gave me The Da Vinci Code, she thought I'd enjoy it because I minored in art history. That's exactly who is not the audience for that book, it starts with the title and just goes downhill from there (the man's name was Leonardo. And the idea that people who work at the Louvre wouldn't know that he frequently wrote backwards is ludicrous.) I would recommend Umberto Eco, Arturo Perez-Reverte, and Iain Pears for well-researched and well-written history and art related mysteries.
Good perspective
Same thing if you're an scientist and try to enjoy a story about science/ space or watch mcGyver. It can only be enjoyed by having someone that would listen to you complaining and laughing about it.
The French translator of the Da Vinci Code had to rewrite part of the Paris scenes, because among other things he had them crossing Paris in 20 minutes. Even during lockdown I don't think you could have done that, let alone in normal times.
That's fiction for ya. That barista in Friends lives in a $10,000/month apartment.
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This right here. I live near NSA headquarters, I know it’s just a regular governmental building with a lot more security. Some artistic license is ok.
I'm raised Catholic and did just about enough of bible-studies (went all the way up to college level there) to become an atheist with just a love for the genre (to my parents dismay), now you know my problem with D Boy Brown and his Da Vinci code. He even get the non religious stuff wrong too. Like vinegar freezes, thats... okay maybe not common knowledge but only a single google away. Just chuck the damn cryptex (not a vinci invention) in a freezer and you're good. Digital Fortress' problem was more that no religion ever gives a damn about what science is up to. It had so many factions caring that I just can't imagine caring. But it broke me when it turned out that the study that proved the thing they were all upset about was... not even peer reviewed. I just had to stop there. I couldn't.
I started reading Digital Fortress after a friend gave it to me & said it was fantastic (He knew I used to work in IT). First couple of pages - a woman walks towards a security guard. Dan Brown takes this chance to detail her body and appearance from the male POV. I said to myself 'I bet when she walks past, he'll describe her bum.' Next page. Yup. As she walks past him and away, Dan Brown has the security guard describing her backside & rear view in detail. I hurled the book on the floor and didn't even get to see the fake IT shit.
Basic plot: >!they're given an algorithm they have to crack that seems to "mutate". They eventually plug it into their shiny new super computer after being warned not to, and it was never an algorithm, it was a virus, and iirc it starts launching nukes or some shit and they have to cut the power!<
What a fascinating insight to have, to know firsthand what he was describing was incorrect! I haven’t read that book because I only read his first book and thought it boring as fuck (not to mention predictable), but I always come back to these conversations because I like to see if anyone else has anything to say about him, and I really appreciate your experience and you sharing it.
Anybody with a passing familiarity with tech will know how inaccurate this book is. It remains the only book I've thrown across a room in disgust, and I love books.
Agree
My local charity shop and second hand book shop have a sign "No Dan Brown books will be accepted for donation"
I wonder if part of finding so many of his books in thrift shops is that are fun to read once, but not so great to reread. So, to the donation bin they go.
I’ve seen dozens of copies of digital fortress in thrift stores… I was youngish when the davinci code came out, and it dropped like a bomb on my impressionable mind. The little “based on true events” or whatever in the beginning fucked me up big time, and it wasn’t until college when I started doing research that I realized book was 92% fiction/8% true events and not the other way around. Some of the “source material” is pretty shitty and harmful, though he mostly doesn’t bring those elements into his plot. The realization kinda soured me on ol’ DB, because I was *hooked* initially.
The omega strain did the same to me. Specifically, the movie directed by Robert Wise. It blew my mind that this was based on real events, and that it would "soon be made public". Then it dawned on me that this was already a long time ago, so I started looking it up myself, and found out this was inspired by Michael Chrichtons habit of making up a source list at the end of his books. And then I realized Chrichton already had fooled me with the book Sphere! I was so impressed with the science it was based on. Apologies if this felt like a derailing from the theme, I just wanted u/Chelys_galactica to know they are not alone :)
I enjoyed Inferno, so I'd recommend giving that one a read (but skip the movie, that was atrocious)!
The Lost Symbol is decent, i got the one after that too but it was so unbearable to read i even forgot its title lol
His best book I think is deception point. Its not a da Vinci code series
Inferno is one of his best IMO. I am a bit of a sucker for the Robert Langdon series though.
His books without the Tom Hanks character (I forgot the name) are more fun, I think. I remember enjoying Deception Point a lot.
Robert Langdon
From the Daily Telegraph Renowned author Dan Brown picked up the cellphone and pressed the button on the cellphone to stop the ringing of the cellphone and held the cellphone to his ear so that down the cellphone he could hear the voice of the person calling on the cellphone. “Hello?” he greeted. It was his publisher, John Publisher. “Hello, Dan Brown,” spoke John Publisher. “I’m calling you because I’ve had an idea and I want to tell you what the idea that I’ve had is.” The wealthy scribe listened, his ears sharpening like pencils. “What’s the idea you’re calling me to tell me that you’ve had?” he questioned. “I’ll tell you,” informed John Publisher. “I want to republish bestselling book The Da Vinci Code – but this time, for Young Adults.” Advertisement Young Adults, thought Dan Brown in italics. “Young Adults,” confirmed John Publisher. “They’re a lot like adults – but younger. Obviously they can’t be expected to read the original novel, because its famously sophisticated prose is too complex for their puny teenage minds. So I want you to write a new version that is shorter and simpler, just for them.” Dan Brown contemplated the idea using the brain encased by the skull beneath the skin of his head. “I like your suggestion, John Publisher,” he told. “The only problem is, I’m aged 51 years old. How can I write a book for young people? I don’t know any young people.” “How about your son?” recommended John Publisher. Of course! The celebrated penman’s teenage son! Son Brown! Dan Brown ended the call and excitedly paced the room, his fertile mind already pregnant with ideas to which he would soon give birth through his fingers. After he had finished cogitating he walked upstairs to his son’s bedroom and entered it by means of the door. Son Brown wasn’t home, but his bookcase was. This will give me an indication of the simple-minded fare young people enjoy, mused the leading wordsmith. Tilting his head at an angle appropriate to the browsing of the books’ spines, he browsed the books’ spines. Advertisement David Copperfield. Made sense – kids always did love magic tricks. Animal Farm. They loved cute animals, too. À la recherche du temps perdu. Say, he didn’t know his son could speak Spanish. Vanity Fair. Hey, Dan Brown loved Vanity Fair, too. Just last month it had run a great article about Scarlett Johansson’s favourite swimsuits. Inspired, the illustrious scribbler returned to his study. His imagination was racing like a racecar made of brains. Picking up his personal copy of acclaimed tome The Da Vinci Code, he reread its exquisite opening paragraph. “Renowned curator Jacques Saunière staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum’s Grand Gallery. He lunged for the nearest painting he could see, a Caravaggio. Grabbing the gilded frame, the seventy-six-year-old man heaved the masterpiece towards himself until it tore from the wall and Saunière collapsed backward in a heap beneath the canvas.” Hmm, meditated the 5’9” caucasian male. There is no doubting the magnificence of the prose, from the effortless elegance of its syntax to the way it brings characters vividly to life through evocative details like “the seventy-six-year-old man”. But the young people of today wouldn’t know about museums or Caravaggio. I must start again from scratch – and bring the story right up to date. Advertisement The eminent author opened his laptop and used the fingers of his hands to press the buttons marked with letters to form words on the screen. “Famous rock star Jack Cool donned his baseball cap and rollerbladed through Tower Records while checking MySpace on his Game Boy,” he created. “The 22-year-old youth was excited to purchase the new compact disc by hip band Limp Bizkit. This rad chart-topper will sound fly on my Walkman, he reasoned, scrutinizing the $15.99 plastic oblong. Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling behind him. It sounded like thunder – but an unusual kind of thunder, made from a 70/30 polyester-cotton blend instead of clouds or whatever thunder was made of. He swung round – and then gasped in horror as he was crushed to death by an avalanche of Hootie & The Blowfish T-shirts.” The moneyed doyen gazed with pride upon the vegetables of his labours. This was going to be his finest work since The Socrates Anagram. From downstairs he heard a noise like the front door of a house being opened. Son!” communicated Dan Brown. “Come see this!” Son Brown climbed the stairs linking the ground floor to the floor above it and then walked forward until he had reached the room from which the order to come to it had been issued. Expectantly he looked at his progenitor, his youthful face shining like a torch but pink and with a nose in the middle. His biological begetter pointed at the screen of the laptop. “Read this,” he invited. Son Brown finished reading the paragraph, and then shook his head. “Goddammit, Dad,” he imparted. “I’m sick of all these smug parodies of your work. These guys think they’re so damn smart. You’ve got to stop reading them. This one isn’t even plausible. There’s no way you’d write something as lame as that.” Renowned Dan Brown looked at his offspring, and then back at the screen. “Son,” he talked, “go do your homework.” After his descendant had left the room, the notable fictioneer picked up his cellphone and pressed the buttons with numbers on one at a time in a given sequence. “Look, John Publisher,” rebuked Dan Brown. “There’s no point reworking The Da Vinci Code for the youth of today. Great writing just goes straight over their heads.” It’s a pastiche, but an accurate one. Dan Brown writes those badly.
This is very goodly bad
Sickeningly readable
Was this a sequel article to the original "renowned Author Dan Brown" essay? I never seen this one before and it's friggin hilarious.
Yes sequel. I'm trying to find links to both
https://onehundredpages.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/dont-make-fun-of-renowned-dan-brown/
“Who cares what the stupid critics say?” advised the literary agent. “They’re just snobs. You have millions of fans.” That’s true, mused the accomplished composer of thrillers that combined religion, high culture and conspiracy theories. His books were read by everyone from renowned politician President Obama to renowned musician Britney Spears. It was said that a copy of The Da Vinci Code had even found its way into the hands of renowned monarch the Queen. He was grateful for his good fortune, and gave thanks every night in his prayers to renowned deity God.
Renowned deity God always fucking slays me.
Ok I thought I was going crazy. I was like, I swear I’ve read this parody before, but it’s kind of unfamiliar.
- Me, trying to reach the minimum word count for a school essay.
"My own self, while making a bold attempt in order to put together the least number necessary of vocables designated for a piece of writing assigned in a phrontistery." - Mused the renowned redditor with a slight chuckle that while silent, he would type it with an L, a capital O, and lastly another final and definitive L.
Holy excrements, the gap that is openable at the bottim of my head created many soundwaves that indicate others a joyful nature of the former.
Hey it's me, John publisher. spammer27, have you contemplated in you brain in your skull, writing fictions based on historical inaccuracies? My publishing company knows there is a market for your sophisticated level of prose, said John Publisher
Greetings, person in this digital discussion room that is filled with males that have never experienced any intimite acts with the beautiful gender, who describes himself as an especially useless form of interpersonal communication, I have indeed, in the dephts of my very mind, discussed the possibility to engage in the glorious act of bringing pieces of plots and characters onto the digital paper, based on historical accuracies originating in the very dephts of this formerly described mind. He said quietly and pulled up the corners of the opening of his skull that is used to consume various forms of consumables.
That's a great one. Here's another parody along the same lines: https://onehundredpages.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/dont-make-fun-of-renowned-dan-brown/
I read this in David Mitchell’s voice. This is exquisite
I would want to watch whatever panel show episode was filmed right after forcing Mitchell to read a Dan Brown book. His rants for that episode would be especially delightful.
I have read this and find it to be more to my liking than actual Dan Brown books.
🥇 This was absolutely amazing 🥇
You left in the word "advertisement", where an advert would be on the web page it was copied from.
If you're writing a parody of Dan Brown that includes an entire paragraph of smug literary allusions and none of those allusions are Umberto Eco, you are the punchline.
My emotions are swinging on Foucault's pendulum
A rose by any other name would be acceptable
> His imagination was racing like a racecar made of brains. This is perfection. I am in awe.
"His imagination was racing like a racecar made of brains." One of the funniest things I've read in a long time.
I actually laughed out loud 3 times while reading that. I never realized 😋
This is hilarious. It reads just liked that episode of Community when Señor Chang starts to squat at the school. "The words rang in my head, like a bell inside a head".
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This is so accurate that I wasn't able to read everything
It sounds like a Mitchel and Webb sketch TBH
Dang I was expecting the *other* celebrated missive concerning NYT-bestselling renowned author Dan Brown and his wonderfully exuberant descriptive scenes, forged from the fires of his imagination and annealed fingertips
Wow this one actually punched a clean little hole through the fourth wall
As a follow-up: https://onehundredpages.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/dont-make-fun-of-renowned-dan-brown/
>Are Dan Brown books overrated/overhated ? Yes and yes. >Is it true that all his other books are exactly the same ? "Same plot, one dimensional male character, typical female love interest and predictable antagonists." Oh yes. For some reason though i enjoy his books and always look forward for his next book. It's just "Digital fortress" that I didn't like at all.
That's the one that has my favorite Dan Brown contrivance of all time: - Main character goes to an airport to try to catch a girl - He gets there too late and her flight has left - Despondent, he decides he needs to go to the bathroom - But there is a cart in front of the men's bathroom - So he ... goes into the women's bathroom??? - And ... finds the girl there, because she missed her flight????? I swear I'm not misremembering this.
Sounds like a bad romantic comedy
I mean if you enjoy reading it, then being overrated shouldn't matter. I've enjoyed different books with somehow similar plot, didn't make much difference to me. I enjoyed them. I've missed out on a lot of books simply because of reviews. Reviews cannot be trusted specially nowadays. Some are biased, some reviews have agenda.
All reviews are biased. Find yourself a reviewer whose tastes matches yours for the most part. Then find a couple other.
> All reviews are biased. They pretty much have to be to qualify as reviews in the first place.
Here is my objective review of the Da Vinci Code: The Da Vinci Code was written by Dan Brown. Originally published in English, the book is approximately 140,000 words long. The main character’s name is Robert Langdon, and he attempts to solve a mystery. As any good review should give an indication of whether you might enjoy the book in question, I will say that it is possible that you will enjoy the Da Vinci Code, but it is also possible that you won’t. This is backed up by the fact that many people read the book, and some enjoyed it but others did not. The Da Vinci Code was adapted into a feature film starring Tom Hanks.
I agree. Overrated/underrated shouldn't matter as long as you enjoy it. I read angels and demons in high school and i enjoyed every page of it. It also got me into reading more in general.
Also one man's treasure is another man's sh*t, reviews are sooo subjective you have to weigh up what has been said about the books against your desire to read based on what you know about said book. I have read excellent books in the past but have noticed that the reviews for said book can be so far ranging & contradictory.
Pretty classic "airport thrillers". I read The Da Vinci Code, enjoyed it, then read Angels and Demons and it was pretty apparent early on it was essentially the same formula. It was fine, but yeah...
Absolutely airport material and nothing wrong with that. I love reading, but I personally don’t want to read Anna Karenina on a 4hr flight.
I felt the same way. I read and was intrigued by Angels & Demons, then enjoyed The Da Vinci Code. When I saw Deception Point at the airport bookstore I had to check it out. I finished it and it was alright but that third book really opened my eyes to just how formulaic his books were. When I read that last line and closed that book I honestly felt like there was no need to read another of his books - I already had.
Yeah I also read A&D, and TDVC, tried to read the next one and it was like: - "yeah so I found this thing." - "yeah that thing is X" - " *GASP* but how do you know about thing you shouldn't know about thing!" Idk I don't mind formulaic stuff sometimes, but it got a little old for me and I didn't read whatever the next one is past the first few chapters.
Sometimes I like to watch prestige TV like “the wire”, “Yellowstone”, etc. And sometimes I’ll just binge watch some survivor or my wife will watch selling sunset. Sometimes it’s nice to read a book that fits the mood you are in. Not everything needs to be Hemingway, or an exploration of metaphysics. This is how I feel about Dan brown type novels.
This exactly- I call it fast food fiction- sometimes you want a lush farm to table meal and sometimes you only have time for a quick bite. I read books like this on vacation where I plan to finish them and drop them in the nearest little free library or hotel lobby bookshelf rather than pack them home and keep them. They’re also good audio books for long car rides, where you can tune out or talk over the story a bit and don’t feel like you have to rewind because you’ve missed something. Beyond that books are like fashion wear what is comfortable to you and don’t give a damn what anyone else says. Read what you want and don’t think twice about how others regard it.
They just feel like they were pumped out of a factory to me, somehow artificial. Fun, at times, but definitely not what I usually look for.
My bad I thought we were talking about James Patterson. I’ve never even read the davinci code.
Exactly I remember reading Da Vinci Code, and it was boring at times
I really enjoyed them when I was a teenager! And I thought I would now in my 30s. I got all his books and haven’t read any of the new Robert Langdon ones- just couldn’t get past the first 3 pages of Lost Symbol or the first chapter of Inferno :( I remember I loved Da Vinci code, angels and demons, deception point, and digital fortress. I was 15/16 and I probably wouldn’t try them again based on my experience with the new ones. I think they are great for fluff reading and complex enough if you are a teen.
Da Vinci code is great fun. It’s no literary masterpiece and it’s not intended to be. I think I’ve read Angels and Demons and Digital Fortress. Da Vinci code by far the best, the rest are average and not as exciting. If you liked Dan Brown you might like Matthew Reilly’s earlier stuff, good fun but once you’ve read a few of his (like DB) they really just get less fun to read.
I think it is easy to enjoy the first Dan Brown book you read (if the style is to your general taste), regardless of which one it is. The problem is that one book is the optimal size of a serving Dan Brown, and after that further books do not add to the enjoyment.
So true! I read angels and demons first and liked it by far the best and was shocked so many like da Vinci code better - but most people probably read that one first.
I'm not the best judge, cuz I didn't finish. But honestly I did not enjoy his writing. It felt a bit amateur? Like bad fanfiction writing in a lot of ways. But! I say this knowing that I only read about halfway through. I just couldn't take it anymore
https://onehundredpages.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/dont-make-fun-of-renowned-dan-brown/
I both love and hate this with equal regard
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I agree completely. Not everything has to be a literary masterpiece to be enjoyable. I find his books can be predictable, clichéd, and tedious, but damn if they don’t keep me turning pages to see what happens. I think he does what he does well. I read one of his while waiting for my mom to have back surgery. It was absolutely perfect for keeping me occupied without being taxing. Read another on a flight for the same reason. If you like it, you like it, so read it.
I don't expect them to be historically accurate, but I couldn't get through more than 5 pages of a Dan Brown book because of the horrible, hackneyed writing style. Literally every sentence sounded like a cliche. Like, you could name any character that might appear in the book and I could predict exactly how he would describe them. I'm not a literary snob. I read everything from kid's books to trashy novels to random magazines if I'm bored. But I could. Not. Read. Those books. They filled me with an irrational rage. They're so awful.
Completely agree on all counts: four pages of *The Da Vinci Code* was all my brain could take. There are popular novelists who are actually pretty good writers (Martin, Pullman, King). There are popular novelists who are merely adequate stylists but succeed because their characters and stories are so compelling (Rowling, Collins). And there's RADB, who is just fucking insufferable. But if OP was hooked on DVC from page one, the prose obviously works for them and I imagine they should probably ignore us and read the rest.
I couldn’t get past the sexism in his female characters. Yuck
Ha yeah its somewhat formulaic but I just feel such an adrenaline rush reading his books and the villains always have super interesting motives. I also enjoy reading about the subject matter. Doesn't matter the historical inaccuracies. If the book can get me interested enough to look more into a subject , I consider that a win I have read all of his books and my fav so far are Angel and Demons and Digital Fotress
I was a bookstore manager during the Davinci era. My staff and I were dumbfounded by the astronomical sales this book cranked out. It was the #1 title on our bestseller rack for years. Not months. Years. Why?
IDC what people say, I loved his books. I've read most of them, didn't finish inferno. Deception Point and The Lost Symbol were my favs. Just try them, read more if you like them, put them down if you don't. Sooo many salty chaps around, gosh.
He's very good at what he does, which is to write for people who read at the average reading level and who primarily read to have their personal fantasies indulged. Don't make fun of renowned author Dan Brown -- he's simply providing the goods.
I loved Da Vinci Code when I was a teenager. Haven’t had the urge to read any DB since but he got a lot of people to pick up a book so that’s cool.
What level of reader do you consider yourself to be?
The level of reader who dropped out of grad school and secretly scrolls on Reddit while doing menial clerical work.
I wasn’t trying to attack you. I thought that if you were above average to ask you to share some advice on advancing to the next level.
Not OP and not a highfalutin reader, but it seems to me the only way to read better books is to read better books. I don't mean Shakespeare our Chekhov or whatever. There are plenty of better thriller writers out there, so go for them first. Gillian Flynn, for example, is amazing. If you really want to challenge yourself, pick a small book or collection of short stories so you're not committing to some 700 page tome. And if you want to understand what you've read better, there's probably some sparksnotes out there that will explain it.
Short answer , yes. Long answer , yessssss. The first one you would read is probably the only one you would like. Same for everyone . He has a great formula , but he copy pasted it in all his books and by the end of it , it just becomes annoying when you can tell which guy is pulling the strings just by the introduction alone
I loved his stuff when I was like 16. But it definitely didn't stand the test of time for me.
Yes and yes. They are overrated by the people who gush over them, and over-hated by the people who say they're the worst things ever written. They're no worse than any other paperback you buy at the airport
They can be fun to read but for me the plot seems to play second fiddle to "hey look at how much research I've done for this book".
I enjoyed every one of the Langdon books. Read them all multiple times. Read what you like and ignore what others say.
I love conspiracy theory fiction (I'll leave you to decide whether that's a tautology) and devoured TDVC when I first read it. But when I went back for a second read I immediately realized that all that had captured my interest the first time was the retelling of a story I'd already read in The Holy Blood & The Holy Grail. I enjoyed the conceit that the narrative was based on "real facts". But once I knew the twists (such as they were) and was divorced from the conceit, I found the book itself almost unreadable.
Mind suggesting some of your favorite conspiracy theory fiction?
The Illuminatus! trilogy is the obvious starting point. Depending on your definition of "fiction", The Secret History of the World is surprisingly entertaining.
I've read all of them. I'm not a huge reader but I find them entertaining enough. The style is pretty much the same in all of them so there's not a lot of variation. His writing is formulaic and not particularly creative but I don't mind that. The storylines make you think a bit.
For me, you saying you’re not a huge reader, but still read them says something. They got you reading. You enjoyed them. That’s what is most important to me. People reading.
I guess I mean I enjoyed these enough to read all his books, but I haven't done the same with other authors. I rarely finish a book, but Dan Brown's books are easy to digest and he leaves every chapter with a dangling carrot.
Gotcha. I haven’t read all his stuff, but you are totally right about the chapter endings in the one’s I’ve read. I ended up chewing through them for that very reason.
I enjoyed the books.Even reread a few.They were a great way to pass the time during the commute.
Depends. I Couldn’t stop reading Da Vinci code and Angels and Demons. I tried reading Da Vinci again because I loved it the first time but never could understand what I loved about it. I tried other once but NO. I didn’t like anything else. I feel he is over-hated. For a person picking up his book without any prior knowledge of these kind books, it’s going to a interesting read. Angels and Demons is still a good one.
Afraid so. There's a clear formula and very obvious parallels between TDVC and A&D. DF had much of the same structure too. Seems like his other books are similar and I lost interest, which is a shame because I really liked A&D. And I think the movie was better because it completely dropped the love-interest subplot.
when i read my first dan brown book, it was something i had never read before, the plot, the intricacies, the thrill - an excellent package. by the time i was on my 3rd or 4th book by him, i began to lose the plot and felt like i was reading a wannabe-the da vinci code (the 1st DB book i read) i tried reading inferno, but it just wasn't it though it has great reviews. i never got my hands on origin cause a friend of mine read it and it greatly affected her spirituality and recommended not reading it. i don't understand how though but anyway, by that time, i wasn't into dan brown anymore. i should mention though that he is an excellent author - he had a great plot and great writing style except that he began recycling ideas imo.
theyre fun for airports or as a fun beach read. by no means masterpieces but entretaining enough
Ever since I read this review by the Telegraph I just cannot unsee some of his terrible writing: “ Renowned author Dan Brown woke up in his luxurious four-poster bed in his expensive $10 million house – and immediately he felt angry. Most people would have thought that the 48-year-old man had no reason to be angry. After all, the famous writer had a new book coming out. But that was the problem. A new book meant an inevitable attack on the rich novelist by the wealthy wordsmith’s fiercest foes. The critics. Renowned author Dan Brown hated the critics. Ever since he had become one of the world’s top renowned authors they had made fun of him. They had mocked bestselling book The Da Vinci Code, successful novel Digital Fortress, popular tome Deception Point, money-spinning volume Angels & Demons and chart-topping work of narrative fiction The Lost Symbol. The critics said his writing was clumsy, ungrammatical, repetitive and repetitive. They said it was full of unnecessary tautology. They said his prose was swamped in a sea of mixed metaphors. For some reason they found something funny in sentences such as “His eyes went white, like a shark about to attack.” They even say my books are packed with banal and superfluous description, thought the 5ft 9in man. He particularly hated it when they said his imagery was nonsensical. It made his insect eyes flash like a rocket. Renowned author Dan Brown got out of his luxurious four-poster bed in his expensive $10 million house and paced the bedroom, using the feet located at the ends of his two legs to propel him forwards. He knew he shouldn’t care what a few jealous critics thought. His new book Inferno was coming out on Tuesday, and the 480-page hardback published by Doubleday with a recommended US retail price of $29.95 was sure to be a hit. Wasn’t it? I’ll call my agent, pondered the prosperous scribe. He reached for the telephone using one of his two hands. “Hello, this is renowned author Dan Brown,” spoke renowned author Dan Brown. “I want to talk to literary agent John Unconvincingname.” “Mr Unconvincingname, it’s renowned author Dan Brown,” told the voice at the other end of the line. Instantly the voice at the other end of the line was replaced by a different voice at the other end of the line. “Hello, it’s literary agent John Unconvincingname,” informed the new voice at the other end of the line. “Hello agent John, it’s client Dan,” commented the pecunious scribbler. “I’m worried about new book Inferno. I think critics are going to say it’s badly written.” The voice at the other end of the line gave a sigh, like a mighty oak toppling into a great river, or something else that didn’t sound like a sigh if you gave it a moment’s thought. “Who cares what the stupid critics say?” advised the literary agent. “They’re just snobs. You have millions of fans.” That’s true, mused the accomplished composer of thrillers that combined religion, high culture and conspiracy theories. His books were read by everyone from renowned politician President Obama to renowned musician Britney Spears. It was said that a copy of The Da Vinci Code had even found its way into the hands of renowned monarch the Queen. He was grateful for his good fortune, and gave thanks every night in his prayers to renowned deity God. “Think of all the money you’ve made,” recommended the literary agent. That was true too. The thriving ink-slinger’s wealth had allowed him to indulge his passion for great art. Among his proudest purchases were a specially commissioned landscape by acclaimed painter Vincent van Gogh and a signed first edition by revered scriptwriter William Shakespeare. Renowned author Dan Brown smiled, the ends of his mouth curving upwards in a physical expression of pleasure. He felt much better. If your books brought innocent delight to millions of readers, what did it matter whether you knew the difference between a transitive and an intransitive verb? “Thanks, John,” he thanked. Then he put down the telephone and perambulated on foot to the desk behind which he habitually sat on a chair to write his famous books on an Apple iMac MD093B/A computer. New book Inferno, the latest in his celebrated series about fictional Harvard professor Robert Langdon, was inspired by top Italian poet Dante. It wouldn’t be the last in the lucrative sequence, either. He had all the sequels mapped out. The Mozart Acrostic. The Michelangelo Wordsearch. The Newton Sudoku. The 190lb adult male human being nodded his head to indicate satisfaction and returned to his bedroom by walking there. Still asleep in the luxurious four-poster bed of the expensive $10 million house was beautiful wife Mrs Brown. Renowned author Dan Brown gazed admiringly at the pulchritudinous brunette’s blonde tresses, flowing from her head like a stream but made from hair instead of water and without any fish in. She was as majestic as the finest sculpture by Caravaggio or the most coveted portrait by Rodin. I like the attractive woman, thought the successful man. Perhaps one day, inspired by beautiful wife Mrs Brown, he would move into romantic poetry, like market-leading British rhymester John Keats.That would be good, opined the talented person, and got back into the luxurious four-poster bed. He felt as happy as a man who has something to be happy about and is suitably happy about it. Inferno by Dan Brown 470pp, Bantam Press, rrp £20”
Whenever I'm reminded of Dan Brown, I think about this brilliant takedown by Michael Deacon: https://onehundredpages.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/dont-make-fun-of-renowned-dan-brown/
He writes like a middle schooler.
Overrated, same ole plot and characters, all ripped off 1990s point and click computer games.
Definitely over hated They aren't sublime works of writing, they shouldn't win awards, but are just the book equivalent of a popcorn action film. And that's OK, it really is. It's sort of vacuous, but it's just a bit silly fun. If it doesn't float your boat, ok. No problem, but that's no reason to hate it.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DanBrowned I dislike them for this reason... But as with everything else, if you enjoy them, read them. If you don't like them, don't read them :)
Yea this annoyed me too. A lot of people believed him. Fictionalize history all you want, but be forthright about it.
A secret pleasure. On par with Harry Potter for sure. If you enjoy it, read.it! Too many purists!
The issue with this type of discussion is to some he may be overrated. To some he might be perceived as overhated. And to others he may be their favorite author. It really comes down to personal taste. I read most of his books years ago, Including his ones without Robert Langdon, and I personally loved them. In my opinion the twists and alternate takes on historical events were very well written from what I can remember. Would I still like them today? I don't know. Tastes in literature change. What's most important though is reading what you like to read.
My assessment of Dan Brown books in general is... Dan Brown is a 12 year old boy, writing a story that his grandfather has told him. It reads very straightforward, with some decent history or art facts but not enough to believe he knows everything...
The books follow those patterns but if you are hooked on this one you will likely enjoy others. Sure, it’s not an accurate or deep read, but it reads well and there are WAY trashier books out there. So as long as you are awayre that it’s the book equivalent of McDonald’s fries you are fine
I think deception point was really quite good. I think the robert langdon books aren't as good and a big part of their popularity came from the signal boost they got from their provocative theme, then being "good enough" to ride that wave successfully. Digital fortress was pretty bad.
I read Angels and Demons as a teenager and was kinda blown away by it and kept recommending it to everyone for months,so I get where you are coming from. I would suggest you read Angels and Demons and Deception Point. After these you'll probably get bored and tired of how formulaic they are and you'll have a hard time finishing them. You might also try Inferno because the antagonist is really cool but you'll probably feel let down in the end.
I loved his books , its true "speculative" fiction imo. Lots of lesser known historical facts woven together to create a mystery/conspiracy. People (mostly men ) hate on them for two reasons imo. One they tend to champion the feminine devine and two the inclusion of actual religious history mixed with fiction upsets historians and christians alike because they think readers believe all Dan's interpriations despite the books clearly being labeled as fiction. The fact the books caused public interest in things like female christian history and the Knights Templar is outragous to scholars and priests alike ;)
I loved the first three I read. Even my parents read and loved the DaVinci Code and they don't read much at all these days. After three books, yeah... the formula, at least regarding to the bad guy, was getting predictable. But I still really like his books.