Novel- Da Vinci Code

Rating- ****

A curator is murdered.
A renowned symbologist who was aiding in the investigation becomes the prime suspect.
A beautiful detective with a troubled past comes to his rescue.
And an amazing maze of riddles and puzzles lead the duo from one level to another.

Thus begins the long run to prove his innocence and en route, opening the pandora’s box to many startling facts related to ancient practices and beliefs which ultimately points to the most sought after artifact known to mankind.

Dan Brown succeeds immensely in creating an eerie atmosphere, which you can easily visualize while cruising through the novel. It brings forth and actually educates the reader about the ancient brotherhood, the maestro called Leonardo Da Vinci and the hidden symbols behind his works, Jesus and the myth surrounding him, the manipulative methods used by the Church to strengthen the people’s belief in their system and much more. Though the descriptive nature of the novel tends to get a bit heavy on the senses, the journey of Havard symbologist Robert Langdon and detective cum code breaker Sophie Noveau is very well etched with complete twist and turns and that occasional sudden rush of adrenalin. However, the suspense element surrounding the mastermind behind the murder and the climax is somewhat a letdown. Well, that maybe because the novel with its slick narration and intelligently crafted sequences raises your expectation levels to dizzying heights. Barring these two, the novel is fantastic. A perfect mould for a Hollywood thriller, which is already in the pipeline with Tom Hanks all set to play Robert Langdon.

Da Vinci Code is an intelligent and fast paced thriller. Its amazing to know the extend to which the author has researched on the crux of the novel. It has also received much flak from the religious community, thus making it one hell of a controversial stuff, which is exactly why I longed to read it. Definitely looking out for the second installment and the movie, ofcourse!

-Arun Ganesh