Timewaster's Guide Archive
Departments => Books => Topic started by: Oxphocker on July 18, 2003, 05:39:38 AM
-
I just read this book... and while being a history major, I never thought of christian symbology in that way before... Very thought provoking.
-
Give me a more complete review. I keep hearing this title but no one tells me very much about it.
-
Well... I really don't want to spoil any of the plot because it would not be as much fun to read. There is a good reason you keep hearing this title, because the thriller/mystery aspect to this book is really good. I don't know how much of this novel is fact and fiction, but even if some of it is...then I learned some really cool stuff that I never even thought of before. Plus the book is not that long, I finished it in like two days.
-
On the other hand, I don't feel compelled at all to read it if I don't at least know the premise and the reasons why people think it's so good. There are reasons why Britney Spears was so popular too, but they weren't reasons that would appeal to me. So I need to know those reasons, so I can decide if it's aught I'll read.
-
This will probably spoil most of the book....
The book is about a secret society that protects the holy grail. But the grail is not what people think it is... Various people are trying to find it and it becomes a race once the four people that know the actual location are killed on the same night.
-
THERES GOING TO A GAME OF IT COMING OUT :o
-
Oi,
(http://www.legacieslost.com/graphics/FAQ.jpg) (http://www.timewastersguide.com/boards/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=news;action=display;num=1080380396)
In which it'll tell you:
NOT to post in all caps
NOT to resurrect old threads
NOT to post irrelevent spam posts in threads. If you want to start a thread about the Da Vinci Code game do it in the Video Game board (as long as there's not on on the first page or two of the board) and posting something more then "OMG ROLLOFCOPTER THERES A GAME!".
and thanks to you will be having a new section about smilies.
-
Will you, in the words of Spriggan, "Read the Damn FAQ!".
If you have already, your blatant disregard for it should earn you a ban, in my opinion. You've only just joined, and you've already managed to annoy just about every regular.
If you can't speak English properly, or just find it too difficult to hit that "Caps Lock" button one more time, we do feel sorry for you.
(But not enough to allow you to carry on like this).
Follow the rules, or else bye-bye.
(By the way Sprig, I wrote this at the same time as you.)
-
Hehe, no problem Bot.
-
I like that we finally have newbies who are justified in smacking around other newbies.
-
Its Evolution! Or maybe Intelligent Design since it was Entropy and I that forged the path to this result.
-
It's part of a grand master plan, as dictated by the Church of Discord.
-
I thought the plan of hte church of discord was that there is no plan?
-
Dan Brown's book "Angels and Demons" was much better than his "DaVinci Code"
-
Dan Brown's book "Angels and Demons" was much better than his "DaVinci Code"
I certainly agree -- particularly character-wise. Langdon actually had some kind of personality and character arc in A&D.
(And really, even though I read Da Vinci first, Da Vinci is just a big rip off of A&D. The plot is incredibly similar.)
-
I'm not much of a newbie; I've been here over a month now. But I recognise that you like newbie smackdown, so I will blow a raspberry at our DARTH CAPITAL over there.
-
That's still pretty newbie.
-
OK OK, I'm a newbie, is that so wrong?
Smithe me, oh mighty smither!
-
Smithing is when you hit someone and take one tenth of their lunch money.
-
I thought Smithing was when you made someone listen to Morrissey over and over.
-
And I though to be smithed was to have a conversation with Spriggan.
-
OK OK, I'm a newbie, is that so wrong?
Smithe me, oh mighty smither!
I believe the word your searching for is smite. :P
I'm not much of a newbie; I've been here over a month now.
You seem to have trouble with the little math it takes to recount a month. January 18th...Febuary 6=20 days, not a month. :P
-
Faster Master Pastor really puts the "arrogant" into "arrogant scribe".
I was only trying to say that there is a page of people "more newbie" than me.
O.K?
-
quite frankly, Da Vinci Code sells a lot because people are curious, not because it's a great book. A&D is a much better novel, and I agree that Da Vinci seems to follow the A&D plot structure. People come into my store all the time asking about Da Vinci Code and I tell them this, "Of his four books, it ranks 3rd. Read James Rollins - he's better."
My problem with Da Vinci code is that nobody changes. There is no real good charcter development. Also, the "codes" leave much to be desired.
-
Oh, those codes were awesome. I especially liked the one where they had to find "a five-letter word for something round, typically associated with Isaac Newton." And it only took them 15 chapters to do it--they're geniuses.
-
Faster Master Pastor really puts the "arrogant" into "arrogant scribe".
I was only trying to say that there is a page of people "more newbie" than me.
O.K?
And I was just poking fun at you. :P
-
im glad im not the only one who thought that about the "codes." I by the time it was figured out i was thinking, "are you effing kidding me?"
That was almost as bad as The Historian...
-
And I was just poking fun at you. :P
Me too! :P :P
-
The thing about this book that many fail to understand is that it is more a history lesson rather than a novel. Its history wrapped up in a story. The story actually takes back seat to the history and "facts" presented in this book. If any of you don't have any background knowledge on any of the info Dan Brown presents in the book I suggest you do yourselves a big favor and google some of the stuff he is talking about.
Its not just one big ol' conspiracy theory.
-
The thing you appeared to miss is that the "history lesson" involved in this book is extremely suspect, at best. The numbers he cites are off from most scholarly accepted figures, he's made up a number of events, and made some connections that only some very extreme fringe books lend any credence to. I recommend getting your history from a history book instead of a poorly researched novel.
-
He's right in saying that it's more of a history lesson than a novel--that's 100% correct, and it's the novel's biggest failing. The next biggest failing, of course, is that it's all made-up history designed solely to support the novel. The end result is an artificial background propping up a fun but poorly-written story.
-
Well said, Fellfrosch. Here's some sites I found very helpful after I read the book:
http://www.crisismagazine.com/september2003/feature1.htm
http://www.catholicexchange.com/vm/index.asp?vm_id=2&art_id=20376
http://www.catholicexchange.com/vm/index.asp?vm_id=2&art_id=20376
http://www.opusdei.org/art.php?w=32&p=7017
-
Just so you know, you might like to try finding more secular sites. Quoting a handful of religious sites in response to a book those religions are pre-disposed to dislike doesn't really help a case.
-
Haha. Good point. *remembers why she isn't very good at debating*
-
Also, when it comes to debunking conspiracy theories, who makes the skeptic or debunker the automatic authority on the subject?
I find that relying solely on skeptic/debunker's final say regarding anything that has to do with history or "conspiracy theories" is not a good thing to do because a lot of times, these debunkers/skeptics are using the "safe and proven fact-base" to debunk such alternative knowledge.
I have done some studying on the things Dan Brown presents in his book MANY years before the book even came out (since about 1994). Truth be told, yes, some of the things he mentions in his book are fiction (much regarding the Priory is misconstrued purposely I believe) but a lot of it is not. Do your research on the Pagan and Ancient Egyptian religions and you will understand. The Council of Nicea was a real and documented event.
I find that many people who try to debunk this book are hard-core christians that will not even attempt to have an open mind. (This is in no way an attempt to Bash the christian religion or any of its followers.)
-
True, but one could say the same things about the other side.
-
I find that many people who try to debunk this book are hard-core christians that will not even attempt to have an open mind.
I went to a panel at the National Popular Culture Convention on this book two or three years ago. The panel was comprised of well-respected grail scholars, and it pretty much boiled down to one thing: Da Vinci Code was poorly researched garbage.
I've read the book and enjoyed it, but only as popcorn fare.
-
I find that many people who try to debunk this book are hard-core christians that will not even attempt to have an open mind. (This is in no way an attempt to Bash the Christian religion or any of its followers.)
I'm both a Christian and a student of history and while the Da Vinci Code is an interesting conspiracy theory its like any other conspiracy theory in that there's absolutely no evidence to support it. Also another thing that goes to debunk it is that this "conspiracy" has only been around for about the last 20-30 years and wasn't one that was around at Da Vinci's time.
The thing about the book is it combines true events, Nicean Council, with fictional ones to try and make it more realistic. Most Christians have heard of the Nicean Council so when they read that it subconsciously tells them that "oh this I know about so that other thing might be true too". It's a fairly common trick in historical fiction.
-
Not about to get into a debate about what is or isn't true in about the book. You are free to believe whatever you please.
Have a good day.
-
** Lt. Kije sets this thread on fire and sneaks away grinning
-
The only thing I know about the Da Vinci Code is that the art history community is cringing over it. It simply teaches bad art history. It makes reference to portions of art works that don't exist and give bad interpretations of art works.
-
The only thing I know about the Da Vinci Code is that the art history community is cringing over it. It simply teaches bad art history. It makes reference to portions of art works that don't exist and give bad interpretations of art works.
Aha! Proof that you're reading TWG when you should be gaming!
Bad player! No cookie! ;)
-
My History emphasis is Western Medieval History. I disliked the Da Vinci Code on several levels:
a) The plot and characterization are very poor, as has been discussed.
b) Many of the simple events in the book are clearly unresearched. In fact, within the first chapter the killing that occured struck me as highly unrealistic. (He died from a stomach wound how quickly, with very little blood loss?)
c) The history is largely BS. He took a few speculative theories or pseudohistorical works and ran with them, inventing or borrowing theories where history didn't fit his storyline well enough. It scares me that so many Americans accept it as accurate.
-
/me throws diesel on as Kije sneaks out.