Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780312944926
ISBN: 0312944926
Label: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: 2008-11-04
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Release Date: 2008-11-04
Studio: St. Martin's Paperbacks

In most thrillers, "hardware" consists of big guns, airplanes, military vehicles, and weapons that make things explode. Dan Brown has written a thriller for those of us who like our hardware with disc drives and who rate our heroes by big brainpower rather than big firepower. It's an Internet user's spy novel where the good guys and bad guys struggle over secrets somewhat more intellectual than just where the secret formula is hidden--they have to gain understanding of what the secret formula actually is.

In this case, the secret formula is a new means of encryption, capable of changing the balance of international power. Part of the fun is that the book takes the reader along into an understanding of encryption technologies. You'll find yourself better understanding the political battles over such real-life technologies as the Clipper Chip and PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) software even though the book looks at the issues through the eyes of fiction.

Although there's enough globehopping in this book for James Bond, the real battleground is cyberspace, because that's where the "bomb" (or rather, the new encryption algorithm) will explode. Yes, there are a few flaws in the plot if you look too closely, but the cleverness and the sheer fun of it all more than make up for them. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and a lot of high, gee-whiz-level information about encryption, code breaking, and the role they play in international politics. Set aside the whole afternoon and evening for it and have finger food on hand for supper--you may want to read this one straight through.

Customer Rating:
Summary: GREAT READ
Comment: Very well put together. Just when you think you have it figured out the plot takes a new twist and sends you in a different direction. Definitely worth the time.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: You'll be laughing at it, and annoyed by it at the same time
Comment: Short version:
Avoid this book, it's garbage.

Long version:
Every female character is described in drawn out physical detail. I know this is a Dan Brown trait, but in this book even the bit characters (including one who is only indirectly in the story) are getting this treatment. It's less offensive than it is funny, makes it hard to take the story seriously.

If you know anything about computer hardware or programming you will be very annoyed with the lack of research. Heck even if you are just reasonably familiar with your home PC you'll probably pick up on a lot of it. It's simply glaring.

And worst of all; it's not clever. Not even a little. Action sequences are needlessly drawn out to artificially create suspense. You'll figure out most of the "gotchas" immediately then be left waiting for the characters to catch up. The worst of these is by far the ending. The last several (5+ or so) chapters are devoted to a high pressure situation where the characters need to figure out some clue to save the NSA. If you have even a passive knowledge of science you will probably figure out the answer almost immediately upon reading the clue. Even without that you'll probably figure it out only a short way into the suspense development, leaving several chapters left for you to be annoyed by "genius" characters who can't figure out what you did eons ago.

Overall there's nothing going for it except unintentional comedy. My wife and I both read it and have a few new running inside jokes due to it. Problem is that's not nearly enough to make it worth reading. I simply can't say enough bad things about this book.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced drivel
Comment: In this political thriller, a devastatingly beautiful (and genius) NSA agent and her enthrallingly handsome (and genius) fiancé fight to save the world from eminent destruction via an unbreakable computer code.

This is definitely not my favorite Dan Brown book--not by a long shot. Although the narrative is quick, and the story is original, the characters fail to satisfy. They are flat and stereotyped. They are also significantly less intelligent than they are supposed to be. The plot is achingly predictable. I had guessed most of the plot within the first couple chapters. The climax was tedious as I was able to decode the message in a few seconds and then had to wait another 5 or so pages for the supposedly experienced and uber-intelligent characters to figure it out. I guess my worst problem, though, is that I know someone who used to work as a cryptographer for the NSA, and so the characters (and sometimes Brown's background research into the NSA) seemed off to me. Brown just doesn't know how a cryptographer's mind works. He doesn't know much about computers, either.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: disappointment...
Comment: While I really enjoyed this author's other 3 books, this one was a struggle. For months I read and re-read the first chapters, trying to get past my annoyance of the main characters, especially Susan. Susan is a completely one dimensional character and throughout the entire book, she proceeds to whine about missing her new boyfriend, her worries about him, etc. etc. I genuinely wanted the "good" characters to not make it out alive, and that's not a good sign.
Check out Deception Point instead.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: It is Okay
Comment: I enjoyed this book and it was not horrible, but not great either.

It starts off well enough and I liked the concept of how the story develops, namely trying to stop a computer virus from wrecking havoc and the intrigue surrounding it.

And for the most part the first part of the book was very strong and entertaining. None of the technical aspects or character actions were something that made me lose interest, but it did start slowing down somewhat towards the later third of the book or so, though there was enough elements to keep me interested in how it was going to work out. Some things were a little overboard, and without playing spoiler, the sequence in the main computer area and offices around it when people start getting a little more revealed about who is who, well it did fall apart a bit there for me.

It is far from perfect, and Brown's other books were better and more consistently gripping, but this one is still a good one to read on a airplane and I think it is and I think it is worth 3-1/2 to 4 stars because the pros outweigh the cons.

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