Starting TLS right about...now.
*Goes off in search of vino and some supper*
*Goes off in search of vino and some supper*
Dan Brown returns with Da Vinci Code sequel, The Lost Symbol
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He couldn't predict the lottery so what makes him think he can write about God n' shit??
I'm pretty sure Alwyn could write a better book.
Members of the Illiterati, all of you.
Will be starting this tomorrow.
Probably not quite as shit a writer as that but close. Not as bad as John Grisham mind. Both are really film plot writers. Entertaining popcorn (some of the time) but not exactly a literary treat in the art sense.
The Crow Road by Iain Banks is a brilliant combination of humour, human drama and mystery. Easy to read but incredibly well written plus managing to be suspenseful and funny at the same time. Plus it has the best opening line of any book ever "It was the day that my Grandmother exploded".
Thus far [20 chapters in], i'm not sensing that Angels and Demons has much to worry about.
13 Chapters in, and I'm enjoying it very much.
You could just have described JK Rowling there, too.
A mysterious cipher whose key is somewhere in Philadelphia.
A murderous cult determined to protect it.
A frantic race to uncover NAMBLA's darkest secret.
The Invisible Enigma
When renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to Citizen's Bank Park to analyze a mysterious rune—imprinted on a gold ring lying next to the mangled body of the head docent—he discovers evidence of the unthinkable: the resurgence of the ancient cult of the Truminati, a secret branch of NAMBLA that has surfaced from the shadows to carry out its legendary vendetta against its mortal enemy, the Vatican.
Langdon's worst fears are confirmed when a messenger from the Truminati appears at the William Penn statue on top of City Hall to deliver a macabre ultimatum: Deposit $1 billion in NAMBLA's off-shore bank accounts or the exclusive clothier of the Swiss Guards will be bankrupted. Racing against the clock, Langdon joins forces with the voluptuous and brilliant daughter of the murdered docent in a desperate bid to crack the code that will reveal the cult's secret plan.
Embarking on a frantic hunt, Langdon and his companion follow a 900-year-old trail through Philadelphia's most venerable churches and historic statues, pursued by a Romanian assassin the cult has sent to thwart them. What they discover threatens to expose a conspiracy that goes all the way back to Allen Ginsberg and the very founding of NAMBLA.
I just ordered this.
I'm nearing halfway through TLS and IMHO, around the first fifth of the book is more unnecessary padding and long winded passages as opposed to needed back story and character development. After Paris and Rome Langdon shouldn't need Sato to keep reminding him of his purpose.
However once Bellamy and to an almost pivotal extent, Katherine enters the plot in earnest, it improves markedly and i'm liking it more than i was. If you're feeling kind, you might instead just say it is a slow burner.
I don't know what Dan Brown's plans are but from what i can guess of TLS and guess at where it is heading, id' be inclined to have the Robert Langdon series as a trilogy with this being a natural conclusion to the overall story. Feels right.
Mind you if he's chasing $$$, then he likely won't follow such a course of action no matter the merits of it.
However once Bellamy and to an almost pivotal extent, Katherine enters the plot in earnest, it improves markedly and i'm liking it more than i was. If you're feeling kind, you might instead just say it is a slow burner.
I don't know what Dan Brown's plans are but from what i can guess of TLS and guess at where it is heading, id' be inclined to have the Robert Langdon series as a trilogy with this being a natural conclusion to the overall story. Feels right.
Mind you if he's chasing $$$, then he likely won't follow such a course of action no matter the merits of it.
She's like Dostoevsky compared to this gimp.
I fecking hate Harry Potter books too, for the record. Great for kids to read but I'm filled with a burning rage when I see grown men reading them on the tube.
Whoever reads Harry Potter on the tube needs a slap. It's a bit of fun light reading for young people, not serious fecking literature. Some people are so easily sucked in by hype.
Amen to that. Excellent kid's books, and anything that gets children to read in those numbers must be applauded, but they're hardly the greatest books of our generation (as I heard one critic say), and they're most definitely not meant for adults. I actually have read them all, but that's primarily because I was ten years old when the first one came out, and so in my childhood I did read most of them - I wasn't going to leave the series unfinished.
But the number of people who must have read the first one as an adult, and continued from there, is staggering. They're not that good, the plot is cliched and the characters are ridiculous.
She is better than Dan Brown, though. I read The Da Vinci Code in one day it was so ludicrously simple, and I saw the twist coming a mile off.
It is a great read. I hope you enjoy it.
I am about half way through, love it, and I am not a big book reader really.
But that is why Dan Brown is so succesful, people like me actually make the effort to go and buy his books, as we enjoy his work so much. Couldnt really care what anyone else thinks.
But that is why Dan Brown is so succesful, people like me actually make the effort to go and buy his books, as we enjoy his work so much. Couldnt really care what anyone else thinks.
One of my favourite books. Good recommendation.
most of the way through now, and for a while it has been painfully obvious who mal'akh i could be wrong but i am 99% certain who it is
for those who dont know this is where i reveal who i think he is
for those who dont know this is where i reveal who i think he is
zachary soloman
Good point, well made.
Reading Dan Brown books > not reading at all.
Hopefully reading and enjoying his books will get you into reading in general. There's loads of great stuff out there which is just as fast-paced and easy to read, only even more interesting and a lot better written.
You could do a lot worse than start with Wibble's recommendation. Either that or The Wasp Factory, by the same author. It's filthy, dark and hilarious and just as addictive to read as any Dan Brown book. IMHO of course.
Re Dan Brown, all you need to do is watch this - specifically about 1m 40s (but watch it all, and the rest of the series
)And I will ask for recommendations. I read Dead Mans Footsteps by Peter James on holiday. Very similar in a way to Browns writing, and very enjoyable.
Re Dan Brown, all you need to do is watch this - specifically about 1m 40s (but watch it all, and the rest of the series
this was funny!Holiday's a great time to read. Try one of the Ian Banks books. You won't regret it.
Any imparticular mate?
I prefer the stuff he writes as "Iain M Banks" (Sci Fi). But his "Iain Banks" stuff is also great.
The Wasp Factory was his first and bet novel outside of the sci fi world.
The Player of games is my favourite sci fi of his.
I prefer his Sci Fi too. There's good ideas his normal fiction, and some very funny bits, but a lot of the charachters are rather cliched and some clumsy dialogue that doesn't seem to be as evident in his sci fi.
Same boat as me Muller. I don't ever pick up books, let alone read them. Infact i've probably read less than 20 in my entire life (the entire book).
Wasp Factory and Crow Road would be a good place to start.
He also writes Sci Fi (under the name Ian M Banks, so you can tell them apart!) and I agree with the comments that they are a more rewarding read but they can a bit of a while to get into and if you're not a big reader (or into your sci fi) you might lose interest before they really get going.
I would suggest reading the two books mentioned above. They're short, easy to read and will give you a feel for whether or not you like his stuff. If you like them plough through a few more Ian Banks before starting into the Ian M Banks books. If/when that happens, start with "Use of Weapons". It's amazing.
Thanks for the advice, I will probably look into starting to read once I have a bit more spare time. t the minute my life is work, being tired from work, planning work, then trying to squeeze in learning italian and playing at least one of my consoles.
But I will have to grow up and read one day. Makes a step up from the 4 or 5 Biff, Wilma, Kipper and Wilf books I read every day
But I will have to grow up and read one day. Makes a step up from the 4 or 5 Biff, Wilma, Kipper and Wilf books I read every day
Once I've finished The Lost Symbol I'll be getting back to David Gemmell. Only read Legend but it was a fantastic read from start to finish. Or I could read 1984, I've been told it's a must-read.
I'll take note of a few of the books mentioned in here, though.
I'll take note of a few of the books mentioned in here, though.