"The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown
Doubleday Publishers, 2003
Review by Travis Simpkins
A dozen years after it's first printing, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown remains a perennial Best-Seller… still both entertaining and controversial. Adding to a favorite twist in the Holy Grail legend (explored earlier in the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail), Dan Brown weaves his fictional tale around the theory that the Holy Grail is not an actual cup, but rather, is a collection of secret documents and the sarcophagi remains of Mary Magdalene… who was pregnant and gave birth to the child of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion, beginning a royal blood line in France that continues to this day. The revelation of Jesus' true nature as a man, and a decidedly different story than that presented in the New Testament, could shatter the power that the Church holds over it's followers on Earth.
In the story, Jacques Sauniere, a curator at the Louvre, is found murdered in the Grand Gallery, posed similarly to a drawing of Leonardo da Vinci's called the Vetruvian Man… with symbols and codes left all around his bloody body. Harvard Symbologist Robert Langdon is called in by the Police for advice, but soon finds out from Cryptologist (and Sauniere's granddaughter) Sophie Neveau, that he is also the prime suspect. Sauniere, who is revealed to be the grand master of the Priory of Sion, a secret society (The Knights Templar) tasked as the protectors of the World's greatest secret, has left behind clues near the works of Leonardo da Vinci (Mona Lisa, Madonna of the Rocks) that lead Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveau on a riddle-filled quest to find and protect the Holy Grail from a determined "Teacher" that is using the Church's power and paranoia to his own means of uncovering the secret. The fast-paced and mysterious journey leads Langdon and Neveau from France to England to Scotland and back again.
Undeniably entertaining, the book is also imbued with ample literary sophistication. The characters are thoroughly compelling: Robert Langdon, Sophie Neveau, and Sir Leigh Tiebing are wonderful as a trio of intellectual puzzle-solvers. Bishop Aringarosa and Silas the Albino monk paint an interesting picture of Opus Dei's determined religious mindset and use of corporal mortification. Bezu Fache is powerful as the Captain of the French Judicial Police. As in Brown's other works, well-chosen locations and attention to detail add to a real sense of place. The locales are mysterious and historical: The Musee du Louvre, Opus Dei Headquartes, Church Saint Sulpice, the ancient Rose Line, Castel Gandolfo, Temple Church in London, Chateau Villette, King's College, Westminster Abbey, Sir Isaac Newton's Tomb and Rosllyn Chapel. Presiding over it all, in art form and in spirit, is Leonardo da Vinci… whose invention, a cryptex, contains the secret knowledge that everyone seeks to obtain.
 |
The Louvre Pyramid: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Grand Gallery- Louvre: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
The Vetruvian Man. Leonardo da Vinci: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Opus Dei Headquarters, New York: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Madonna of the Rocks. Leonardo da Vinci: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Dan Brown: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Castel Gandolfo: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Church Saint Sulpice: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Rosline- Church Saint Sulpice: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Church Saint Sulpice: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Chateau Villette: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
The Last Supper. Leonardo da Vinci: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Chateau Villette: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Mary Magdalene. The Last Supper. Leonardo da Vinci: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Dan Brown: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Temple Church, London: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Knights, Temple Church, London: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Temple Church, London: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Knights, Temple Church, London: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Library- King's College, London: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Westminster Abbey: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Sir Isaac Newton's Tomb: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Westminster Abbey: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Sir Isaac Newton's Tomb: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Westminster Abbey Chapter House: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Rosslyn Chapel: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Rosslyn Chapel: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Rosslyn Chapel: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Rosslyn Chapel: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Rosslyn Chapel: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Rosslyn Chapel: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Rosslyn Chapel: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
Blade and Chalice. The Louvre Pyramids: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown |
 |
The Da Vinci Code. by Dan Brown |
"The Real Da Vinci Code"