Shaki Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 It seems his new book has smashed some records: BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Brown book breaks record in hoursDid anyone pre-order or queue up to buy this? I read The Da Vinci Code and thought it was pretty terrible, even as a trashy page turner, which I am in no way averse to. The story was average for a book of its kind and I thought the writing was amateur. If I'd read it before the hype I may not have disliked it as much as I did but still, it wasn't very good. It's cool if he makes people ask questions of institutions and ignites interest where there was none before but does he really deserve these accolades? So, what's his secret? Anyone love him? Anyone hate him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gladstone Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 I love his books. I struggle to put them down once they get going... Haven't ordered or queued for the new one though - I'd never do that for a book (or anything unless it was limited in supply eg. gig tickets). I don't really understand people that camp outside shops etc so they can get the next Harry Potter (or whatever) book at bang on midnight. If I was a Harry Potter fan, I'd just wait and get it at a convenient time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Stu Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Yeah, I thought The Davinci Code was a pretty trashy thriller. I mean, all the stuff about Christianity was interesting but I would much have preferred a fact-based history book instead. And the furore over it was predictably dense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 I quite enjoyed the Da Vinci code and I thought it was quite clever, but at the same time utterly ridiculous in places. A know a lot of historians have criticised how he's tried to pass off all this fantasy as fact.I really hated Angels and Demons though. The story was quite exciting but it was just ludicrous. At one point a guy jumps out of a helicopter 1000 feet in the air, with just a sheet of tarpaulin that he holds over his head to use as a parachute, and walks away unscathed! It's full of just utter nonsense.I've always said that his novels read as though they were written with the sole purpose of having them turned into movies. They have so many movie cliches and set-pieces it's basically like reading a film. And not a very good one at that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diesel Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 I really hated Angels and Demons though. The story was quite exciting but it was just ludicrous. At one point a guy jumps out of a helicopter 1000 feet in the air, with just a sheet of tarpaulin that he holds over his head to use as a parachute, and walks away unscathed! It's full of just utter nonsense.Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooh! that's just tooo creepy.I was just dicussing the Shiteness of Dan Brown with a colleague not 2 mins ago!!!The discussion was "Books you've thrown across the room in anger/frustration/disbelief" and I had just mentioned that very passage.Utter bobbins.Going slightly off-topic, I thought I'd give the movie versh a chance and just got as equally frustrated with the whole.... "you're a foreigner and a college professor with no police training whatsoever and your partner is a female scientist. There are terrosists with guns and bombs and stuff in there, why don't you lead the charge into the building and the body-armoured SWAT team will follow?"..attitude of the whole movie.Having said that, his books are very readable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ghost Of Fudge Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 i like. i even read Digital Fortress and the other one (can't remember the name).yeah, they're shit, but i can't stop reading them. implausable is fine by me.i remember thinking "this'd make a great movie" when i read A&D. not that i've bothered going to see the film, mind. the first one was crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodyRATM Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 I like them. Not bothered seeing the movies yet though - I just feel Tom Hanks doesnt suit the idea of Robert Langdon in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaki Posted September 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 I've always said that his novels read as though they were written with the sole purpose of having them turned into movies. They have so many movie cliches and set-pieces it's basically like reading a film. And not a very good one at that.Aye, I thought that the writing was more like a screenplay than a novel too. Langdon sat down. Langdon looked up. Langdon got chased around a museum/library/city centre, turning left then turning right. Langdon worked out that this symbol meant the baddies went that way. There was no interesting characters or character development that I could grab onto but I suppose if it's page turners you're after then the action and mystery are more important. I don't necessarily mind the implausible in a book of that type - Christopher Brookmyre's action sequences and set pieces are pretty stupid but there's always great characters, dialogue and wit which I found missing with the Da Vinci Code. I was dragged to the cinema to see Angels and Demons and groaned throughout although I was kicking myself for enjoying the twist. I don't suppose my dislike would bother Dan Brown that much though so fair play to the lad..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stichman Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Dan Brown is just so awful. His writing style is horrific, and Angels & Demons was one of the most cringey, cliche-ridden books I've ever had the misfortune to pick up. Never mind the fact that he just invents great piles of pish and passes it off as history, or the ridiculously far-fetched scenes like the infamous helicoper jump; he's just a bad, bad writer.I'm sure he spins an exciting yarn, but dear god that's about all he can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Vittoria was tied to the bed. Langdon managed to reach her JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME! as the assasin was about to kill her. Langdon and the assassin have a fight, which just happens to be on a balcony that's A HUNDRED FEET HIGH! The assassin overpowers Langdon and HANGS HIM OVER THE BALCONY!!! As he's about to let him go... BANG! Vittoria stabs him through the back with a poker! The assassin dies!*They embrace.*Wait a minute, wasn't she shackled to the bed? So are you going to explain how she managed to get free? Oh, you aren't.... right.It's crap like that that made me hate Angels & Demons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 There was a smiliar one in The Da Vinci Code, when they were in the Louvre with two guys, CIA agents if I remember. They were in a long narrow dark corridor staring at some piece of art. Sophie goes away off to the left to do something and disappears into the shadows. And then when the guys leave, she re-appears again from the right to warn Langdon about something. And we're told she managed to sneak past three people in a long corridor without being noticed. Right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsten Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 "The famous man looked at the red cup."I'm not a big fan of his books in the slightest yet didn't really have a big problem with the guy but I now blame him for the fact that I had to sticker 162 copies of the Lost Symbol at work on Monday night... and will probably have to de-sticker them all in around two weeks....Bastard.In terms of writing though, he seems pretty weak. It's worrying when I hear from people who enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, but don't admit that it's trashy and poorly written. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 This is quite funny and worth a read:The Lost Symbol and The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown's 20 worst sentences - Telegraph19. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 83: "The Knights Templar were warriors," Teabing reminded, the sound of his aluminum crutches echoing in this reverberant space. Remind is a transitive verb you need to remind someone of something. You cant just remind. And if the crutches echo, we know the space is reverberant. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsten Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 This is quite funny and worth a read:The Lost Symbol and The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown's 20 worst sentences - TelegraphI read it and laughed at some of them, but I think they should have just posted the extracts. The explanations afterwards felt a bit unnecessary, the quotes from the book speak for themself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skubbs Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 This is quite funny and worth a read:The Lost Symbol and The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown's 20 worst sentences - TelegraphIt's hilarious how offended people are, the comments left are almost as funny as the article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murrr Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 "The famous man looked at the red cup."Stewart Lee .I'll give Dan Brown some credit; he has quite a few semi-interesting ideas and he's perfected a formula that's sold him millions and millions of books, which should be enough for him to live very comfortably on until he dies. The man is a terrible writer, though. On a technical level he's just total gash; he just isn't very skilled and putting sentences together at all. I've only read The Da Vinci Code so maybe he's improved since then, but there were numerous points where I had to put that book down and think to myself "if he can forge a career with such terrible prose, surely anyone can".Not my cup of tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Von Mondragon Posted September 18, 2009 Report Share Posted September 18, 2009 Read the 'Code', it was so badly written that it makes the Dennis Wheatley/Jeffry Archer* school of trashy-turners seem like Harold Pinter, and his art historical assertions are bogus. Also he telegraphs his plot turns ludicrously, and smells of wee.*And I've read about 30 Wheatley books, so am in no way hung up on quality. At least Wheatley was a rigourous researcher of historical fact, before wrapping it up in his ultra imperialist/patrician/conservative worldview. Lots of books on Satan though, very metal.Dennis Wheatley - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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