# New Dan Brown Novel To Be Released **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786 "2009-04-20T22:15:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/41 "2009-04-21T14:44:53Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Please define “OTT.” Over The Top. Think the openers to Bond films. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/42 "2009-04-21T14:48:43Z")
I read and enjoyed them (a little bit), but it was really hard at times. It isn’t that he’s a bad writer, it’s that he’s a bad writer who does no research. Check that. He’s a bad writer who does no research, and he tries to pass bullshit off as fact. That’s three strikes. One thing no one has mentioned is the ability of Langdon to be shocked, surprised, in awe, speechless, mouth agape, stunned, and at a loss for words. Crazy shit has been happening to this guy for 300 pages, but the random clue on the scroll they found in Chapter Whatever blows him away so thoroughly that he has to sit down and gather his thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/43 "2009-04-21T14:49:01Z")
I liked the Bourne novels. I hate Dan Brown. Yes, it’s the whole “all of this stuff is TRUE!!” thing. And the terrible writing too, but that’s secondary. Jackie Collins is an awful writer, and I don’t hate her at all–but then she doesn’t present crazy conspiracy theories as fact. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/44 "2009-04-21T14:49:42Z")
That’s right, Over The Top; the scene I mentioned is in _Amazonia_, by the way… ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/45 "2009-04-21T14:52:15Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > That doesn’t bother me. I love Robert Anton Wilson and he believed every conspiracy theory in the world. It’s one thing to believe conspiracy theories. It’s yet another thing to pass them off as fact and insist on their veracity. And in Dan Brown’s case, his “facts” appear to have been mostly pulled from thin air. What’s more, he claimed to have meticulously researched these facts and concluded them to be true. Apparently though, his extensive research did not involve such basics as opening an encyclopedia or reading any of Leonardo’s biographies. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/46 "2009-04-21T14:56:27Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Over The Top. Think the openers to Bond films. I have, incredibly, only seen two Bond films: the one with Halle Berry and the second one with…um…the blond dude. Craig Daniel. I can’t speak to their over-the-topness, but I’ll take your word for it. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/47 "2009-04-21T15:04:42Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Chance one word slightly and add one more. Writers who are lazy with their research earn my scorn. I agree, chan **g** e one word slightly… ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/48 "2009-04-21T18:00:23Z")
I simply cannot read Dan Brown because I adore Umberto Eco. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/49 "2009-04-21T18:02:39Z")
> [@Uncommon\_Sense](#): > > I agree, chan **g** e one word slightly… You’ll pay for this, Superman. Oh, how you’ll pay. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/50 "2009-04-21T18:09:57Z")
I liked the DaVinci code. Yeah, the premise was silly, but I think the whole logic puzzle was really good. I an _not_ a mouth-breathing moron who thinks the Holy Grail was real. I am really tired of the implication that all people who enjoy Dan Brown are stupid. Heck, I can show you my IQ test if you want. So I’ll read his new book when it comes out. Will it be good, be bad? Who knows. ---
**Author:** ![Telcontar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Telcontar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telcontar)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/51 "2009-04-21T18:52:18Z")
I agree with most of the criticisms in this thread, with special votes for these two: > [@Elyanna](#): > > My problems with Dan Brown are twofold: > > 1. [Bad writing.](http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000844.html) It goes among Eragon and Twilight as novels I have tried and found wanting. > > 2. People think that shit is TRUE, and apparently he says it’s true. The “historic” facts about Jesus and Mary Magdalene and Leonardo da Vinci? Yeah, I’ve met people who believe it wholeheartedly. It pisses me off. His writing is horrible; redundant to the extreme. That he’s also teaching such craptastic history, art history, and theology manages to elevate him above “harmless nuisance” up to “active societal problem.” BTW this is great: > [@WotNot](#): > > And the history, geography, religion, art, architecture, politics, mythology and language, plus a few other piddling little details here and there. > > Rome is in Italy, though, so he seems to have done _some_ research. Finally there is this minor issue: > [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > By “both” do you mean Angels & Demons and DaVinci Code? I read both of them ,and found them to be light, mindless entertainment. Then I read Deception Point, and had this odd feeling of deja vu. Then I read Digital Fortress, and it dawned on me three chapters in that he was using the exact same plot in all his books. > > It was like reading a Mad Lib. Within three chapters, I had guessed which character was the Unlikely Hero, the Love Interest (who is highly intelligent, yet needs basic concepts spelled out for her), The Red Herring (what? You _thought_ he was the bad guy, but he’s killed by the Real Bad Guy two thirds of the way into the story), and who was the Real Bad Guy (Oh no! It was Out Unlikely Hero’s mentor the whole time!) > > Oh yeah - the last chapter will be a tacked on love scene. This is the late 19th century pulp novel all over again. I’m curious about what he’ll produce this time around in much the same way that I’m curious about being shot. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/52 "2009-04-21T19:26:41Z")
> [@Meurglys](#): > > It’s a pity [this site](http://tobyinkster.co.uk/Software/dan_brown/) isn’t working properly any more, but scrolling through the code gives you some idea… > I read _Angels and Demons_ when it came out and sort of enjoyed it stealth hypersonic aircraft operated by CERN as a black project? I don’t think so; that’s very silly! but when _The DaVinci Code_ came out, I started reading it until I thought ‘this is the same book!’ > > And **James Rollins** has one of my favourite OTT scenes in any of these ‘ancient artifact’ adventures… the hero and the villain battle it out hand to hand, inside a battle tank which has fallen out the rear door of a Hercules (iirc) aircraft and is plummeting towards the ground! > **Jack DuBrul** ’s _Philip Mercer_ series is pretty good, too… Pffft. Read the Matthew Reilly books - _Seven Ancient Wonders_ and _Six Sacred Stones_. Now **there** is great, over the top action writing while hunting for artifacts. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/53 "2009-04-21T19:48:34Z")
> [@Miss\_Woodhouse](#): > > Doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in the quality of the book Mr. Mehta could coax out of Dan Brown. SLATFATF was not Adams best work by a long shot. Interesting, that and the first one are my favorite hitchhikers books. I absolutely LOVE SLATFATF and find it to be the most re-readable of the series. But then I’m not really a fan of fiction in general so I am probably not the best judge. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/54 "2009-04-21T20:03:37Z")
> [@Meurglys](#): > > And **James Rollins** has one of my favourite OTT scenes in any of these ‘ancient artifact’ adventures… the hero and the villain battle it out hand to hand, inside a battle tank which has fallen out the rear door of a Hercules (iirc) aircraft and is plummeting towards the ground! It sounds like he ripped off Matthew Reilly’s _Temple_, a novel published three years before _Amazonia_, where the hero and the villain battle it out hand to hand inside a battle tank with a planet killer nuke on board which has fallen out of the rear door of an Antonov and is plummeting towards the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/55 "2009-04-22T01:10:55Z")
I hated _The Da Vinci Code_ because on the first two pages, he says, “Thundering iron gate”, instead of “The iron gate thundered”, had someone freezing while turning his head, and had a character describe another character’s eye colour, _even though it was very dark_ and they were ten feet apart. I also had near hysterics because of the sheer number of people who collared me at work (I worked in a bookstore) to tell me that everything in it was factually true. And his research and misuse of theological terms bloody sucked. On the other hand, it’s the only book ever written where the Alluring Heroine is described as having a mysterious gait. That means she scuttles sideways, and hides behind cars. ETA: It was _haunting, mysterious gait_. That’s even worse. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/56 "2009-04-22T13:28:29Z")
> [@Darth\_Sensitive](#): > > Pffft. Read the Matthew Reilly books - _Seven Ancient Wonders_ and _Six Sacred Stones_. Now **there** is great, over the top action writing while hunting for artifacts. I enjoyed the first couple of his books and appreciated his attempt to make everything like the action scenes from a blockbuster movie, but instead of reading like you’re watching big budget, all action movies, his recent ones read to me like Saturday morning cartoons - non-stop action, right enough, but barely described as he expects you to get the image he’s after and sees no need to flesh it out before he’s on to the next one… I didn’t really get very far with _Seven Ancient Wonders…_ And I don’t recall that scene in _Temple_, **Grumman** ; the hero wasn’t wearing an uncomfortable jacket or something which turned out to include a jetpack was he? Which the author hadn’t let on about to the reader so it came as a surprise. Dispite that, I’d still choose to read Rollins over Reilly, I’m afraid. My current favourite is **William Dietrich** (_Napoleon’s Pyramids_, _The Rosetta Key_ & _The Dakota Code_). Historical fiction set in around 1800 or so - a bit like Flashman, but with added artifacts! Sadly, the 3rd one isn’t quite as good as the first two… I should maybe mention him the historical fiction thread that’s going; his Attila book, _The Scourge of God_, is great! ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/57 "2009-04-22T14:00:54Z")
It’s interesting. Dan Brown’s wild success has spawned imitators who are actually better than he is! If nothing else, I guess we can thank Brown for popularizing the ‘historical conspiracy thriller’ genre. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/58 "2009-04-22T14:07:44Z")
Rollins, Reilly, Griffin, DeBrul… some of favoritre guilty pleasure light reading. I’m not looking forward to Brown’s new book, but I am earger for this to be published: > **[Fragment: A Novel: Fahy, Warren: 9780553807530: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Fragment-Novel-Warren-Fahy/dp/0553807536)** > > Fragment: A Novel \[Fahy, Warren\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Fragment: A Novel ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/59 "2009-04-22T14:17:20Z")
> [@Meurglys](#): > > And I don’t recall that scene in _Temple_, **Grumman** ; the hero wasn’t wearing an uncomfortable jacket or something which turned out to include a jetpack was he? Which the author hadn’t let on about to the reader so it came as a surprise. Dispite that, I’d still choose to read Rollins over Reilly, I’m afraid. He was, but I think that the reader _had_ been told about it in advance. _The hero_ thought it was just a fancy flak jacket when he took it, but IIRC the reader knew about the existence of these jetpacks, and could have recognised that it was a jetpack when it was first described. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786/60 "2009-04-22T16:21:56Z")
> [@Lissla\_Lissar](#): > > On the other hand, it’s the only book ever written where the Alluring Heroine is described as having a mysterious gait. That means she scuttles sideways, and hides behind cars. > ETA: It was _haunting, mysterious gait_. That’s even worse. That was exactly the sentence I was always quoting at people to show how awful the writing was! That and the one near it that describes the police guy who keeps his head tucked into his shoulders like a bull. I forget how that one went. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dan-brown-novel-to-be-released/493786.md?page=4)