Anyone read "The Da Vinci Code"?

No, but I did listen to his notebook and thought it was pretty good.

Just got but haven't read it yet - I've heard good things about the book, so I'm looking forward to it!

he's also got an inquest.

-r.

Sounds like one of those books that are full of bullsh1t. Like 'The Bible Code'. Some people lap this stuff up, but it is in my opinion a load of crap. I haven't heard of this one - what's the argument? If we look at Da Vinci's pictures we can tell that they are in fact plans for a primitive microprocessor? Or a star-map to our original planet? Do tell.

Never read "The Bible Code", but "The Da Vinvi Code" is more of a thriller with actual characters, not just about code breaking. There are secret societies and conspiracies, but no aliens. I liked it because it dealt with real art. You can actually see what the author is referring to in the paintings.

The only argument I made was that it is a GOOD read. Can't reveal what's so unique about the Last Supper without revealing one of the major plot twists.

Fair 'nuff - my mistake by the sounds of it. I might look it up myself, read it over the summer.

Looks like it may be a movie soon:

"The Da Vinci Code: Variety reports that Columbia has picked up the film rights to Dan Brown's bestselling thriller about a conspiracy revealed through clues hidden in the paintings of Leonardo DaVinci."

i read it and really liked it... i would recomend it to everyone

Personally, I thought the prose was easy to ready, but the topic is just too far fetched. I also found it predictable and a bit convenient. some plot lines just sort of fell into place too easily. The characters were quite unbelievable.

It's kinda like a Stephen King novel, easy to read, but not a lot of substance. Or a Krispy Creme.

Now, Kenn Follett's "Pillars of the Earth" or Wilbur Smith's "Monsoon"... those books will change your life.

I think that is a great book. I would highly recommend it.

Is it pretty easy for all ages? My reading skills is little below average so I want to make sure before I buy it. It sounds like an interesting book.

indeed. a wonderful historical fiction, not typical Follett.

No, not typical Follett. However everything by Follett is top notch.

Err... except "Hammer of the God's"

I read it about 2 months ago. I tought it was okay but not great. Kinda reminded me of premature ejaculation while having sex. Too much anticipation and build up of facts in the begining such as the Fibonacci sequence. However, in the end it just does not come together well and the characters are a little farfetched. If you feel like reading it though, I say go for it. It was not a waste of time.

Matthew

you know what, forget the characters and story, this is a great book for one reason - this book will open millions of people's eye to the fallacies and mistruths so heavily perpetuated in religion today. This book has educated me to facts that I never had a chance of learning (the golden mean, symbolism, da vinci's art work, the factual basis of jesus... to name a few) In short, it's opened my eyes, and I bet many other's also.
I guess I'm not getting the well rounded education I'd love to get in an Economics program, and this book will for sure influence which electives I'll be taking in the next few years.
great book, could care less about the story really, I just can't wait to get to the next fact that I'd never heard of before so give me something new to look up.
p.s. for those who don't know about it already, look into the number Phi, and it's ties to nature. Incredible stuff.

I would really highly recommend it. I think the only problems would be with some Mathematical terms.

The Holy Blood Holy Grail guys should sue. It's amazing how short term the memory of the media is.

BTW, you guys do know most of these theories were blown out of the water in the 80s and were solely used by a plethora of authors to sell books about, as Cool Hand Luke would say, nothing?

(to the Admins, was my sig a violation because of its size or because of Arnie smoking pot? Anyway, I like the one you've given me. Very rebel cool!)

I recommend it, I also read Angels and Demons and right now I'm almost done with Digital Fortress. Can you give me some links disproving the 'holy grail' theory? Preferably not from a strongly religious source?

Firstly, the Holy Grail is a symbol and not an actual object that goes back long before Jesus. In Sanskrit literature it is a cup in which the sacred soma is squeezed.

But more specifically the whole Christian grail legend doesn't even date back to Christ but to medieval times. What can be said is that writers of Arthurian legend, like Chretien De Troyes, were heavily influenced by Arab writers and Arabian tales such as Buliqya. That story is a great influence on the story of Perceval and the search for the Grail. Buliqiya itself derives from the legend of Gilgamesh in which he goes in search of a sacred plant in the underworld with which he can revive his dead Lancelot-like friend, Enkidu (in fact, the Excalibur story is first found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, more specifically the part about the copper axe and the lightning sword that only Gilgamesh could lift from the ground). There is also a version in the Koran, very much the same, of a man journeying in the underworld to find the secret of eternal life but in this version Moses is the traveler who visits 'Al-Kadhr' or 'the green man'. If you've read up on the recent sensationalist Grail theories there are references to the same character in the building works of the Knights Templar and Freemasons.

So we can discount any ideas of a real Grail or bloodline of Jesus.

Second, these theories propose that Jesus had a son and a royal bloodline that lived on in Europe. This is rubbish. There is no evidence for Jesus being from the line of King David. His geneaology in the Gospels is contradictory. He's supposed to be miraculously concieved anyway so he doesn't qualify as a king of ancient Israel (the messiah has no relevancy to anyone outside Israel because he is supposed to be a king of one country alone as opposed to later Christian and Islamic mythology).

More, there is actually no evidence for an historical King David and his son Solomon. Every single archaeological dig has turned up nothing and there is not one single mention of them outside biblical myth and legend. Every culture has its mythical kings that are placed in an era of historical uncertainty or to build the groundwork for a culture later on. British identity was formed by created myths of British kings. Greeks did the same. Everyone has it. These are origin stories that have little to do with history and more to do with satisfying ancient peoples who asked 'Where did our culture come from and how are we different from others?'

More again. The David and Solomon characters had so many children that if they were historical there would be millions of people around the world descended from them. At the end of the day we are all human and there is no blood more special than any other. Anyone who claims divinity or leadership based on bloodlines is decieving himself and others.

ditto. that guy did NOT strike me as a harvard prof. but i liked the book nonetheless. another, similar, read that i like to recommend is "foucalt's pendulum" by umberto eco. "name of the rose" by him is also excellent, if a bit dense.

Very good book. As is "Deception Point" and "Angels and Demons." Not so much "Digital Fortress."

turboSPE

I enjoyed the book, but I liked Angels and Demons better. Dan Brown does come up with some interesting premisses for his books. He's not the best writer in the world, but his work is entertaining, and that's the point of a thriller I guess. The best review I heard of the book was "The worst book you'll ever love". Summed it up for me.

Dan Brown's has links to photos of many of the art work included in both Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code. Some cool stuff there, like the Path of Illumination, the pyramids and the Grand Galley at the Louvre, and some other stuff. Oh, and a link to the guy that designed those awesome ambigrams.

Actually, I was just looking at Brown's website, I noticed that he has a challenge on it. There is a hidden code on the cover art work. I'm going to have t give that a shot, but not tonight, I'm going to bed.

I may be wrong, but I was under the impression that the whole grail thing was derived from gaelic stories. It was a common thing for stories to be told about heros who went in search or magical/mystical cauldrons (rather than grails) in much the same sort of circumstances as told in the tail of the search for the Holy Grail (not the Monty Python one - I don't think that the ancient British/Irish tribes believed all that much killer bunny rabbits ). These stories go back years and years before some french guy decided to take British legend and Christianise it (wasn't Arthur meant to be from the 5th or 6th century originally, and the French thing is 12th?) - don't quote me, but I'd say the type of story (not the specific Arthur one) went back to well into the BC's. Saying that - didn't the Celts come from over India way? That'd probably be the connection... Anyway, I believe they may have been more influenced by what I've said than Arab stories. But, once again, don't quote me

I have nothing to back the above up with, it's just something I was interested in a few years back. i'm sure our trusty friend google would help, though

Anyway - I read the Bible Code once. I was really excited about reading it (I was 14 at the time I think). I don't remember how far I got into it, but I would not recommend it. There are some seriously tenuous links which form the basis of huge and sweeping statements and theories. Not my cup of tea. Although, I think I'll check out the DaVinci Code, since I'm currently sans novel.

Arthurian legend is very mixed up because it has been contributed to by so many authors. Monmouth's version doesn't have any grail legends or the famous sword. These were additions by Mallory and De Troyes.

The word 'Celt' is a misnomer since this is what the Greeks and Roman s called unconquered people and those who they thought were barbaric. Perhaps the right term should be Iberi and Galli and they represent a migratory movement from across Central and South Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and across to the British Isles and Spain. Hence the legend of the Hebrews, the Iberian mountains of the Caucasus, the Apiru and Habiru orf Egypt and Phoenicia, Bharat (India) and the Britons, the Iberians of Spain, Romanian gypsies, the Galli of Mesopotamia, Turkey (eg. Galatians), France and Spain (eg. Galacia). As the early civilisations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and India fell into ruin and became torn by war people moved towards Europe in waves that became collectively larger as they passed. The migration still occurs to this day.

Why do some people believe anything they read in a book they pick up on a shelf?

I read it in a book so it must be true!

What about comics?

I enjoyed the book, but I couldn't help but feel as though I was watching a movie or television series. It was an entertaining page-turner, but not much else. I prefer books that make me think about the world in a different light.