Book Review: Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code

Yes, I read it.

I wasn't overly impressed.

Brown has an informal style that's not hard to read but is likely to drive sticklers for construction batty. The Da Vinci Code (TDVC) is essentially a conspiracy theory cum mystery thriller. Brown uses a fictitious secret society called the Priory of Sion and builds a mystery around it. It's not half as clever as it sounds, but Brown's efforts to weave in a lot of information on how Leonardo da Vinci's works tie in make the work intriguing to many who haven't heard of the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail (HBHG). HBHG was published in 1982, predating TDVC by 20 years, and it recounts the "history" surrounding the Priory of Sion.

Too bad the Priory thing was a complete hoax. (Follow the link to wikipedia.)

Anyway, TDVC's setup is more than competent. It builds on a bunch of "interesting" interpretations of Leonardo's works, and weaves in some more "facts" surrounding the Opus Dei, the de facto antagonists of the book. (Yes, yes, there is a twist somewhere in there.) The problem is that Brown loses his way in the middle, when the "interesting interpretations" lose their charm and the whole plot starts to lose steam.

The ending, well, sucks.

So, TDVC has a decent opening third, a mediocre middle third, and a subpar final third. Not a waste of time, but it's not something I'd go out of my way to look at.

The final note here is that while TDVC is certainly a work of fiction, or perhaps alternate history if you prefer, it does use a real-world setting. The Opus Dei does indeed exist, and a lot of people on the planet do believe that Jesus Christ was a god. The controversy potential of the book is so good that I'm not surprised it got published. I'm even more surprised that it's apparently flying under the radar in this country, which is partly controlled by the Roman Catholic Church and where the Opus Dei has a not-insignificant presence.

Will TDVC come and go quietly? I wouldn't bet on it.