Breaking the code

I enjoyed it - read the whole thing on a five hour flight. It's not exactly mind-expanding but definitely fits the bill for a guilty pleasure read. Towards the end I was getting tired of Brown's obsession with ending every (brief) chapter with a cliffhanger but you're right, it does seem destined to be a movie. For Langdon, I could see the studios trotting out a workhorse like Harrison Ford... In the same vein, you may also enjoy "The Rule of Four" which was co-authored ( . ) by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. I'd say it's a smarter book than Da Vinci but not quite as cerebral as Umberto Eco's fiction.

I sort of liked it - I'd agree with the characterization of a "guilty pleasure." Well done pulp fiction - step above Grisham. I'll also second the recommendation for Umberto Eco. The Name of the Rose is a beautiful book.

I actually liked Dan Brown's previous book Angels and Demons a little better, but The DaVinci Code was pretty good as well. They ARE making a movie, but the bad news is this; Ron Howard has been recruited to direct and Akiva Goldsmith has been hired to write. Now Akiva Goldsmith wrote A Beautiful Mind which was decent. But unfortunately he also wrote Batman And Robin andLost In Space which were horrible peices of excrement. So who knows where this movie is going. Early reports hint at Russel Crowe as Robert Langdon and Kate Beckinsale as Sophie.

So after I read Da Vinci I read two other books by Brown: Angels and Demons and Digital Fortress. You're right, Angels was good too, but for me just too gruesome. Digital Fortress is absolute crap - ooh the intrigue of digital encryption.

Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum" is also in that vein of theme. Although it is more literary, and fairly obscure in certain points such as refrences, etc. It is a very good novel though.

Well... Lets just say I go through movie withdrawls like some people on this forum go through shoe withdrawl. Eventually I'll be completing my AA in digital video editing, and possibly on my way to a MFA in film. I casually follow the trades, as often as my varied intrests will allow, and I'm sure that if you had any questions about Hollywood in general or the business or technical aspects of motion pictures or cinema, I could probably answer them for you. I also work for a major home improvement center and have some depth of knowledge in plumbing, flooring, windows, and doors. And of course I've also been involved with computer sales and assembly, so I keep my thumb in that pie as well. You'd think that a smart guy like me could figure out a way to make more money...

Quill, If you enjoy Umberto Eco, you might like Iain Pears too - specifically "An Instance of the Fingerpost", and "The Dream of Scipio". Both books that play with history and suspense in interesting ways. Another good conspiracy theory/occult/history mixer (if I may be allowed the term) is Arturo Perez-Reverte - try "The Flanders Panel" for another mystery involving art history, and "The Club Dumas" - involving the occult and bibliophiles. The latter was made into "The Ninth Gate" by Roman Polanski.

That was my first thought as well, though I DO enjoy looking at Kate Beckinsale. And though not the greatest actress of all time, she could probably convincingly portray Sophia, who is not the worlds deepest nor most challenging female foil. But Russel Crowe? Might as well cast Arnold or Vin Diesel. Prof. Langdon is supposed to be an ACADEMIC who is (more than likely) in way over his head. I never really bought his character in A BEAUTIFUL MIND, and I don't think I could see myself buying it in this case either. I was thinking a Jim Caviezel or a Ralph Fiennes type actor would be more appropos. Thats just my personal opinion though, and its never stopped hollywood from screwing up potentially good movies with bad acting before. And of course I've been wrong before, and actors have sometimes suprised me. whatever, we'll see how it turns out.

Quill,    I, too, am quite late in reading The Da Vinci Code.  I have wanted to read it since Christmas and finally picked it up two days ago and was about to type a post in the same manner you did.  I'm a little over one-third of the way through the story right now, and it's great.  I love that I'm learning a lot of things from it, as well.  Even phi, which was a subtopic of a past post, gets mentioned.  I had heard that this was mentioned in the book and was very excited when I got to that part.  Making me think I should go into cryptology.    As far as the movie goes, my first thought was Harrison Ford.  However, Jim Caviezel (thanks to Tokyo Slim) would probably fit the age a little better.  And I immediately imagined Julianne Moore as Sophie when Brown described her auburn hair.  What do you think?