which dan brown book to read first?
 

daVinci Code or Angels and Deamons. i was in paris last year and will be in rome this year. should i read the code first since i have a visual of paris, or should i imagine rome and read A&D. any ideas?

Read Angels and Demons and get excited about Rome. :-)

ucsun:

Can I ofer you an alternative to Dan Brown?

I have read both his books and found THIS one FAR better:

Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...s&n=507846

Alternatively, you can read the inspiration for all three books and the original research. Its a far better read than Dan Brown:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...ce&s=books

Ucsun, other than the fact that the main character is the same in both books, there is no connection between the two code-breaking adventures. The second book, in other words, does not rely on information or a background laid out in the first. You don't really need to read them in the order in which they were written in order to enjoy them! If I were you, I'd read daVinci Code first and relive Paris. Then I'd read the other to get hepped up about Rome, before you actually see Rome. You'll probably do some research of Rome in advance of your trip, so you'll recognize names and places mentioned in Angels and Demons. Then when you get there, the entire book will come alive for you. BTW, these books are fluffy, fun reads. OReilly has given you some excellent recommendations for weightier books.

Just noticed that Fodors has a DaVinci Code tour posted on the main web page listing where to find the sights mentioned in the book.

Happy reading.

Having read both A+D and DaVinci I agree it makes no difference which one you read first.
If you really enjoy Dan Brown you might also want to read his "Digital Fortress" and if you can get it, the more or less book that started it all (not his writing): "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" which is kind of a "prequel" to DaVinci and I see it has been re-released.

Read Angels and Demons, since it focuses on Rome. I read Da Vinci code first and when I got to A&D, I was a little annoyed...Dan Brown seemed to be writing by formula. My husband read A&d first and quit reading Da Vinci code half way through for the same reason. However, DB does have legions of fans, so you might enjoy both...

I would read Angels and Demons first- it sets a context for the Da Vinci Code.

I've read the first and just started the second.

Hi

My wife just read both books and she said that she would have preferred to start with Angels and Demons when she looks back :-) I just read the DaVinci code and it was nice to get a bit of description from Paris...and it makes me want to go back to study the Last Supper a bit closer :-)

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway
gardkarlsen.com - personal trip reports and pictures

I would read Angels and Demons right before your trip to Rome (or even on the plane, which is what I did earlier this year). Then it will be fresh in your memory as you enjoy all the wonderful sights of Rome.

Da Vinci Code is by far the worst book I ever read.

I am, however, working on a sequel: 'The Michaelangelo Code'. A draft excerpt:

THE MICHELANGELO CODE
Chapter I
As the police removed the body of Curator B.S. Gnocchi, curator of the Uffizzi Gallery in Florence, Ken and Barbie looked up and discovered that David has six toes on his left foot and that his right shoulder blade pointed toward Siena. 'Who knew? questioned Ken, interpreter of the occult, taro card master and Professor of the Surreal at Bard College. Barbie, master cryptologist and member of the Paris Gendarmerie, sighed 'No one'.

'What did Michelangelo have in mind by sculpting six toes??' What significance does the shoulder blade have? Are they related?'. These and other questions perplexed Ken and Barbie as they rode out to the estate of Sir Nigel Bruce Watson IV, the authority on 15th century Italian sculpture.

Sir Nigel's five thousand acre estate straddled the Arno River. Ken had worked through the years with Sir Nigel on the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle and knew he would know, if anyone did, the significance of the six toes and shoulder blade. They were not the only ones seeking out Sir Nigel!....


For Paris, I suggest "Seven Ages of Paris" by Alistair Horn. This is a witty, intelligent insight in to how Paris came to be what is today.

Anthony Spinelli

I would propose that you not read the Da Vinci Code, since it is shite. This novel is rife with inaccuracies (We in the art world laugh at the premise that John is really Mary Magdalene in the Last Supper.) One-dimensional characters, contrived dialogue, phony idioms, and implausiblities make for a rather inane reading experience. The Da Vinci code is the kind of book one reads whilst waiting for a bus.

I read the Da Vinci Code first. If I had read Angels and Deamons first, I probably wouldn't have tried DVC.

The "formula" of the two stories is almost identical (IMO too identical), but A&D starts much slower and gets more far fetched.

Keith

>We in the art world laugh at the premise that John is really Mary Magdalene in the Last Supper

It is fiction.

From that stand point, my only objection is the author's message at the beginning that claims a number of things are "facts."

Keith

People love to trash these books. I am sure Dan Brown is crying all the way to the bank. Personally, I enjoyed them both. And any book that makes me look up works of art and do further reading on specific artists can't be all that bad.

My daughters and I searched out some of the locales from the DVC in London and it was a great family adventure. The Temple Church was tricky to find and worth the effort.

Of course, Dan Brown is laughing all the way to the bank, because what sells today is "trash." You may not like my opinion, Grasshopper, but I have a BA and MA in Enlish from Dartmouth and Penn, respectively. I think that I have been involved with enough literary discourse to have the credentials to critique a novel. You may read whatever you so choose, and I will critique whatever I so choose. Good afternoon.

John, I didn't say anything about your personal opinion! I just expressed mine. One man's trash is another's treasure. My main point was that anything that inspires further learning can't be all bad. I'll resist listing my academic credentials.

OReilly, i am looking at Foucault's Pendulum, which seems interesting. anybody else with an equally interesting suggestion?

ThinGorjus, i too am a MS, but in technical discipline. i figured a MA in English came along with my Master degree as i did all my course work in English (not Yiddish or Russian). ;)

My husband and I have enjoyed reading both daVinci Code and Angels and Demons. I believe daVinci Code to be our favorite. A good mystery.

I've just finished Da Vinci Code and Thingorgus is right. It IS shite. But enjoyable escapist shite:)