I don’t understand why TH would do any more of the Langdon sequels or why he decided to be in Angels & Demons to begin with. Is he really that hard up for money? Is he not getting any other jobs?

I would like to see someone make a documentary based on the Hiram Key book which looks at the origin of Freemasons and the origin of the Christian church. Lots of fascinating stuff there.

The rumors of a plot leak from Dan Brown’s newest book, The Lost Symbol, seem to be true. Doubleday Publishers confirm it. The new book will apparently center around George Washington and secret reason for the American reverses early in the Revolutionary War. Washington, a true and clandestine Tory, was secretly communicating Colonial war plans to the British via Benedict Arnold, Washington’s secret illegitimate son. At the end of his life, Washington’s conscience gets the better of him, and he write a confession that is buried with him in his tomb at Mount Vernon. A scholar discovers Washington’s confession and is murdered by the CIA, who fear that his find will destroy the patriotic mystique of America’s founding father and demoralize the country. The murdered scholar manages to contact Robert Langdon by phone just before his death, with the killer still in the room. The resulting chase takes Langdon across the Washington capital as the CIA and the FBI, having traced the call, close in. Langdon is contacted by a shadowy female representative of the Masons, a legitimate secret society of which Washington was once a member. Langdon discovers that the Masons based their foundation on a worship of King George III of England and his Queen, Charlotte Sophia, as Earth-bound divine figures with connections to the sacred feminine. The CIA and FBI, learning of the connection of the Masons to Washington and the truth of their country’s founding, target both them AND Langdon. Langdon and his new female sidekick must go head to head with the forces of the American government in a desperate gambit to get the truth out to the country by televsion broadcast. Note: In the end, they do not manage to do so.

I don’t know about this new Lost Symbol book, but I bet it’s going to tank the big one. An overcalculted, boring thriller. Why doesn’t Dan Brown just retire? Two of his book are already hate literature against Catholicism in general. He just sounds mean.

I bet Angels and Demons is going to be goofy. The book was silly, and the movie will be too. Far too fast and slapdash. The Catholic Church didn’t even bother with it when it first came out.

i would just like to say that I am a big fan of the DaVinci code….I just love the fact that someone had the guts to write a novel like this. in my town (in iowa) after the novel first came out, all the church’s in town had special sermons and meetings going against the book. Me myself, I am not a “god-fearer” but a self-proclaimed Buddhist and I believe in the right to different spiritual beliefs. I’m just really glad that so many people got to read something saying that jesus was just a man, whether made up or true. I’m sick and tired of the same thing being pushed down everyone’s throats. I am also looking forward to Dan Brown’s new novel…Lost Symbol to be released.

I loved the Da Vinci Code too, but find that good, sober academic scholarship is enough to knock the “Jesus was just a man” idea on the head. Once you read Jesus against his first century Jewish context, much more falls into place: give British historian N T Wright’s “The Challenge of Jesus” (or, if you like a huge read, his “Jesus and the Victory of God”) a go. Brown is wonderful fiction. Wright is wonderful scholarship.

Can i just say that whoever said that ralph finnes would be a better robert langdon is completely wrong. How can you deny the immaculate acting of Tom Hanks he is incredible. and angels and demons was amazing! susie if you hate it so much why would you go and witness it :/

We only watch these movies about sceptism about catholics because it makes it more interesting even for the historical sense maybe the books are good or not. It would be a good insight if there was mention of the Cathars and what the Catholics did to them its always hush hush.

As usual my point is about intolerance.

Many Da Vinci Code fans are intolerant. They are often prejudiced in favor of the book. Nothing else matters. Nothing else can be true.

It’s a form of fanaticism. It’s almost religious fanaticism. But then there’s plenty of zealotry to go around. And it’s hardly new in human history.

People who believe there is only one way to view things are extremists. They are fundamentalists. And talking with fundamentalists can be extraordinarily frustrating.

Da Vinci Code fans are often fundamentalists to me. They can be totally rigid and intolerant of other viewpoints on religion, history, and so on. This is truly bizarre.

Science encourages (or should encourage) multiple approaches to any subject. And people should approach their own beliefs this way. But fundamentalists often do not.

I don’t expect to convince many people of this. Because I suspect I can’t. Most people who write in here seem to believe religiously in Dan Brown’s work. And when the belief is purely religious, facts and evidence don’t matter.

They believe what they believe because they believe it.

This is exactly my point. The person who wrote the above post does not understand. And probably does not want to understand. Ever.

This reply is not for this person. A person who believes he/she has the answers already probably cannot be reasoned with. Some can. But this is rare.

There is ALWAYS room for some doubt. About everything. Everywhere. And there probably always will be.

Nobody knows the future. Dan Brown certainly doesn’t. Can we all agree on this? And nobody truly knows the distant past.

There are records, of course. Documents. But we now know that Dan Brown makes up many of the “facts” in his books. This is no secret anymore. It is his perrogative as a novelist.

And most of his “sources” (ie., Holy Blood, Holy Grail”) have been discredited as fictions written by other people.

But nobody – Dan Brown included – truly knows what went on in the distant past.

Because nobody living today has ever seen Jesus walk the Earth. Nobody has ever seen if He was married. Nobody knows.

Documents help. But no one knows for sure.

This is the problem with Dan Brown. He creates fantasies in novels. And people take it seriously. Because it SOUNDS serious.

I could waste time giving you the critical sources for my own research into The Da Vinci Code. But why bother? People who want to believe the Code are going to believe it anyway.

We are not talking about people who are open to reason here. We are talking about issues of pure Da Vinci Code faith. Unshakable belief.

I believe that many Da Vinci Code fans have created their own religion. With Dan Brown as a sort of blasphemous semi-Pope. In Anthropology I learned that any system of belief that gives meaning to your life, that shapes your view of the world, is religious. So it is with many Dan Brown fans.

They have renounced belief in other views. Their religion is that of Dan Brown. It is a very fundamentalist religion. No other religion matters.

They alone are right. They want to help the rest of us see things their way. The Catholic Church is totally evil, no argument. And any discussion of religion other than that of The Da Vinci Code cannot be tolerated.

Totally rigid. Totally inflexible. As I have been saying all along.

Their “Bible” is the Da Vinci Code itself. The Lost Symbol will probably become a “Book of Mormon” of sorts.

They are frustrating to talk to. But then, so are most fundamentalists of any sort. And it doesn’t look like this is changing any time soon.

One does not need to be religous to be fundamentalist. Atheists can be fundamentalists. Scientists can be fundamentalist. All that is required is to be unaccepting of different ways of thought. That is all.

And Da Vinci Code fundamentalists are some of the most bizarre and annoying I have ever, ever seen.

Again, I don’t expect this post to change anyone’s way of thinking. Because I suspect this is mostly impossible. Most people have their beliefs already. Most people don’t care about logic or reason.

They have their opinions, and these are enough.

They believe what they believe because they believe it.

Why should any of them change now?

It is my hope that a Da Vinci Code fan NOT so secure in his/her Dan Brown-inspired faith might see this and re-evaluate.

The hope of every rationalist everywhere.

A small hope, but, there it is.

“Anything in history is questionable.”

Amen. Even when my wife complains that we no longer have a loving relationship, I gotta question that we ever had one to begin with. Women and history just don’t mix! Here’s to ya’!

“Anything in history is questionable.”

Quite so. But Dan Brown has crossed the line.

It is always possible to doubt historical documents. But there comes a point beyond which doubt is simply not reasonable. Just because it is possible to doubt does not mean it is reasonable to do so.

Dan Brown likely wouldn’t agree. But then he has a good reason. He wants to make money. And truth-tellers often make less money than liars.

It is always possible that World War II never ended. Perhaps we are still at war with the Nazis. Maybe all the historical documents are wrong.

Possible – but not reasonable. There is no good reason to believe we are still at war. The documents are true beyond a reasonable doubt. And when there is no good reason to doubt, doubt is no longer useful.

Dan Brown claims that Jesus was married. Possible. But not reasonable. There is no evidence. None at all. And quoting fictional sources like “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” is not sufficient.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. And there is none.

But who cares? Da Vinci Code fanatics are often not concerned with facts. They believe Dan Brown because they want to. Reason and facts often don’t matter at all.

assholes dan brown is the best

I have enjoyed all your comments and just finished Lost Symbol. I thought it was an amazing thriller (a novel, after all) and, frankly, I could not put it down. I have been wondering about the Masons for some time and I think I am satisfied with the answers I got from this book. Also, I found fascinating the story of our Founders and how they planned the layout and architecture of Washington D.C. Maybe I am the only one that did not know that? The fiction mixed in with the facts can be confusing, but I loved the book.

I think Dan Brown is a great writer. I have read all of his books and I like all for different reasons. He is not out to make anyone disbeleive in God. In The Lost Symbol he is not saying the Masons are bad people. No one know the whole truth about the history of anything. I love God with all my heart but that doesn’t mean I believe everything that any church says. As long a I believe that God is the creator of all and sent his son to save me, I don’t think it matters if someone has a different look on how things may or may not have happened. Maybe Jesus had a wife and maybe he didn’t. He saved me and for that I am and always will be greatful.

@Susie

Talking about your dislike for intolerence and inflexibility of the Dan Brown fans, well, I daresay, I could not help noticing that your posts too diffuse a tad too much of the same.

While I appreciate the fact that you may very well, not like a book or a movie or a writer, I would strongly suggest you to refrain from your desperate attempt to nag your point and substantiate them with nothing but mere comments and feelings.

@Uu, a nice thought

I personally, do not really think that the movies were too much of fun for me, since I watched them after reading the books. I think you will understand guys, what I mean. However, I think that the movies, (especially Angels and Daemons) are good when they are not compared to the books and are viewed as independent movies. The movies are indeed thrillers, whereas the books are more of research works submerged in imagination and a thrilling backdrop.

Guys, let’s try not to get too distracted by the adverse comments against the Dan Brown work and accept the fact that everyone cannot like the same thing. Even if someone cannot really prove a point, it is after all about an individual not enjoying a book.

Regards

OMG i read the book and i RLLLLYYYYYY want to kno when there is gonna b the MOVIE i heard it was in 2012 but i’m not sure so some1 plz tell me!!!

didnt like the lost symbol too much…it was too american..too much US history…and references…w/c is understandble…but is not so much relatable for readers outside USA, like me. when he doesn’t deal w/universal concepts like the church (angels and demons; the da vinci code), space exploration (deception point) or technology (digital fortress), he is uneralatable altogether.

Why are you ranting about the writings of Dan Brown in The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons?

If you don’t like them get rid of the books and stop watching the movies. Donate them to someone who has a far more open mind than you do. Or maybe you would rather listen to Hitler’s ideas.

Fahrenheit 451 is probably your favorite book!

P.S. @ Susie, I know I dont like Danielle Steele or Jackie Collins books, I therefore dont read them. If you dont like Dan Browns work than dont read it, simple. And as for your critisicism of his work, dont remember seeing your name on the bestsellers list so dont talk as if this obviously popular author is beneath you. Put more simply, get your head out of your ass !!!!

My only point is that people are weird.

I find it fascinating that people can take something like the Da Vinci Code that cannot be proven, but they regard it to be absolutely true. I find such faith to be religious in nature. I don’t feel I’m prejudiced at all. I just try to be honest about what I see.

In the case of The Da Vinci Code, I believe I’ve finally figured out why it was so successful. That is, why it was so successful at convincing so many people that it is powerfully true, without any genuine evidence at all. This is only my theory, mind. But I think it’s a good one.

It’s not the Catholicism. It’s not Leonardo Da Vinci. It’s not gnosticism. It’s not even the hidden codes or the manhunt story. All these elements help, of course. But I do not believe they are the key.

I believe the key is in the writing.

I hadn’t read The Da Vinci Code in years – at least three or four. But just last week I took it down from my shelf for a look. And what I found when I read it shocked the life out of me.

Dan Brown is is truly powerful writer. Powerful. I’d forgotten the effect that his writing had on me. Not powerful as in “brilliant.” Because it’s not brilliant writing. Not in a literary sense. There are plenty of logic errors. The grammar is awkward. Often just plain bizarre. Not powerful as a piece of scholarship at all.

Brown’s writing is powerfully CONVINCING. It is the most convincing writing I have ever seen. Hideously, almost forcefully convincing. I have never encountered writing like it, not anywhere else in my life.

I found myself believing it. Every sentence, every word rang true. All my scholarship went out the window. I found myself actually falling under Dan Brown’s spell, actually feeling like he knew what he was talking about, even when I knew it to be blatantly false.

I actually had to put the book down and wonder what was being done to me. Against my own will, I was being seduced by its bizarre magic. How fascinating.

I actually brought out my huge books of scholarship I had collected over the years on the factual faults in The Da Vinci Code – religious faults, historical inaccuracies, and so on. I placed these books side by side with The Da Vinci Code novel itself.

I proceeded to read The Da Vinci Code. Every time I came across some little fact or historical detail I knew to be false, I would look it up in one of my research books.

None of that mattered. Even with the correct research by my side, The Da Vinci Code still FELT truer than any of it. This was absolutely remarkable. A very powerful effect. It literally took my breath away.

Dan Brown has an almost hypnotic writing style. Something about the way he fits words together – it’s psychologically uncanny. It FEELS true, even when it’s not. It almost goes beyond the words. It’s almost a spiritual effect. This is absolutely extraordinary, something I’ve never encountered before. A form of psychological writing. Completely unique.

I can quite understand now why this book has so many followers. It sucks you in. It does something to you. Something creepy. I find it strangely invasive, almost offensive.

A German poet once referred to Adolf Hitler’s speeches as “psychological rape and murder.” You didn’t just hear them. You FELT them, too.

The Da Vinci Code is like that. You don’t just read it, you FEEL it. I never really understood what that meant until now. And the feeling you are left with upon reading The Da Vinci Code is that it is absolutely, authoritatively, TRUE.

What to make of this? It is exceedingly strange. I regard The Da Vinci Code book as a psychological artifact – something designed specifically to twist the human mind. How it is done, I cannot say. But I’m fascinated. I’m in. I have to know the mechanics of it. It’s an extraordinary book, in a psychological sense.

A book like The Da Vinci Code doesn’t get onto the national bestseller lists around the world for two years for nothing. Dan Brown’s book seems to have worked its bizarre spell on millions of people, across continents. And that’s no small achievement.

Now I want to know how it was done. I think this could have profound implications for psychological research. If there IS a style of writing that can convince people against their will of certain things, it would be interesting to know how it operates.

In short, I don’t hate The Da Vinci Code. I am fascinated by it. But for all the wrong reasons.

I am disturbed by how so many people around the world have been worked over by this book, probably without understanding what was really being done to them.

Are people really this delicate? Are we really this easy to fool? The evidence would seem to suggest that we are. And this is not good news at all.

I must confess myself to be profoundly creeped out.