For those who are still wondering about whom I am pouring this much praise (which is incredibly rare, mind you...), let the angles and demons guide you to solve the mysteries of The Da Vinci Code just in case you go lost your way in the journey towards the Digital Fortress and end up being over the Deception Point.
The beauty of all these Dan Brown masterpieces is the way this mystery unfolds. Whenever you think that you, as a reader, are close to solving a mystery, another twist appears to mesmerize you, to confound you. Sometimes you may start thinking like "Let me finish this chapter and go to sleep, it's already 1 AM and I've to get up early and go to office tomorrow....". At the end of the chapter, a new quest unfolds and you are tempted to go for another chapter. End result: You sleep at 4:30, get up late and miss the office bus.
I could make few interesting observations about these novels. There are many things which are common:
1. Use of Science and Technology: Well, I know this is 21st century and science age etc. But the way the they are depicted is just mind bobbling. Latest communication instruments, palmtop computers are abundant. Digital Fortress could very well fit in as a course book for Cryptology and Parallel Processing Technology. Deception Pointis tells us about Oceanography, Mettalurgy and many things. Angles and Demons has antimatter while Da Vinci Code pays tribute to Sir Isac Newton in a big way.
2. Communication and Computers: Man, hats of to the various communication devices and computers used in the novels. 3 million paraller processors, monocle, radars, video conferences and what not.
3. Murder: All it takes to write first chapter is a murder. Someone is killed at the start and the next time, the name of murdered person appears half way through the novel. All these murdered people had made some potential Nobel-winner discoveries and lost their lives.
4. Murderer: There is always some peculiar thing about the murderer in each novel. He (BTW they are always men...) is either a deaf who communicates using a monocle device or an albino who wears a stinging belt on thigh and constantly punishes himself after butchering innocent people or an emotionless hashish-lover or fearless commando who just understand the gun lingo.
5. Conspiracy: Typically at the end, you understand that
all the events leading the finale showdown were actually part of the big conspiracy.
6. Conspirator: Here is the best part of it. Do what you want, you can't guess that. Typically, a person of power is the mastermind but even after reading 3 novels, I couldn't guess this. Simply coz Dan Brown just deceives you.
And last but not the least...
7. Woman empowerment: IMHO, Dan Brown must be a hardcore feminist. If you don't believe this just look at the female protagonists in each one. Be it Rachel Sexton in Decpetion Point, Vittoria Vetra in Angles and Demons, Sophie Neveu in Da Vinci Code or Susan Fletcher in Digital Fortress. They have some common characteristics:
- They all are in some respectable position career-wise, be it a report-gister, a code-breaker, a biologist or a cop.
- They are all daring, determined and fight along with their male counterparts in the hour of need.
- They are intelligent and expert in their field.
- They are smart, attractive, good looking and maintain themselves in best of shapes.
- Most importantly, they all survive the hardships and dangers coming their way and successfully win the love of their male counterparts. They get to seduce their lovers at the end too.
