Deception Point

[Lady Irie]

Just finished "Deception Point" by Dan Brown and it was an easy read since as Chris pointed out Brown is a good storyteller. This is another thriller type plot with some interesting twists and turns, however not as intricately woven as Angels and Demons or the DaVinci Code. It kept my interest because of the NRO references (my brother-in-law is retired NRO and since he never spoke of his job, this was a bit of a peek into it) and we know a couple of guys that are/were with Special Forces.

This particular novel is "movie ready" with plenty of action packed scenes which at one point did have me holding my breath, so in some cases his writing style was effective. Easy and quick summer read.

One of the settings this time was Washington, DC depicting political ambition, and use of the NRO which was substituted for Italy, the Illumanati, and political ambition. ;)One of the characters, Michael Tollend I felt was in reference to Bob Ballard, a well known undersea explorer and scientist.

I couldn't help but think of Cherbunny as the Ice Princesss when reading this as the main plot took place in the Artic with references to the Thule Airforce Base. Weather conditions and specific types of storms were reminiscent of Cher's stories.

Cher, I think you would enjoy this because of the vivid geographic descriptions. (Unless you just don't want to go THERE - even if it is only a novel!)

[Exildo Wonsetler Briggs III]

A great book, but IMHO not as good as Angles and Demons or the DaVinci Code and it was a totally different read than the others.

I'm still waiting for his next!

..........Bob

[vbplyr]

Right now I am reading Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown, not too far into it, but it was recommended by a friend, that liked it better than DaVinci. I was not the biggest fan of the DaVinci Code.

[Lady Irie]

vbplyr said:

I was not the biggest fan of the DaVinci Code.

Really? I am interested in hearing more of your thoughts on this.

[Exildo Wonsetler Briggs III]

I really liked Digital Fortress......it is all too realistic!

One of the reasons Angles and Demons and The DaVinci code stand out is we've been ro Rome, and I could "see" so many of the places talked about in my minds eye while I read the books.

Angels and Demons, The DaVinci Code, Digital Fortress then Deception Point in order of those I liked the best.

..........Bob

[vbplyr]

sunlovers said:

vbplyr said:

I was not the biggest fan of the DaVinci Code.

Really? I am interested in hearing more of your thoughts on this.

I actually picked up DaVinci a few times then put it down to read something better. I only finished it when I had run out of things to read. Perhaps it didn't hold my interest because most art is kind of wasted on me. Give me a great book, or play and I'm fascinated, art - I'll look for two seconds, and it never affects me.
That being said, I really do believe that the hype that this book got was from a lot of people jumping on the bandwagon, kind of like you can put a painting from a 10 yr old in front of the avg person, tell him it was worth $1 million, and that it was done by a famous artist, and most people would appreciate the genius in the work.

[Kawaii Kaiju]

I enjoyed The Davinci Code, was less impressed with Angels & Demons, and was really disappointed in Deception Point. I think that this wasn't so much because one book was written any better than the others, but because the formulas for all three books are very VERY similar. So the first book I read by Dan Brown was thrilling, then, like going on the same roller coaster over and over, it all got a bit tiresome.

I'm I the only one who feels this way?

Zilla (who admits that Dan Brown isn't the only author she feels this way about)

[Exildo Wonsetler Briggs III]

zillagrrl said:

So the first book I read by Dan Brown was thrilling, then, like going on the same roller coaster over and over, it all got a bit tiresome.

I'm I the only one who feels this way?

Zilla (who admits that Dan Brown isn't the only author she feels this way about)

Zilla, you can't get away with just that without some 'splaining.

So you were thrilled, but the constant "agony" of being thrilled again and again grew old?

Do you still have sex ??

Not since I read Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy has a book (or in this case, books!) kept me spellbound to the point I just couldn't put the damn things down!

............Bob

[Kawaii Kaiju]

bobnrhonda said:

Zilla, you can't get away with just that without some 'splaining.

So you were thrilled, but the constant "agony" of being thrilled again and again grew old?

Do you still have sex ??


............Bob

Yes, the first book was thrilling, a breathless excursion into uncharted areas. There was no predictability, I couldn't dissect or analyze, I could only be swept away where the author wanted me to go.....but by the third book, it was "oh, this again, huh? couldn't we mix it up a little bit this time? do something just a touch different?" because the third book was pretty much the same as the first with only the names and the locations changed. If I had wanted to read the first book three times, I would have done that without the extra $$$ spent on the additional books.

In comparing Dan Brown to sex, it would be more like "well, we had sex the first time, and then we just watched the video of the first time every time after that."

So, now I have explained. Good enough for ya? Obviously you are not in the camp of "I find his work to be good, but a bit repetitive and predictable" Thats cool. I'm just wondering if there is anyone else out there that feels that way and might have been to timid to mention it after all the "adoring fans" had chimed in.

Zilla

[Exildo Wonsetler Briggs III]

zillagrrl said:

So, now I have explained. Good enough for ya? Obviously you are not in the camp of "I find his work to be good, but a bit repetitive and predictable" Thats cool. I'm just wondering if there is anyone else out there that feels that way and might have been to timid to mention it after all the "adoring fans" had chimed in.

Zilla

So if you were Dan Brown, and had just written his first couple of books, what would you tell him to do differently?

I think the guy has a formula for success.

Most every business trip I take I see folks reading his books. Damn....WHY can't I do that!??

I think I understand what you're saying, but it sounds like "ROCK MY BOAT! MAKE ME CUM! WWEEEEE !! but now you're so boring."

.............Bob

[vbplyr]

bobnrhonda said:

Angels and Demons, The DaVinci Code, Digital Fortress then Deception Point in order of those I liked the best.

..........Bob

I liked Digital Fortress much better than DaVinci, guess now I'll try Angels & Demons

[Lady Irie]

vbplyr said:

Perhaps it didn't hold my interest because most art is kind of wasted on me.

Ok, I can totally understand that. If art and/or history bores you, (and for many it does) this would really be painful to read. It could actually be tortuous! I can totally see why someone would not be interested. It would be like me trying to read a novel based on mathematical formulas. I wouldn't care if it was touted the greatest book since Genesis, I would hate it. LOL

For me I think it was a double whammy, I like art and the imagery, however superceding that someone finally questioned the Catholic Church and the portrayal of women. Every few pages I was using to "prove" to my husband that "see, I'm not the only one."(Both brought up Catholic with two totally different views.)

I do agree somewhat with Zilla

I find his work to be good, but a bit repetitive and predictable

to a point and I think that is what I meant by this book being an "easy read". It wasn't notable. There wasn't anything special or noteworthy and it could easily be viewed as just another predictable piece of fiction. Like I had said, what kept my interest was the association with the NRO more than anything else.

As far as the repetitiveness goes, his style could be considered repetitive and predictable however, isn't that the essence of a writers style which becomes their signature? If you are referring to the predictability of knowing he will mix fact with fiction, have complicated character interactions, mix intrigue with romance, end all novels with good winning over evil, then absolutely there is a predictability of his style of writing with each book repeating the same.

I do think authors like Mary Higgins Clark, Nora Roberts, Creighton and the like are the epitome of repetitiveness. It's like they've only changed the names and the locations and kept the same plot for each book. Once they have a "hit", subsequent writings just don't seem to stand out.

Do you think D. Brown is headed in that direction or is he already there?


Edited to add: Haven't read Digital Fortress yet - it's on the "to-do" list.

[Alice]

I have read all four of the books discussed here. Of the four I think I liked Angels and Demons better. It mixed religion with science. Being raised Baptist, we have been taught that the Catholics are a vast conspireacy (sp). Deseption Point was my least favorite of the group.

Georgette

[Lady Irie]

georgette said:

we have been taught that the Catholics are a vast conspireacy (sp). Georgette

See, I knew it! LOL

[Exildo Wonsetler Briggs III]

That the Catholic Church had to SO come out against Dan Brown's books, when they are FICTION[/b] seems quite telling to me!

I mean, WTF?

Then again, poor Galileo just got off a few years ago for daring to suggest the EARTH went around the SUN! GASP!

While it took the Pope a few hundred years to say "We're SORRY!" you just have to wonder!

It sounds like a conspiracy to me!

............Bob

[jdmcowan]

zillagrrl said:

So the first book I read by Dan Brown was thrilling, then, like going on the same roller coaster over and over, it all got a bit tiresome. I'm I the only one who feels this way?

I agree with you. I enjoyed the books very much and am particularly bemused by the number of people that seem to believe that some of what Dan Brown proposes might be fact. However, I did get a distinct feeling of deja vue when I read Angels and Demons after the DaVinci Code. I did an informal survey amongst everyone that I discovered had read both books. The first question was which book they thought was better. I got about an even split. I found the next question much more telling. I asked which they read first. About 90% of the time (estimated not calculated) it was the book that they said they had liked better.

Jeremy

[Exildo Wonsetler Briggs III]

jdmcowan said:

I agree with you. I enjoyed the books very much and am particularly bemused by the number of people that seem to believe that some of what Dan Brown proposes might be fact.

Oh, Jeremy......I am bemused by the number of people who WANT to believe it is fact!

Think about that!

..........Bob

[vbplyr]

ok, now I have read Digital Fortress, DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons. I still don't completely understand the hype for Dan Brown. I did like Angels & Demons & Digital Fortress better than DaVinci, by I thought they were just good, not great.

[Exildo Wonsetler Briggs III]

Dan Brown sure has the Catholic Church in an uproar. Just read a news piece about the movie they are trying to film about the DaVinci Code. It seems some Catholic Churches are just a wee bit reluctant to have their buildings showing up in the movie!

I think someone needs to tell them, "IT'S FICTION!"

...........Bob