# If you liked The Davinci Code, you'll love.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 8, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283 "2007-05-08T18:26:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/1 "2007-05-08T18:26:40Z")
I am trying to get my 15 year old son a birthday present. It’s been a real struggle. Other than a super duper $1,000 gaming computer, he doesn’t want anything. He’s not a reader, but he did really enjoy The Davinci Code. He read it in 1 sitting and then re-read it. He then read Dan Brown’s other book. Putting aside the fact the book is not particularly good on many levels - it’s about the only non-assigned reading he’s done all year. So I’d like to get him a book or two that are of the same basic page-turner format. A smattering of history and conspiracy is a big plus. So - anybody have any book suggestions for a 15 (soon to be 16) year old boy who like the Davinci Code but not much else? ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/2 "2007-05-08T18:31:26Z")
It’s no relation to the Da Vinci Code, but has he tried Harry Potter? ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/3 "2007-05-08T18:32:03Z")
Hm. “The Eight” by Katherine Neville might fit the bill. Also anything by Gary Jennings, although they’re not mysteries. Lotsa history though, and fun. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/4 "2007-05-08T18:39:39Z")
Maybe [The Last Templar](http://www.amazon.com/Last-Templar-Raymond-Khoury/dp/0451219953/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-7016541-4940959?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178649380&sr=1-1). Knights beheading security guards in NYC, disjointed plot with holes the size of Dan Browns ego… What more could you want? ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/5 "2007-05-08T18:51:42Z")
I enjoy [James Rollins](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/002-1669057-5614468?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=James%20Rollins). His books are pretty fast paced with a lot of action. If you’re looking for something more ‘factual’ (using that term loosely), then [Creepers](http://www.amazon.com/Creepers-David-Morrell/dp/1593153570/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-1669057-5614468?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178650172&sr=1-2) was pretty good, as was [The Alexandria Link](http://www.amazon.com/Alexandria-Link-Novel-Steve-Berry/dp/0345485750/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-1669057-5614468?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178650246&sr=1-1). Both have a little history in the action. Good Luck! ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/6 "2007-05-08T19:00:51Z")
Get him something you’ll both enjoy like a drum set. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/7 "2007-05-08T19:06:34Z")
If what hooks him is intricate puzzle-mystery, I’d recommend _The Westing Game_, by Ellen Raskin. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/8 "2007-05-08T19:08:26Z")
Or, same type thing but without even attempting a plot, [The Temple and the Lodge](http://www.amazon.com/Temple-Lodge-Michael-Baigent/dp/1559701269/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-7016541-4940959?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178650727&sr=8-2) Seems to me that one of the authors is parodied in Browns book (Richard Leigh) and either Baigent or Leigh sued Brown. Not really what most people would consider scholarly, but a 15 year old non-reader might enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/9 "2007-05-08T19:15:43Z")
Have you considered [_Guns, Germs and Steel_](http://books.google.com/books?id=kLKTa_OeoNIC&dq=Guns,+Germs+and+Steel&pg=PP1&ots=oXTwMsFklq&sig=k7cKh1pLiQMNBONn5LPfVKuvrLM&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fq%3DGuns%252C%2BGerms%2Band%2BSteel%26ie%3Dutf-8%26oe%3Dutf-8%26aq%3Dt%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26client%3Dfirefox-a&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title)? It’s non-fiction, but it’s “chatty” in tone, easy to read and has a lot of the Rube Goldbergesque “for the want of a nail…” type chains of events that made _The DaVinci Code_ so fun. Except, of course, that _GG&S_ isn’t entirely horseshit. (And I say that as someone who enjoyed _The DaVinci Code_ for what it was - enjoyable to read horseshit.) My 14 year old son, also a reluctant reader, quite enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/10 "2007-05-08T19:21:02Z")
How about the Bible? […waiting for groans and laughter to subside…] There are translations geared toward children with illustrations, and it’s full of adventure stories. It’s arguably one of the most important and influential collections of books in history. And if he decides to become an atheist, he will do so from knowledge rather than ignorance. ETA: Plus, it ties in directly with the book he already likes. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/11 "2007-05-08T19:23:31Z")
[QUOTE=Long Time First Time] I am trying to get my 15 year old son a birthday present. It’s been a real struggle. Other than a super duper $1,000 gaming computer, he doesn’t want anything. He’s not a reader, but he did really enjoy The Davinci Code. He read it in 1 sitting and then re-read it. He then read Dan Brown’s other book. Putting aside the fact the book is not particularly good on many levels - it’s about the only non-assigned reading he’s done all year. So I’d like to get him a book or two that are of the same basic page-turner format. A smattering of history and conspiracy is a big plus. So - anybody have any book suggestions for a 15 (soon to be 16) year old boy who like the Davinci Code but not much else? [/QUOTE] Okay, so, well, look. There’s this book _Foucault’s Pendumlum_ by Umberto Eco. It’s plot is exactly the same kind of plot as that of _The Da Vinci Code_. But _Pendulum_ is a genuine honest to gosh good book. But some people think it is not an easy book. Indeed, it does start out with the protagonist spouting out a lot of difficult references to historical and literary tidbits. If someone were to try to actually read through and understand every bit of this opening section, they would quickly get lost. But you’re not supposed to read it that way. Anyway, once you get past that part and accustom yourself to the style which allows for it, the book really is pretty mindblowingly good. Get it and just pretend you didn’t know it was so “hard.” Maybe he won’t even find it “hard” as not everyone does. See what happens. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/12 "2007-05-08T19:42:23Z")
Try [The Rule of Four](http://www.amazon.com/Rule-Four-Ian-Caldwell/dp/0440241359/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5423238-6604859?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178653167&sr=8-1). Very similar premise but overall a better book than DaVinci, I thought. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/13 "2007-05-08T20:21:56Z")
Lightweight adventure story, plenty of fun? Try Ludlum’s The Bourne Identity. The movies was meh, but the book’s a hoot. Admittedly, it’s lacking depth when it comes to history (just a smattering of WWII and Vietnam–but lightly for both), but there are plenty of conspiracies and a lot of page-turning. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/14 "2007-05-08T20:27:06Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] Okay, so, well, look. There’s this book _Foucault’s Pendumlum_ by Umberto Eco. It’s plot is exactly the same kind of plot as that of _The Da Vinci Code_. But _Pendulum_ is a genuine honest to gosh good book. But some people think it is not an easy book. Indeed, it does start out with the protagonist spouting out a lot of difficult references to historical and literary tidbits. If someone were to try to actually read through and understand every bit of this opening section, they would quickly get lost. But you’re not supposed to read it that way. Anyway, once you get past that part and accustom yourself to the style which allows for it, the book really is pretty mindblowingly good. Get it and just pretend you didn’t know it was so “hard.” Maybe he won’t even find it “hard” as not everyone does. See what happens. -FrL- [/QUOTE] If you’re going to recommend something “heavier” than Brown’s book, why not _The Illuminatus Trilogy_? It’s not as intellectual as _Foucault’s Pendulum_ (which I loved) but it definitely weighs more. Conspiracy upon conspiracy. Layer upon layer. Sex & drugs. (Maybe _not_ a good gift from a parent.) A shorter option is Ishmael Reed’s _Mumbo Jumbo_. Voodoo, Osiris & The Last Templar are involved in skullduggery & derring-do. During the Harlem Renaissance. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/15 "2007-05-08T20:29:14Z")
I’d go with something by Ken Follett. Most of his pieces are action-packed page-turners involving spies, deceipt, betrayal, hot women who also have brains, etc. I ate that shit up when I was 15. Moreover, they’re all set in real, researched time periods and around events that really happened – and sometimes interaction with people who really existed (Churchill, Rommel, etc.). Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/16 "2007-05-08T20:39:55Z")
It’s not really like the Davinci Code at all, but if he likes history (real history in this case) mixed with suspense/violence, check out [Devil In The White City](http://www.amazon.com/Devil-White-City-Madness-Changed/dp/0375725601/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3633041-4127045?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178656378&sr=8-1). It’s a non-fiction book presented in a fictional style that’s very compelling. It’s about Daniel Burnham (the architect behind the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893) and H. H. Holmes (the [mass murderer](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_455.html)). It’s a fascinating book, all the more so because it’s a true story. Interestingly, by the latter half of the book I found my self more excited to find out what happened next at the fair than with Holmes. Typing about it here makes me want to break it out and read it again, which I believe I’ll do tonight. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/17 "2007-05-08T21:14:31Z")
[QUOTE=Bridget Burke] If you’re going to recommend something “heavier” than Brown’s book, why not _The Illuminatus Trilogy_? [/QUOTE] The reason I didn’t recommend it is because I haven’t read it. 😛 I have it on my shelf, actually–just never got around to reading it. At age 16 I read “Schrodinger’s Cat” by the same author (right?) and loved it. Maybe not appropriate for a 16 year old though, by the lights of some. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/18 "2007-05-08T21:15:50Z")
Also, is there really such a thing as a super duper $1000 gaming computer? If so, where can I get one? 🙂 -FrL- (Looking at spending $1500 myself…) ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/19 "2007-05-08T21:20:13Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] Okay, so, well, look. There’s this book _Foucault’s Pendumlum_ by Umberto Eco. It’s plot is exactly the same kind of plot as that of _The Da Vinci Code_. But _Pendulum_ is a genuine honest to gosh good book. But some people think it is not an easy book. Indeed, it does start out with the protagonist spouting out a lot of difficult references to historical and literary tidbits. If someone were to try to actually read through and understand every bit of this opening section, they would quickly get lost. But you’re not supposed to read it that way. Anyway, once you get past that part and accustom yourself to the style which allows for it, the book really is pretty mindblowingly good. Get it and just pretend you didn’t know it was so “hard.” Maybe he won’t even find it “hard” as not everyone does. See what happens. -FrL- [/QUOTE] This is exactly the book I recommend to anyone who tells me that they enjoyed **The Da Vinci Code**. It is simply brilliant. One my Top 5 of All Time. I don’t know if anyone else does this, but this is one of books that I use to “gauge” people - i.e. if someone tells me that they read this and that they enjoyed it, they automatically get moved up onto the “Very Cool People” list I keep in my head. **Frylock** and **Bridget Burke** , consider yourselves moved. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283/20 "2007-05-08T21:23:24Z")
I’ll second Ken Follett. Also, my mom is a fan of Dan Brown and she also really likes **[Clive Cussler](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Cussler)**’s books. (I’ve not read any Cussler myself.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-liked-the-davinci-code-youll-love/403283.md?page=2)