The Da Vinci Code (2003)

botty-dribble

Whenever I read a 454 page book in one sitting, it's probably a safe bet for me to think that other people will like the book. Not that my criteria for excellence necessarily matches that of the literary masses -- but the words "breakout thriller" certainly apply here. Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is going to make publishing history. Trust me. There are already tables at the local Barnes & Nobles featuring books about the Freemasons, biographies of Leonardo Da Vinci, guidebooks to the Louvre and Renaissance art, all centered around Brown's book. And the book has been out less than two weeks.

The word for ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a rare invertible palindrome. Rotated 180 degrees on a horizontal axis so that it is upside down, it denotes the maternal essence that is sometimes linked to the sport of soccer. Read right side up, it concisely conveys the kind of extreme enthusiasm with which this riddle-filled, code-breaking, exhilaratingly brainy thriller can be recommended.

That word is wow.

The story occasionally strains credibility early on. How could a dying man, one wonders, have time to write out intricate mind puzzles even if as Sophie explains, her grandfather "entertained himself as a young man by creating anagrams of famous works of art." Fortunately, Brown's pacing doesn't leave too much time for questions. From the explosive start to the explosive finish, The Da Vinci Code is one satisfying thriller. I see movie rights being sold already. Pick this one up on a long flight home and you'll never know where the time went.

Den Braun u svom trileru Da Vinčijev kod, kreativno kombinuje mnogobrojne istorijske reference (Da Vinči, Templari, sveti Graal) sa fikcijom. Protagonista romana je, kao i u prethodnom bestseleru Anđeli i demoni harvardski profesor Robert Lengdon . Kada pariska policija otkrije njegovo ime sakriveno u šifrovanoj poruci pronađenoj pored tela ubijenog kustosa Luvra, on postaje njihov glavni osumnjičeni za brutalno ubistvo. Jedina osoba koja veruje u njegovu nevinost je francuski kriptolog, Sofi Nevu, koja mu pomaže da pobegne. Bežeći od policije pokušavaju da dešifruju misterioznu poruku i dolaze do zapanjujućeg zaključka. Ključ za rešenje je sakriven u Da Vinčijevim delima, svima vidljiv, istovremeno dobro sakriven. Put im se ukršta sa vekovima starim tajnim društvom, čiji je član bio pokojni kustos, ali i Da Vinči, Isak Njutn, Botičeli, Igo, kao i sa kontroverznim ogrankom Katoličke crkve. Ukoliko Robert i Sofi ne uspeju da dešifruju kod na vreme, drevna tajna, kao i velika istorijska istina, biće zauvek izgubljena.