The Da Vinci Code Novel
- Thread starter D'wards
- Start date
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
How astonishing that a third rate hack would churn out more hackwork
Fictionist
Serving Eargasms....
Fictionist
Serving Eargasms....
It is absolute dross, writing aimed at the lowest denominator reader who wants instant gratification based on poor writing, short chapters and a complete lack of interest in literature as an artform.
The first Dan Brown book I read was Angels & Demons. I thought it was rather contrived, and clearly going for an element of the old schlock horror, but a fun enough romp.
Then I read Da Vinci. And realised, not long in, that he was telling exactly the same story. The same implausible setups and chains of coincidence, the same tortured attempts to weave some kind of oh-so-bloody-clever meaning into mundane stuff, and so on.
I finished the Da Vinci Code, but only just, and have had no trouble whatsoever in avoiding any temptation to read anything else by Dan Brown ever again.
Then I read Da Vinci. And realised, not long in, that he was telling exactly the same story. The same implausible setups and chains of coincidence, the same tortured attempts to weave some kind of oh-so-bloody-clever meaning into mundane stuff, and so on.
I finished the Da Vinci Code, but only just, and have had no trouble whatsoever in avoiding any temptation to read anything else by Dan Brown ever again.
D'wards
IT'S YOUR DECISION DANIEL
I believe this is true, but i'm sure Dan Brown may agree. If it was the same story with F. Scott Fitzgerald style prose it would not have been as popular.
Remember that most people are idiots - its why Westlife are the biggest selling act on the noughties, and Transformers 2 is the biggest grossing film of the year.
Though i enjoyed reading it i could never face reading it ever again, and i do sometimes re-read books i enjoy.
Side note. Do you think dan brown is capable of writing good literature, but dumbs down to appeal to casual readers? Like, he does it on purpose, or that's just his level as a writer?
It's neither here nor there, but still...
D'wards
IT'S YOUR DECISION DANIEL
Not sure, though it is an interesting point.
Though if i was the publisher and i got this in i'd get pound signs in my eyes - would not go as far as to say inarticulate, but no style of prose at all, a very simple style and sentence structure that even the biggest thicko could get on with.
A plot about the roots of christianity, something we all in the west know something about, and something that pervades our culture.
And a fast moving story with no lulls.
Remember that Kit Kat advert in the 80's?
"You can't sing, you can't play, you dress terribly......you're gonna make a fortune" (or something like that).
I once heard that Mills and Boons are written to a strict formula, and there is almost a database of phrases and paragraphs. Maybe this is the same on a much bigger scale.
Fictionist
Serving Eargasms....
Epona
Radar 2006-2020, Sonic 2006-2022, Jakey 2007-2024
I read it, I also read Angels and Demons and another one by him. Absolute trashy shite, but very enjoyable trashy shite. I read a large amount of both fiction and non-fiction, and a proportion of that is just enjoyable shit (with a particular interest in trashy crime/mystery novels), and it's not a bad read if you don't mind losing cool-points by reading stuff which isn't "worthy" or "clever" or "literary" in some way. I don't mind in the least and I have to say I quite enjoyed it, pure escapist bollocks, as a bit of fun it worked for me.
But if you have a choice between that and something else, there are far better novels out there - if you like a good mystery try Robert Goddard instead, his stuff bears little relation to reality (in an "ordinary person getting caught up in extraordinary circumstances" type of way), but is engaging and well written.
But if you have a choice between that and something else, there are far better novels out there - if you like a good mystery try Robert Goddard instead, his stuff bears little relation to reality (in an "ordinary person getting caught up in extraordinary circumstances" type of way), but is engaging and well written.
Shippou-Sensei
4:1:2.5
Chz
Stark Raving Sane
Brown's books are a lot like the Harry Potter stories - a good yarn, just intricate enough to be interesting but not enough to leave you befuddled. But in both cases let down by utterly atrocious writing. And for the record, I'd say Brown is worse than Rowling in that regard.
Rod Sleeves
New Member
Dan Browns books and ideas are shit, I can't read them, though I did enjoy the film of Angels and Demons - But I have noticed that many of the people who slag him off are happy to read Robert Rankin, Terry Pratchett, Jasper Fforde and other one joke wonders (not criticising them, I enjoy RR's writing).
Everyone likes shit books some times, I don't see the difference from a structural or creative point of view between Brown or Rowling.
And I like writers like Ludlum, Forsyth, MacLean, Bagly, and Jack Higgins. I think they're cheap and quick thriller/pulp writers who are far better than Brown by the way, if you like his stuff give them a chance - they're far superior, and just as looked down on by the literary snobs.
Short sentences. Are pretty cool. Yes?
Everyone likes shit books some times, I don't see the difference from a structural or creative point of view between Brown or Rowling.
And I like writers like Ludlum, Forsyth, MacLean, Bagly, and Jack Higgins. I think they're cheap and quick thriller/pulp writers who are far better than Brown by the way, if you like his stuff give them a chance - they're far superior, and just as looked down on by the literary snobs.
Short sentences. Are pretty cool. Yes?
Terry Pratchett is a good writer though.
5t3IIa
Registered User
8den
No I'm pretty sure that was 8ball...
My wife used to run a Oxfam bookshop, and one weekend where I had to work by my lonesome she brought home a load of books for me. One happened to be the Da Vinci code. (Fun fact there are at least three copies of this shitfeast in every charity shop)
I read it in bemused interest and later horror. How could anyone with any degree of shame or dignity read this? Never mind write or publish this fucking nonsense. The only thing that kept me sane, was the fact that whomever donated this book, had taken to writing sarcastic notes in the margin, so when
the thoughtful person before me had scrawled "about fucking time" next to it.
Honestly those notes were the only thing that made the book bearable.
I read it in bemused interest and later horror. How could anyone with any degree of shame or dignity read this? Never mind write or publish this fucking nonsense. The only thing that kept me sane, was the fact that whomever donated this book, had taken to writing sarcastic notes in the margin, so when
when the Brilliant Harvard Professor and Sexy French cryptographer take three fucking pages to work out that the ten digit code to the Safe deposit box, may be the ten digits her uncle scrawled in his blood as he was dying
Honestly those notes were the only thing that made the book bearable.
8den
No I'm pretty sure that was 8ball...
No he's not. Aren't you supposed to be reading Beowulf
Pratchett is a very funny writer, with a deft turn of phrase and an ear for language. It's been a decade since I read any of his work though, and he was already treading water with the same hackneyed ideas. He was almost ridiculing himself by the time I stopped reading. But as a teenage geek I loved them. Witches Abroad and Guards Guards for the win!
5t3IIa
Registered User
I have tried at least three times to get past the first chapter of the first Discworld novel and I can't do it. I have tried! There is a whole series, isn't there? I was really hoping I'd like it so I could munch my way through them all but I just couldn't do it. It's shit, and people copmpare him to Douglas Adams! HAHAHH
I had a couple of false starts trying to get into discworld too. Then I read The Truth and got right into it. I always cite that one as my favorite discworld novel, even though others might be better, just because that was the first one that I got. Persevere with it and you won't be dissapointed - it's fucking hilarous.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
Small Gods and Jingo form me. Good satire.
8den
No I'm pretty sure that was 8ball...
I understand don't dick about with the first few books, they're nothing compared with the middle books. It's not like you can't dip in or out, all the books are good as stand alones.
Tell you what Stella, I'll give you a twenty quid book token if you read and don't like two discworld books of my choice.
Small Gods said:
The Colour of Magic said:
Orang Utan
Maybe I like the misery
i read colour of magic. it was shit.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
theres a fantastic comment on the banality of evil when Om looks into a torture chamber and sees a 'Worlds Best Dad' mug amongst the mugs.
But nevertheless you got through, um, 499 pages... this is what I don't get. If I don't like a book, I'll generally work that out in the first 50 pages. And then I'll simply stop reading. There's no way I'm going to read 500
spanglechick
High Empress of Dressing Up
i can read bad writing (hey - i enjoyed the first two harry potter novels, and rowling doesn't reach functional literacy until book 3), but my beef with DVC is that it wasn't a page turner. It was really boring. All the characters are unsympathetic and apart from the monk, they're really beige and predictable. and then the story is just dull - there's nothing for me to buy into - i don't care how it turns out.
i liked the deconstruction of the paintings - although it's mostly bollocks, i certainly enjoyed looking up the pictures are reading through all the conspiracy theory stuff applied to them.
i liked the deconstruction of the paintings - although it's mostly bollocks, i certainly enjoyed looking up the pictures are reading through all the conspiracy theory stuff applied to them.
London_Calling
Pleasant and unpatronising
Sometimes I fancy Radiohead or Beef Wellington, other times Abba or Burger King. So fucking what?
8den
No I'm pretty sure that was 8ball...
But nevertheless you got through, um, 499 pages... this is what I don't get. If I don't like a book, I'll generally work that out in the first 50 pages. And then I'll simply stop reading. There's no way I'm going to read 500
No you simpleton I would have give up very early in, except the fact that someone had written sarcastic notes in the margin.
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