August 12, 2008

The Da Vinci Code

Rating:
Awards:
Author: Dan Brown
Narrator: Jeff Harding
Category: Fiction
Publisher: Clipper Audio
Release Date:
Length: 16 hours and 43 min
Unabridged

An Overview:
The search for the Holy Grail and the basis of Christian beliefs are called into question in the runaway bestseller The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

The book has been translated into 42 different languages. There is no shortage of controversy pertaining to the subject matter of the book.

Even though the book is classified as fiction, there have been many books written debunking Dan Brown's original version. The book has sparked much debate in reference to Christian history and its accuracy.

When a museum curator is found brutally murdered - in the Louvre, no less - and a hapless cryptologist, Robert Langdon, seems to be indicated in the murder, the police begin a manhunt that tears through the streets of Paris and eventually the French countryside after their suspect.

In the meantime, Langdon and the curator's granddaughter, Sophie Neveu, are on a mission to discover the more sinister nature of the true culprits. With only clues left by the late curator and the works of Leonardo De Vinci, the two work to unravel the clues.

The Da Vinci Code is a thriller of amazing proportions that took the world by storm. It has caused a lot of controversy in its portrayal of the true nature of the Holy Grail, insinuating some things about Jesus Christ that many Christians took to heart. The tale gleans bits of trivia from history, namely from the times of the Templars on forward, to weave together a story about the society charged with protecting the Holy Grail from the time of Christ to the modern day.

While I think the controversial slant on the publicity for this book was a bit off-putting (though obviously effective), I do believe The Da Vinci Code is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time. I am an avid learner of history, so any piece of fiction that can fabricate such an enticing tale from historical sources definitely has my attention.

Don't listen to all the hype about whether the book condones or disparages Christianity, find a copy and listen to the audio book and make up your mind for yourself. This story is a wonderfully suspenseful, very well thought-out piece of work that is worth every penny and every second spent reading or listening to it.

The Narration:
This audio book is read by Jeff Harding, whose style conveys the suspense and building action with every word and whose skills with accents add another dimension to the listening experience, creating a dramatization that does full justice to the story it tells.

Reviewed by Peter Markovic