Reviewed by Karl Treen
The Grand Master of a secret society has been assassinated. Within the gruesome crime scene there lies a secret message with the power to reshape Christianity.
In The Da Vinci Code, the sequel to Angels & Demons, the erudite, reluctant Robert Langdon is once again poked and prodded into action. This time he is running for his life, racing against – and from – two misguided members of a real life Catholic organization known as Opus Dei. Teamed up with an alluring, insightful young woman, he must discover and decipher the Da Vinci Code, a series of symbols left by a group with a secret as old as Christianity itself. This unlikely duo must find and protect the secret before it is either revealed or lost forever.
With every novel, Dan Brown’s research becomes more interesting; his characters gain depth and his plots become more involved. Don’t be put off by the first few pages of The Da Vinci Code. Although they bear a striking resemblance to the beginning of Angels & Demons – the late night urgent phone call, the gruesome multiple murders, the alluring, intelligent woman whose learned father-figure has just been murdered – The Da Vinci Code is thoroughly entertaining. Is it formulaic? Yes. Is it boring? Not for a moment.
Brown's gift is the ability to work academic subject matter into exciting, accessible stories. There are so many interesting details in The Da Vinci Code that they have incited a virtual treasure hunt for more information. Sales of scholarly works on these subjects have been invigorated as a result of this novel. These include Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent and The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince.
For academics, the more scholarly works would be recommended but for those who enjoy intelligent fiction with a thriller plot, The Da Vinci Code is great reading.
Originally published on Populist Books. Reproduced here with permission.
