The Dan Brown Enigma by Graham A Thomas

and Raymond Khoury ( The Last Templar ). In Australia The Da Vinci Code came fourth in a survey of 15,000 people on the best books ever written.
    The hundreds of reader reviews posted on Amazon tell an interesting story. Here is one:
    ‘I read The Da Vinci Code before it became a bestseller, and I must say I did find it five-star entertainment. You just couldn’t second guess the next chapter, never mind the end. It goes at a cracking pace throughout.’ [229]
    Or this from another reviewer:
    ‘I have to say I avoided reading this for a number of reasons until my wife picked up the paperback copy a few weeks ago. She read it in three days and handed it over to me with a hugely positive recommendation. Reluctantly I began to read and would you believe it I too read it in three days. Why? Because it’s one of those books you just cannot put down once you begin reading. I love books which have a factual basis and although The Da Vinci Code ’s facts are very controversial and debatable, it’s exactly this that grabs the reader and certainly leaves you thinking at the end as to how much you may have learned and the seeds which have been implanted in your mind.’ [230]
    Both these reviewers gave the book five stars. Others have given it a big thumbs up as well, such as…
    ‘A work of pure genius, excellent story, brilliant and beautiful photos, and Dan Brown has this uncanny way of making you want to keep on turning the pages. I was literally reading this book late into the night and I had to force myself to put it down. A fantastic read and I personally would recommend it to anyone with a sense of adventure and an interest in historic and beautiful places.’ [231]
    The following glowing review of the book also shows its entertainment value:
    ‘Of course it’s flawed, but this was only ever an airport thriller; perfect for killing a few hours before, during and after a flight. Like all of Dan Brown’s pulp novels it is hard to put down and pretty easy to read in a couple of hours. Don’t take it seriously, just read it, enjoy it, and pass it on.’ [232]
    Elsewhere, People magazine called it a ‘pulse-quickening, brain teasing adventure,’ while The New York Times said, ‘Not since the advent of Harry Potter has an author so flagrantly delighted in leading readers on a breathless chase.’
    More accolades came from other sources. The Review of Books said that an author of a thriller novel ‘must provide a protagonist whose skin we can comfortably inhabit, a mystery that challenges our intelligence, and enough believable twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown does all this just right. This is how a mystery thriller should be written.’ [233]
    This review, by W.R. Greer, also said ‘the chapters in The Da Vinci Code are short, usually not more than a couple of pages. Most of them end with a cliffhanger that immediately catapults you into the next chapter. So grab this book, sit back, and prepare to be entertained and educated. It’s well-written, it’s intelligent and best of all, it’s fun.’
    Bookreporter.com said, ‘Brown has given us a controversial subject wrapped in thriller clothing that will provoke debate in the circles of religious and secret societies – and among readers. Curl up on the couch and dive into a title filled with speculation, action and intrigue.’ [234]
    But not everybody thought the book was dynamite. Many critics loathed it for its literary value and portrayal of history. The New Yorker wrote a scathing review about its writing and historical accuracy, Anthony Lane calling it ‘unmitigated junk’. Linguist Geoffrey Pullum and others posted entries critical of Brown’s writing at Language Log, calling him one of the ‘worst prose stylists in the history of literature’ and saying his writing was ‘not just bad; it is staggeringly, clumsily, thoughtlessly, almost ingeniously bad.’ [235] Other authors joined in: Salman Rushdie