hail-hail

Anyone read this, it's by Dan Brown.

I started it on monday and will be finished by tonight, talk about can't put it down.

The book goes into the 'details' surrounding the life of Jesus and the cover up that ensued. Da Vinci has hinted to this in a number of his works using symbolism.

for example, looking at The Last Supper there seems to be a number of hints to the cover up of Jesus relationship with Mary Magdeline. Look at the person sitting to the right of Jesus, considering that the 12 deciples were all male, this person is almost definatley a woman!!!!!
You can also see Peter hand making a slashing motion across her neck, this could represent his jealously and the fact that JC was passing his ideas for modern religion onto her and not him.
There is also a disembodied hand with a dagger in the picture, can anyone spot that!!!!

the moose

Bloody hell, not this old chestnut!

Dan Brown is about as good an investigative writer as I am a trapeze artiste - there are HUGE flaws in the book, some of which made me laugh out loud. As for the central premise - evil Catholics don't like women, and are prepared to murder as a result ..... c'mon, THIS is the huge secret?

hail-hail

The book is fiction, based on factual research. To say there are huge flaws in the book, I have no doubt.

To close your eyes and blindly believe everything that you have been told about religion, this is a HUGE flaw.

p.s. good luck in your new role as a Circus performer

Geezer

To believe anything about religion is a huge flaw!

People love to find this sort of rubbish in everything. Even Nostradamus is largely discredited now. You can find hidden code in most texts using the right search methods.

Geezer

Vette_76

I'm sure he sleeps ok in his million dollar mansion though!!

XRS

Surely the flaws depend on what you believe to be the truth?

I enjoyed reading all of Dan Brown's books, this one in particular.

lpski1

im in the process of reading it and it was a cant put down book, but other things have got in the way recently so havent read it for a bit. Its a gripping read though. i recommened it to a mate who likes this sort of fiction and codes and things. (simon sing- the code book) and he's finished it, whilst im half way through.

I have been intrigued about the points he has made regarding the last supper and various others differences, that i have never really thought about before. Its deffinately thought provoking. Beleivable ? could be, could be not.

MJW

Hmm don't know about 'slashing motion', looks more like he's trying to cop a feel of Mary's lady-bumps. Being a member of the oldest profession, maybe she did a discount for 13 punters ....

MartinM

Start here....

http://www.lisashea.com/hobbies/art/davincicode.html



PS don't read before you've finished the book - it gives some things away

mart360

how about a quick straw poll!!!

those who whish please answer truthfully..

have you read the the book and what did you think and the clincher

what is your religous persuasion!!!

you will undoubtably find that the stance you take is influenced by your religous beliefs

people who know the testaments, from there schooling are already aware of most of the main characters, and will draw different conclusions to people who dont!!


Mart

still a bloody good book though, although i knew the main theme could never happen

there is a better book out which covers the millenium and the second coming,

mixed with some very clever sci fi and religion

if i can remeber the name, i will post


Mart

Steve Perriam

gr8 book as are all of his books.

hail-hail

As I said, I am nearing the end of the book, and it has definatley got me thinking.

There is no real black and white, but I have an open mind.

My issue with religion, and this has always been the case, is that it is a story written many years after the events took place. At best the bible was an interpretation of documented stories from history, at worst it was written from stories passed down by word of mouth. At the very worst it was made up to suit those in power at the time.

The book mentions that the 4 gospels were chosen from over 80 submitted works, this may or may not be true, but it is still 4 peoples interpretation of historical events.

I don't doubt for one minute that Jesus existed and was a nice guy, but born to a Virgin mother, son of God, i have my doubts.

Miracles, again i think that these stories have been retold with certain artisitc license, let's take the feeding of the 5 thousand. Jesus took a loaf of bread and fed stacks of people. I see this as being ' Jesus took a loaf of his own bread and shared it with those around him' back then I imagine a selfless act was a rare thing and so 400 years later the story became something it wasn't i.e. feeding 5k peeps from one single loaf.

I may not be making my point as clearly as I would like, but you should get the jist.

the moose

I came across another one a week or so back about a technowhirl code-breaking machine .... the dullest thing I've ever attempted to read, including Bronte novels, the previous holders of the tedium baton. The best thing about it was that it was lying around the holiday apartment, so cost me nothing; the worst thing was that I took the time to read a chunk of it (I had nothing else other than mountain bike mags to read) and haven't yet managed to foget quite how bad it was.

Let's think of all the things we can mix in. He starts with a sultry heroine who also has a Masters in Applied Cleverness (alas, not called Dr Christmas Jones - that would have been wonderful, but Bond got there first). He then features a foreign location and some drug references. The next step is to add in some secret squirrel stuff, a load of techhobabble, and a murder or two. To make it complete, he puts in that most standard cyber-geek fantasy, a "back door" into the most secret and secure bit of software ever commissioned (I was *crying* with laughter at this point) and garnishes with Hiroshima/Nagasaki facts, finally serving this literary feast with a "stop the countdown at 2 seconds" ending.

With all that, how can Dan Brown fail? Simply, because all of the characters are two-dimensional (at best) and he can't write dialogue to save his life. Allied to this, the actual plot, when removed from the fine dressing, is tissue-thin and fails at a number of points. Dan Brown is Jackie Collins for blokes, who should really know better. Even Tom Clancy does it better.

hail-hail

If it's that easy, I must assume you are a multi-millionaire author.

Send me a copy of one of your books and I'll let you know what I think.

the moose

I can't write to save my life; I'm fully aware of this, hence I'm an accountant! I am, however, someone who reads a lot, and pass judgement on that basis. Other than perhaps Jeffrey Archer, I can't think of a worse author than Dan Brown, though someone like Kathy Lette comes awfully close in the chick-lit-lite category.

hail-hail

the moose, fair point, i have read loads of 'Tom Clancy' and books of a similar ilk and find them a nice form of escapism.
I have however bored of these in recent years and have tried to start expanding my authors range. I have recently read everything that Paul Coelho has to offer and although the Alchemist and the Devil and Miss Prim were both excellent some of his other stuff is ropey to say the least.
Still, I have not read a book in recent years that has compelled me to read on more than The Da Vinci Code.

Does the book not insipre you to think at all?

Consider me a blank canvas (pun intended) what should I be reading?

lpski1

I have also read a few of the Paulo Coelho books, the Alchemist being a good one, recently finished Veronica Decided to Die, i really enjoyed this one, another couldnt put down. I have a few more at home waiting to be read.

Good Thread

hail-hail

Agreed, The Alchemist got me hooked, Devil and Miss Prim was excellent, Veronika Decide to die was also excellent..............
Fifth Mountain was pretty good.......
By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept - pants
Warrior of the Light: A Manual - pants
The Valkyries: An Encounter with Angels - pants

gave up after that

any recommendation from you, the moose has not yet soiled my canvas

the moose

Espedair Street - humour (some truly terrible puns), a believable character set, and moral redemption. Oh yes, and sex/drugs/rock'n'roll.

bloke

Agree on Espedair Street, but have you ever tried to read Song of Stone, talk about mind numbing...and I am a huge Banks fan.

I like Brown's books, in that whilst I agree that his characterisation is a bit thin I think he writes a ripping yarn, just don't take it too seriously...

tucker101uk

In the quiet words of the virgin Mary....come again?

the moose

SoS is terrible, I agree. I also didn't like Whit much, nor Canal Dreams. The Crow Road and Dead Air are good followups to ED, though I've flicked through some of the SF stuff and just can't get on with it at all.

the_boy

Read 2 of his on my last holiday:

Angels and Demons
The Da Vinci Code

Both were a really good read.
I can understand what some people are saying about them being a little far fetched, they both seem to fall into stupid premises about 3 quarters of the way through the book.

However, some of the facts can not be ignored and I for one am glad I read these books because it has opened my mind quite a bit to how the church operates. A lot of it does make good sense and you can always take parts of it with a pinch of salt if you wish. In addition I'm already planning a trip to Rome next year and will probably take the book with my as a reference on some interesting places to visit.

If you haven't read them I would recommend it, you definately won't be sorry.

the_boy

Only good book of Iain Banks that I have read was The Bridge........

His dialogue of the Scottish clansman cracks me up everytime LOL

lpski1

i have a few Iain Banks books, Dead Air was good, think i could relate more to it as it was set around London and places i have been .The Wasp Factory, enjoyed that, if not a bit weird, but in all good. I have espedair street(sp) to read and another, cant think of the name.

I have read The Lovely Bones - Alice Seabold, probably not everyones cup of tea, but it really got me thinking.

Ive always mainly read James Herbert and Steven King, but i find them much of a muchness now.

albob

Da Vinci lived after Christ - How would he know what went on at the Last Supper?

alan

Beer Good

Dan Brown is an exceptional writer of thrillers, I've read Angels & Demons, Da Vinci Code, and Deception Point, they are all thought provoking page-turners, & I'm looking forward to reading Digital Fortress.

I think he appeals to the fantasist in us, that bit of us that is bored with the established 'truth'. He also has a knack of winding up powerful organisations, there are numerous critiques of DaVinci Code published on very serious & well respected Catholic websites.

I don't suppose NASA liked Deception Point much.

At the end of the day, they are just froth, like all other fiction, hugely entertaining (yeah I was wowwed by the DaVinci Code & d/l'd the Last Supper pic like a lot of others when I finished it), and great conversation makers, but in the final analysis, just a little exploitative fiction.

If you want something to really believe in, read some of the highly trusted TV reporters autobiographies, like John Simpson or Kate Adie.

There is a classic moment in (I think) 'A Mad World, My Masters', where John 'meets' a young Osama Bin Laden, who falls to the ground and beats his fists in a child-like paddy when he fails to convince some Taliban guards - who John has been talking to - into shooting him. You couldn't make that up!

Currently reading 'The Wars Against Saddam', which is also excellent, and doesn't pull any punches when it comes to US forces incompetencies in the Gulf (perhaps because he was filming when his translator was killed & himself wounded by a Maverick missile fired by an inexperienced US pilot...). Good stuff!