100 Reviews #1 - The Da Vinci Code Here it is, review 1/100. Hmm. Not my cup of tea. Dan Brown's attempts at writing a complex novel were great, to a point where it was too complex. I found the switches between Langdon and Silas rather confusing and found myself flipping through the Silas parts. (Which in my opinion would have been far better as a novella.) The plot is excellent and perhaps requires better characters to compliment it. Although the characters are diverse and have some depth the keyword there is SOME and not depth. I found that I was not compelled to read "Angels and Demons" whatsoever. Suffice to say it was not an enjoyable read, nor do I think I would ever read a Dan Brown book again. I found the whole thing rather tiresome and didn't enjoy the writing as much as I expected. I also found some of the implications of the Church too offensive. I am Christian, and although I am not of strong faith and have my own way of putting religion, accusing the church of so much was disrespectful ( although most likely the accusations are true- as paradoxical as my opinion sounds if you look at history as much as I do you have to admit it). However I am not a supporter of the Vatican and as a result was not too offended by remarks regarding it or the pope as don't follow the pope or any of his predecessors, so i guess it depends what faith you have how much the accusations resonate with you. Before I get too carried away I just felt that the implications were too vast and perhaps too strong for a fictional "beach/easy read". The Idea of introducing humour was unsuccessful and that the whole mystery was too predictable. *SPOILER* Sophie's family was obvious from the beginning and all of the code was crack-able by me long before Langdon cracked it, (and I'm only 15) so perhaps was too simple. Dan brown is not the literary genius I expected from reviews and is not an author I would read again in a hurry. The book set up for a sequel which I was disappointed about, although I knew there was a sequel, I had hoped more loose ends would have been tied up and the sequel had been less obvious. Overall 3.5/10 - ok, I know it sounds harsh but here are my Criteria: ( quick summary of my thoughts ) 1)Read again? -no 2)Good writing? -ok 3)Good characters? -ok 4)Good plot? -yes 5)Good development of idea? -no 6)Appropriate ending? -no 7)Suitable style? -no 8)Interesting? -ok 9)Easy read? -yes 1Decent and Appropriate pace? -no The next book will be the "Rule of Four" by Dustin Thomason and Ian Caldwell. - supposedly a better Da Vinci Code, I guess well have to read it and see. If you have any book suggestions or would like to contribute an opinion, comment below, your response is much appreciated. Thanks, Lia. R