Does Not Compute
Written: Mar 16 '07 (Updated Mar 16 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fairly interesting plot, fast paced, easy read, exciting at times
Cons: Poor ending, weak characters, limp ending, not up to Dan Brown's other books
The Bottom Line: Not my favorite by Brown. Rather limp story to go with a great idea. I own it, but probably wouldn't read again.
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| Kimber_333's Full Review: Digital Fortress Books |
I first read Angels and Demons by Dan Brown and couldn't put it down. I loved it from cover to cover. I followed that with Deception Point, another page turner that I couldn't put down. I then got around to reading his famous Da Vinci Code. I was once again drawn into a world of fast paced, mind boggling brilliance. So, it was with great relish that I picked up Digital Fortress. Not only was I a big fan of Dan Brown's other works, it involved computers, another of my interests. How could it miss?
But it did. It missed on a number of levels. Not that it wasn't an interesting read. The story was fast paced enough to keep me turning the pages. The plot was interesting not only in context of the story, but it really made me think about the government and what it could be doing behind our backs.
In the book, the NSA is a secret branch of the government that protects the US from terrorists by tracking them on the web. They read e-mails, tracks the movement of people on the web and basically can find out anything about anybody. Susan Fletcher is their number 1 code breaker. She help to design their master computer which had never seen a code it couldn't break. The problem is, it's stuck. It is facing a code it can not break. It turns out there is someone out there who doesn't like the fact that the government is secretly watching our every moves. So, if his demands aren't met, he goes public and their cover is blown. But what is worse, it will open all of our secret governement files to the public. Anyone would have access to any file they wanted. Big problem. From there, the story takes a few twists and turns. The head of the department, the professor, calls Susan in to try and fix it. But, he also sends her boyfriend, who doesn't even work for the organization, to another country to retrieve a ring that holds the answer to the problem. But while he's trying to track it down, someone is trying to track him down and kill him Which is where I started to think the story was a bit weak.
So, we've got this master computer in a secret part of the government that can spy on our lives. That I can buy. Although I felt the technical aspect of the story was good, it didn't have the same stregnth of detail that Brown's other books had. But that wasn't the only problem I had with the book. The characters just didn't have the depth and detail of his other books. I just didn't seem to be able to care about them or even understand them. As the story went along, I found it to be a bit predictable and the few smoke screens and diversions that he throws up are really easy to see through.
I didn't get the same feeling of suspense that I got in his other books. I didn't think that the story held the same kind of belief that the others did. I really thought the fact that the professor sent off her boyfriend, who had nothing at all to do with them was a lame attempt at adding urgency to the situation . She's racing to save the world and her boyfriend's life too. But it's just too unbelievable to work for me. As the clock ticks down, I found myself not really interested in seeing how they stopped it. I was almost hoping they wouldn't stop it in time and the world would gain access to all of our government's dirty little secrets - now that would be a story! I didn't feel that the ending was very strong either. A real let down to what wasn't a really good story to begin with.
Now, I guess I'm coming down pretty hard on the book. I can't say that I am sorry I read it. It was okay. Not the same intensity and quality that I found in his other books, but not the worst read I've ever had. I probably wouldn't read it again, where as with his other books I would. But I'm glad I read it. I will be interested in seeing what else Dan Brown writes and see if he can match the quality I found in his other books or if it will be as mediocre as this one was. I guess to me, the bottom line is, if you are a real Dan Brown fan, pick it up, give it a read, but don't expect as much as you got in his other books. If you have never read anything by Dan Brown, PLEASE don't read this first, give his other books a try and see if you like them - and if you do, give it a go. I'm going to say yes to recommend this to buyers, but it's a toss up for me. I hope this isn't shades of what's to come from Dan Brown.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
Kimber_333
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Member: Kimber Flory
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Reviews written: 171
Trusted by: 20 members
About Me:
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.
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