I know it is not a sci-fic novel but with all the hype i'm interested in what it is all about. from what i heard/read the story is about a secret religion keeping a secret and global conspiracy.
did anyone read it? if so, do you recommend it?
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I know it is not a sci-fic novel but with all the hype i'm interested in what it is all about. from what i heard/read the story is about a secret religion keeping a secret and global conspiracy.
did anyone read it? if so, do you recommend it?
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Not actually read it, but go on, have a go online 8)
http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/davinci/
Order of Kilopi
I enjoyed it. It's implausible, and I heard pretty inaccurate (it's not my field), but it's enjoyable.
Order of Kilopi
I usually avoid fat books on account of being a very slow reader. But I picked up The Da Vinci Code on account of a short article about it on Radio 4 a couple of weeks back. I'm on page 352 of 593.
Some of the prose is ever-so-slightly clunky, and the author uses "millennium" as a plural. These are quibbles. It's a very easy read, the narrative drive is tremendous, and it's hard to end a chapter without wanting to sneak ahead to see how the end-of-chapter teaser will be resolved.
There is a conspiracy theory at the heart of it, one that might make religious people uncomfortable. It's actually quite a fascinating theory, and plausible too, although whether there's any truth in it or not I have no idea. The bottom line is, the book is a thriller, and it does a very good job of thrilling.
Incidentally, if you enjoy computer adventure games, it's worth mentioning that there are quite a few similarities between the book and the Broken Sword trilogy. This is almost certainly coincidental, but if you like one, there's a good chance you'll like the other too.
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The prose is pretty clunky, it reads like a film pitch, the lead character is Harrison Ford, and it takes many and varied conspiracy theories at face value.
Its Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade crossed with 24 in book form, and I loved it.
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I read it a few months ago. Although I enjoyed it, I think it would have offended me if I'd read it when I considered the bible the literal Word of God, since it suggests some things that more conservative Christians would consider blasphemy.
The story is a nice, twisty, mystery novel, and a real "page turner." Whether any of it has basis in fact or not, I don't know. It has a lot of references, and is supposed to be based on fact.
Whatever.
Interesting story, though. I guess it is supposed to be made into a movie soon....
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There was a BABBling thread a while ago (early/mid July) where this was discussed but I can't find it. Which is embarassing since I posted in it.ops:
The organisations all exist, the Templar myth is just that, some of the details are ropey but it is ok as a read. Just remember it is a novel.
As for historical accuracy, there is nothing new from a medieval/biblical viewpoint, just a reworking and linking of several theories and claims dating way back.
I didn't enjoy it, maybe because I have a degree in Medieval History, everyone else I know who read it did.
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Oh, its complete tosh (in case I didn't make myself clear last time). I just found that, while as a novel the prose is pretty clunky, its so much more entertaining and well-put-together than your average woowoo site.Originally Posted by Bawheid
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Ron Howard is directing the movie. Akiva Goldman is writing the screenplay. I am looking forward to it.
I enjoyed the book as well. It was fun. I also enjoyed Angels and Demons, but I haven't been able to get into his other books. Believe it or not, his prose started off way clunkier than it is now.
P.S. I linked Angels & Demons to the thread Bawheid was referring to. 8)
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Oh dear. So we can forget it looking anything like interesting, then.
AAAARGH!!! Forget Ron Howard. Forget my comments about slightly clunky prose. The Akiva Goldsman Kiss of Death is present. You'll never find a more horrible screenwriter in all of the world - this is the man who killed Batman, the man who destroyed Lost In Space, the reason I've not gone to see I, Robot.Akiva Goldman is writing the screenplay.
Are you feeling ok?I am looking forward to it.
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Ron Howard has done a lot of good work, so I don't know what you're talking about there.Oh dear. So we can forget it looking anything like interesting, then.
I liked Practical Magic, A Beautiful Mind, A Time to Kill and The Client. I'm holding out hope that The DaVinci Code will be good as well.
Just because not everything they've done is great doesn't mean some of their work isn't really good, and so I think this project is right up their alley.Are you feeling ok?I am looking forward to it.
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Sorry, I've just a HUGE chip on my shoulder about the guy. Batman And Robin isn't just the worst film in the world, its probably one of the worst things in the world. I haven't liked any of his other scripts either, but its what he did to Batman that really gets my goat. I'm almost certainly not being reasonable here, but what's a fanboy to do?
As for Ron Howard, he's the very definition of "competent". Give him a good script and some great actors, like they did with Apollo 13, and he can be relied on to not make a mess of it. But he's always the safe pair of hands; I don't expect anything particularly special because I see his name attached in the way I would some directors. People like Fincher or Scott can make a cool looking film despite the other elements.
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I completely understand. There are people I feel that way about as well.
I agree. However, I think he's a good choice for this particular type of material, although, it would be interesting to see Spielberg do it, what with his Indiana Jones trilogy and all.
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After listening to someone gush about it, I looked up some reviews and debunk sites. It's fiction. Even the part at the beginning where he says it's a true story is already part of the story. Even well-known things are "wrong", to support the story rather than being like it is in real life, such as the contents and decade of discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
--John
Order of Kilopi
That revered journal Viz has, as ever, been quick off the mark. The current issue features a short article headed "Science Reveals Shock New DAILY MAIL CODE".
"Mathematicians at top boffin coffin Oxford University have uncovered a secret code in the pages of the Daily Mail. Close study of the text has shocked the egghead community - revealing a series of cogent, legible messages, cunningly hidden within the rambling paragraphs..."
It goes on to say, "...Excitement about the findings is running high, with academics excited at the first evidence of a guiding intelligence behind the newspaper. A book about the discovery, called simply The Daily Mail Code is expected to top both the book and the R&B single charts on release."
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[rant]
Well, someone gave me the book -"OMG!!! YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!!!"
I guess they call it a page turner because the author insists on making each chapter about A PAGE LONG.
I found the idea of the story is somewhat interesting, but the whole thing read like a made for TV movie to me. The cardboard characters, contrived pacing and megaphone style exposition got in the way of the story for me. For example, here's the riveting opener of chapter 5 (fair use, fair use!):
I can hear the tour guide now: "And we'll stop by the gift shop on the way out, watch your step!" What, did he just copy the brochure?Murray Hill Place - the new Opus Dei World Headquarters and conference center - is located at 243 Lexington Avenue in New York City. With a price tag of just over $47 million, the 133, 000-square foor tower is clad in red brick and Indiana limestone. Designed by May & Pinska, the building contains over one hundred bedrooms, six dining rooms, libraries, living rooms, meeting rooms, and offices.
I don't usually cotton to the conspiracy genre, so maybe I wasn't the right person for this book. What I did notice that this had in common with some woo-woo writing is the flourish of detail in some areas (usually tangential or irrelevant to the matter) but gaping holes in logic and (un)healthy doses of gnosticism in others. Also, like the woo woo tendancy for combining sophmoric understanding with a "AHA! GOTHCHA!" swagger, the author seems to eager to throw art and history around cavalierly, conveniently leaving out details and clues, dragging the reader along. I found it annoying, and felt strung along, because I didn't really like the characters and didn't trust the author to lead me somewhere really enjoyable.
The one nice thing about it was that his overtly descriptive passages about Paris jogged my mind for good memories of our recent European trip. Maybe the tour brochure analogy wasn't so far off.
As for Ron Howard, I've only seen Apollo 13 and Beautiful Mind, both of
which I enjoyed.
Though as far as screwing up a book-film adaptation, no one beats that Y Tu Mama Tambien guy with Harry Potter.
*ducks* *hides*
(the upcoming Harry Potter flame war in this thread is brought to you by Backdraft, another Ron Howard movie...)
[/rant]
Order of Kilopi
lyford, I'd be interested in knowing if you've read many thrillers. I've read hardly any, and I'm curious to know how typical this one is.
Most of my reading has been science fiction. I've seen no end of different approaches to infodump; nevertheless, the sheer in-yer-face approach of Dan Brown took me by surprise. Do other thriller writers do this? I've got Tom Clancy's Hunt For Red October on my reading list; does Clancy spend paragraphs detailing every bulkhead, pipe and circuit of a submarine?
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I really haven't read many thrillers, so I have no idea if this style is normal for the genre. If my criticisms were more applicable to the style than the particular author, then I guess it really is just a matter of taste.
I personally don't like heavy handed explication - didn't like the Sam Spade-ish original version of Blade Runner, yet the Director's Cut (the one sans narration) would make my top 10 list. I am also a big fan of cheese for cheese's sake, and I have no problem with a flawed gem or using some necessary literary device to move a story along, or extreme detail when it helps ground the story and give it historical footing. I read some sci-fi, lots of history, science, anything by Vonnegut or Douglas Adams (repeatedly), Vidal, LeGuin, etc.
Perhaps I was a little harsh in my comments since I read it right after coming down from my annual Tolkein high; after finishing a filling meal of Return of the King, the Da Vinci Code felt more like mise en place; raw, unseasoned and chopped into little bits.
Though I can undertand sometimes you just want a snack instead of a 7 course dinner.
Gonna get some Clancy to check his style and would love to compare notes later, though any more topic drift and I am afraid the BA would (correctly) boot us over to the BABBling forum. :wink:
Order of Kilopi
I think we have a lot of interests in common. I read minor LeGuins in my late teens, and I'm still blown away 22 years later...
I got into history recently - fact and fiction. Tracy Chevalier is a name to watch.
See you in BABBling in the next couple of days...
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Here's a great rollar coaster weekend for your mind - read the DaVinci Code first, THEN watch Big Trouble In Little China (TWICE!) and then read Lord of the Rings!
WHEEEE!!!! =D> #-o =D> :P :P :P :P
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Just a LOT, yes...
As for Potter, I really enjoyed the adaptation of Prisoner of Azkahban, as unlike the two dire offerrings from Chris Columbus, it actually works as a film, rather than just a tour of the books' highlights re-enacted for the cameras.
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Yes, it seems those who loved the first 2 hate POA and vice versa.
Maybe I am just getting too old for the shakey cam thing. It will be interesting to see how the 4th one is done, but to paraphrase Alton Brown, "That's another thread."
To get back to DaVinci, I don't mind the super detail if it contributes to the feel of the story or provides clues for later plot points. But in my opinion it felt "tagged on" in the DVC, especially in the Louvre scenes.
Maybe I want the impossible? A thriller that feels organic and has characters that act human and I care about. Like Hitchcock in the movies. I realize I am mixing media here, but is there an author that provides that same satisfaction?
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You just blew my mind!
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Ok, I can see reading the DaVinci code and watching BTILC twice and still having a day and half left on the weekend, but TNWIH you're gonna read all three books of the LotR in that time frame. Not and be in any condition to do anything at all on Monday [-X
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Have you read the lord of the rings?
The movies will take half a day to watch and they had a lot cut out.....
#-o
Plus you should realy include "The Hobbit" because it is realy the first book of the Lord of the rings.
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[sidebar]
Big Trouble in Little China. . . One of my "guilty pleasures"! Kurt Russel plays his part to the hilt! Love it!! =D>
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I once read 'Lord of the Rings' in two days.Have you read the lord of the rings?
The movies will take half a day to watch and they had a lot cut out.....
#-o
Plus you should realy include "The Hobbit" because it is realy the first book of the Lord of the rings.
Took about a week before I was back to what passes for normal.
Must have read it about 40 times by now.
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I haven't read The Da Vinci Code yet, but I found this story interesting about tours of the Louvre and other places around Paris, helping people seperate the "fact and fiction" in the book.
Order of Kilopi
It is OK if you read it as completely tongue in cheek (the author gives numerous clues that this is the case). the problem is, like all conspiratorial stuff, a lot of people will half believe it. It does to history what Capricorn 1 did to NASA
Jon
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