Based on the premise that Jesus married Mary Madgelene, they had a child and their descendants are alive today, The Da Vinci Code is a very different adventure story.
Unjustly wanted for the murder of a curator at the Louvre Museum, Robert Langdon follows a trail of clues with the curator’s grand-daughter and code-breaker Agent Neveu which will ultimately lead him on the age old quest to find the Holy Grail.
With Captain Bezu Fache of the French Police hot on his heels Langdon will discover that Da Vinci’s paintings are not what they seem, friends cannot be trusted, why the Catholic Church has much to hide and the importance of the scared feminine in symbolism and religion.
I found this book fascinating and would recommend that it is read before seeing the movie, as the content is so rich with information, history and detail it will surely be lost in the screen play.
Showing posts with label Modern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Modern. Show all posts
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Angels & Demons - Dan Brown
A cylinder of highly volatile Anti Matter has been stolen from CERN in Switzerland and deposited underneath the Vatican in Rome.
Symbologist Robert Langdon has been called in as the anti matters creator has been brutally murdered and branded with the supposedly defunct Illuminati’s ambigram.
Conclave has begun and the ‘preferati’ are being murdered and branded with Earth, Air, Fire, Water ambigrams. We spend one night in Rome following symbols which will lead Robert to the next murder and untimately to save the dead scientist’s luscious daughter before she is brutally raped and murdered.
A silly story from beginning to end. Thank goodness I didn’t read this first otherwise I never would have read The Da Vinci Code which I really enjoyed.
Symbologist Robert Langdon has been called in as the anti matters creator has been brutally murdered and branded with the supposedly defunct Illuminati’s ambigram.
Conclave has begun and the ‘preferati’ are being murdered and branded with Earth, Air, Fire, Water ambigrams. We spend one night in Rome following symbols which will lead Robert to the next murder and untimately to save the dead scientist’s luscious daughter before she is brutally raped and murdered.
A silly story from beginning to end. Thank goodness I didn’t read this first otherwise I never would have read The Da Vinci Code which I really enjoyed.
Digital Fortress - Dan Brown
Qui Custodiet Ipsos Custodies ~ Who will Guard the Guards?
The National Security Agency’s TRANSLTR has being trying to break a code for over eighteen hours.
It transpires that the NSA is being held hostage by a former employee and his associate North Dakota, who claim that the code Digital Fortress in impenetrable and they will sell it to the highest bidder who will then make it available to all computer software companies so that the NSA can no longer tap into personal emails and computers. If the NSA come clean to the public that they have TRANSLTR they will give them the pass key to the worm virus that is infecting the databank. If they don’t enter the pass key in time then the NSA is exposed to all hackers trying to access the NSA’s secure data files.
Susan Fletcher the beautiful (of course) and talented Cryptographer is called in by her boss to try to an assist whilst her fiancé the equally handsome David Becker a multilingual squash playing professor travels to Spain to find a ring the NSA believes is etched with the pass key.
Can Susan discovery the identity of North Dakota before it is too late and will David stay one step ahead of the assassin who is dispatching all those who come in contact with the ring?
Although I found the main characters shallow and the story line implausible it was still a good fun read. At times I thought I was reading a Matt Reilly as it is quite fast paced. My main critiscm is that Dan Brown has his characters repeat and explain the scenarios like he thinks the reader hasn’t got it yet which is very annoying.
The National Security Agency’s TRANSLTR has being trying to break a code for over eighteen hours.
It transpires that the NSA is being held hostage by a former employee and his associate North Dakota, who claim that the code Digital Fortress in impenetrable and they will sell it to the highest bidder who will then make it available to all computer software companies so that the NSA can no longer tap into personal emails and computers. If the NSA come clean to the public that they have TRANSLTR they will give them the pass key to the worm virus that is infecting the databank. If they don’t enter the pass key in time then the NSA is exposed to all hackers trying to access the NSA’s secure data files.
Susan Fletcher the beautiful (of course) and talented Cryptographer is called in by her boss to try to an assist whilst her fiancé the equally handsome David Becker a multilingual squash playing professor travels to Spain to find a ring the NSA believes is etched with the pass key.
Can Susan discovery the identity of North Dakota before it is too late and will David stay one step ahead of the assassin who is dispatching all those who come in contact with the ring?
Although I found the main characters shallow and the story line implausible it was still a good fun read. At times I thought I was reading a Matt Reilly as it is quite fast paced. My main critiscm is that Dan Brown has his characters repeat and explain the scenarios like he thinks the reader hasn’t got it yet which is very annoying.
Scarecrow - Matt Reilly
Suspend your disbelief and get ready for another rollercoaster ride with “Scarecrow”.
This time Shane “Scarecrow” Schofield is a target for the Majestic 12’s billion dollar Bounty Hunt.
Scarecrow must race against time to discover the names of the members of the Majestic 12, the reason behind their directives, save himself and save the world. Unfortunately, this time, he can’t save everyone.
Totally unbelievable, the threat of world anarchy and global domination, bounty hunters, state of the art fighter jets, missiles, fast cars, guillotines and sharks. But, if you want sheer escapism, action galore and a sprinkling of humour then you’re going to have a good time with Scarecrow, Fox, Mother, Book II and the mysterious Aloysius Knight.
Apart from a few too many cliffhangers this was still a page turner and heaps of fun.
This time Shane “Scarecrow” Schofield is a target for the Majestic 12’s billion dollar Bounty Hunt.
Scarecrow must race against time to discover the names of the members of the Majestic 12, the reason behind their directives, save himself and save the world. Unfortunately, this time, he can’t save everyone.
Totally unbelievable, the threat of world anarchy and global domination, bounty hunters, state of the art fighter jets, missiles, fast cars, guillotines and sharks. But, if you want sheer escapism, action galore and a sprinkling of humour then you’re going to have a good time with Scarecrow, Fox, Mother, Book II and the mysterious Aloysius Knight.
Apart from a few too many cliffhangers this was still a page turner and heaps of fun.
The Tin Roof Blow Down - James Lee Burke
Detective Robicheaux, a Vietnam Veteran, tells us that he thought he would never again have to ‘witness the wide-scale suffering of innocent civilians, nor the betrayal and abandonment of our countrymen when they needed us most – but that was before Katrina’. I thought those were very strong lines, and with Chapter Two opening with the drug addicted Father Jude LeBlanc and his troubles, I thought I was in for a meaty read. However Father Jude falls off the map, and although he is mentioned throughout the storyline, he really has no relevance to the plot.
Robicheaux is called in to investigate the shooting murder of two black looters in the wake of Katrina, however he finds that Bertrand Melancon, one of the surviving looters, is embroiled in a cat and mouse game with the gangster owner of a house he has burgled and an insurance agent whose daughter he once raped. Add to the mix an alcoholic bail bondsman, a psychopath with his own agenda (and a vendetta against Robicheaux’s adopted daughter Alafair), blood diamonds and counterfeit money it all starts to get a bit laborious.
We are given some idea of the devastation wrought by the hurricane but the story could have been written without it. If you are going to set it during such a momentous event, it should be utilized to its full potential. Unfortunately, this was a long winded story, with an unrealistic ending that was reminiscent of early TV shows where the characters laugh merrily at some comment or another at the end of the show. If it had been real life I’m sure Alafair would have been a blubbering mess.
The final summary chapter was a poor attempt to tie up loose ends, and that sort of summary belongs only to the end of movies depicting real life people as a ‘where are they now’ update in my opinion.
Robicheaux is called in to investigate the shooting murder of two black looters in the wake of Katrina, however he finds that Bertrand Melancon, one of the surviving looters, is embroiled in a cat and mouse game with the gangster owner of a house he has burgled and an insurance agent whose daughter he once raped. Add to the mix an alcoholic bail bondsman, a psychopath with his own agenda (and a vendetta against Robicheaux’s adopted daughter Alafair), blood diamonds and counterfeit money it all starts to get a bit laborious.
We are given some idea of the devastation wrought by the hurricane but the story could have been written without it. If you are going to set it during such a momentous event, it should be utilized to its full potential. Unfortunately, this was a long winded story, with an unrealistic ending that was reminiscent of early TV shows where the characters laugh merrily at some comment or another at the end of the show. If it had been real life I’m sure Alafair would have been a blubbering mess.
The final summary chapter was a poor attempt to tie up loose ends, and that sort of summary belongs only to the end of movies depicting real life people as a ‘where are they now’ update in my opinion.
I'm Not Scared - Niccolo Ammaniti
Loosely based on a true story of a Milan kidnapping, this novel is set in a 1978 Italy when the kidnapping of children from wealthy Northern families hit a peak.
Set in the wheat fields of the South, in a tiny hamlet ironically named Aqua Traverse, the story centres around eleven year old Michele and his friends. Although socially isolated in their hamlet, they all play together, ride their bikes, argue, do dares and pay forfeits.
Coming last in a race, Michele is dared to enter, and explore, an abandoned farm house that is hidden behind a large hill. What he finds there will change his life and how he views his small community forever.
As a small child Michele’s mother had warned him of the bogey man, but the bogey man turned out to be his father and other adults in the village.
There are many stories about childhood and the loss of innocence, but how Niccolo captures the child’s view of the world and friendships is spot on, and the story drives along to a frightening climax. This is one of those books that inspires you to reminisce about your own childhood feelings, and you can’t put it down.
Io Non Ho Paura was filmed in 2003 by Gabriele Salvatores and was purchased by 32 countries after it’s showing at the Berlin Film Festival.
Set in the wheat fields of the South, in a tiny hamlet ironically named Aqua Traverse, the story centres around eleven year old Michele and his friends. Although socially isolated in their hamlet, they all play together, ride their bikes, argue, do dares and pay forfeits.
Coming last in a race, Michele is dared to enter, and explore, an abandoned farm house that is hidden behind a large hill. What he finds there will change his life and how he views his small community forever.
As a small child Michele’s mother had warned him of the bogey man, but the bogey man turned out to be his father and other adults in the village.
There are many stories about childhood and the loss of innocence, but how Niccolo captures the child’s view of the world and friendships is spot on, and the story drives along to a frightening climax. This is one of those books that inspires you to reminisce about your own childhood feelings, and you can’t put it down.
Io Non Ho Paura was filmed in 2003 by Gabriele Salvatores and was purchased by 32 countries after it’s showing at the Berlin Film Festival.
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