Lifted from the beeb news site.

So what is your "verdict"? guilty and due for execution or not guilty and up for heaped praise.

I've not read the book yet, I don't normally give in to hype, so this could be classed as a trial, should I bother reading it or not?

Just got to finish the DR WHO novel I am reading (FATHER TIME) and then I am going to start on this one.

I'm halfway through it.

Even taking it with a sack of salt I've found it interesting so far. Not so much the Magdalene plotline but references to how the bible was put together which I've checked online. Surprise, surprise the version I was taught in a catholic school was utter, utter lies. We were told the gospels have been "set in stone" since they were written between 20 and 50 years after Christ supposedly died. The truth is there were dozens of accounts which were were then streamlined and edited at a conference in about 350 AD with an agenda to establish christian power. It was only then that the idea of a "divine" Christ was raised.

I also totally relate to the depiction of the christian church having an agenda to destroy paganism and propogate a mysoginist society - the demononisation of sex as mentioned in the book being a typical evil.

Yes I remember being shocked to learn that historically the gospels were all over the place, totally inaccurate timelines and geographically incorrect

Well, I read it and enjoyed it (although I preferred Angels and Demons, which preceeded this story).

Sadly this seems that yet again people are taking something that is printed as fiction and asserting it to real life. There can be true elements, and the book can be used to educate in ways, but people shouldn't be taking it as gospel.

It's not too dissimilar to the people who watch the soaps too much, and attack the latest 'bad guy' in real life cause of what he did in last nights episode...

The recent Tony Robinson documentary was quite effective in ripping most of Dan Brown's claims apart.

There are no doubt certain truths there, but certainly not to the extent that he purports in his novels.

I enjoyed the book.

Give it a go, Jamie. It's a pretty good thriller. It's not challenging, but it's good fun.

The mysteries and threads in the novel weren't new to me, as I've long been interested in that kind of thing, ever since I read 'The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail', which is referred to in the novel.

Neil's comments were pretty spot on, and I can identify with them, as I've learnt pretty much the same thing after reading round the subject. So much history that we accept as the 'gospel' truth (couldn't resist, sorry!) is at the very least questionable, if not full of downright lies and Rylander like misrepresentation.

I had a bit of a thing for lost civilisations a few years back, and all these historical/religious conspiracies touched on it, and I went off on a bit of a tangent. 'The Hiram Key' by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas was my favourite, and well worth a read. Questionable maybe, but it has a few interesting arguments and ideas that are well worth looking at!

Can't see the movie ever getting made, without severe changes to the plot. Not in the increasingly fundamentalist US.

Better go... w**k calls!

Andrew (HM) :upside:

Its a dern good thing them there Fundamentalists caint read else the book would ne'er have become the monster best seller it become.

I haven't actually read the book yet (hangs head in shame) but I intend to get round to it...eventually. It definitely sounds interesting although not really backed up by historical evidence. I do find anything that attempts to question the orthodox version of how the Bible (and indeed other holy books) was written piques my interest. There was a very interesting programme on Channel 4 about this called 'Who Wrote The Bible?' around Christmas time, don't know if any of you saw it.

I've read the book and took it to be fiction. Parts are based on theories, I've just read a Robert Goddard book which integrates some of the same theories. It makes for a very good read, but hasn't changed any of my beliefs.
As for how the Bible was written - I think it's generally agreed that the old testament was written much later than the actual events, I think it's fair to assume the New Testament was written much later as Christians were living in a time of persecution - it wouldn't have been easy to write and reproduce, and as there are already within the Bible four versions of the same event, they could quite easily be four condensed versions, so I'm not too horrified to find out what I was taught at school wasn't entirely the truth :o

It's certainly becoming a popular subject for books and films though!

I also preferred Angels and Demons, though the similarities between the two books are striking - it's as though A&D was merely a rehearsal for the Da Vinci Code. Assuming the descriptions of the architecture in A&D are genuine, I think that would be a far better visual spectacle than the Da Vinci Code as a movie. You've also got some huge explosions in the book, something lacking in the Da Vinci Code - how will Hollywood cope? Mind you, I suppose there's no place for an upper-class English villain in A&D, plus with a large portion of it set in the Vatican, little opportunity for semi-naked women...

The way they always cope, rewrite ;) Que, a gun-toting English bimbo storming the Vatican :rolleyes:

LOL! I hear Claudia Black's not doing much these days...

(yes, I know she's not actually English, but her accent is spot-on)

We'd be so lucky. More likely is it being Jordan's next 'project' after another career change :rolleyes: :lol:

I've lent my copy to someone, but I think I remember reading in the foreward that everything mentioned in the book is documented in various different texts and is 'factual'. Also later on in the book it describes history and religion as being almost biased as most of history was written by the successors and winners of the times. I'm not saying what Dan Brown wrote is the truth but it does raise some points you probably hadn't considered before. and although I'd take most of it with a pinch of salt it does leave you thinking.

The latest offering from the BBC site is here. It's got the first comment by the Catholic church in it as well. I particularly liked this bit:

Which is a bit rich when you think about the bible, isn't it? Definitely a bit of hypocrisy there.

:) Just finished it, took me ages to get into it but once I had I got it finished in one session :toomuchtv:

Much of what he writes about regarding how the church was altered to be very mysogynist is very similar to the Peter Tremayne Fidelma books which are based on historical fact (7th century Ireland) Link .

I thought it had some interesting theories and nice twist at the end :)

I think I'll have look out Sister Fidelma... very interesting!

Was in Dublin not so long ago, so I still have a Celtic vibe at the moment. Looks interesting!

Glad you enjoyed The Da Vinci Code. It was a good read, but I'd read some some non fiction books a few years back that dealt with similar things, so none of the theories were new to me.

I still have to read Dan Brown's other books, which I understand are also very good.

Andrew (HM) :yahoo:

:thumbsup: they are good reads, I have read all of them. They are murder mystery type books but its the cultural references and religious/historical backgrounds that make them interesting.

I was shocked to learn that women had such positions of power back then :ermm:

The only trouble with the Dan Brown books is that they all seem to have exactly the same story line - always involving lots of fancy technology, a male lead who knows all about culture, and a female who knows all about the technology,

Add in a setting involving a 'classic' city, an assassin of sorts from an underground cult, and you're pretty much there :)

Sounds like I'll have to space out the reading of his books then, Phillip! I enjoyed 'The Da Vinci Code' a lot. Found it a good read, and very escapist. (Can I say very escapist? It seems wrong!) I'm sure I'll enjoy the others, even if he follows the same formula in each book.

Andrew (HM) :yahoo:

I've resurrected this thread as I've finally got a copy.

It was a gift from a greatful client. Strictly speaking, I'm not allowed to accept gifts from the people I help, but he insisted. I started reading it on the bus home. Before I knew it, I was on chapter 5 and had missed my stop :rolleyes: :lmao:

I'm loving it so far. Such artsitic description, I love it already. Why in the name of the Gods did I avoid buying this before? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

because of the catholic reaction ... maybe :ponder:

Nope, I've only ever cared about one Catholics reaction, Dr Noah. And his reaction to the "furore" was, to blow raspberries at the vaticans overreaction :D

I just think I didn't want to believe the hype. :thumbsup:

Anyone see the teaser trailer that says - No matter what you have read !

How stupid is that, its a film adaptation of the book, I should hope it would be the same :rolleyes:

maybe it doesn't mean the book .... but the bible :ponder: .......... maybe

:ponder: you think, it still sounds silly though :lol:

I hate to think what they are going to do to it :ermm:

just an idea :shrug:

well it will depend if they can film at every place mentionned in the book ... i suppose :ponder:

I recently bought the illustrated hardback versions of two of them.....one was Da-vinci code, the other was A&D (I think) for the GF's birthday......

Even though she has already read all of them these versions have loads of beautiful colour pictures of loads of the artwork and places mentioned in the book....makes a big difference having a copy of the Last supper to look at while your reading his theories on it.....

That said its definitly not a bedtime book....its about A4 size and rather heavy...

Well worth the money though.....check it out :thumbsup:

I am opposed to any form of intollerance, whether Religious, Racial etc. I say it is guilty of intollerance and is just mis-infomed drivel.

Care to explain why intolerant :)

I didn't really mind The Da Vinci Code. It was fun whilst I was reading it, but instantly forgettable. I didn't find it particularly offensive, but I can understand why other people might. The only gripes I had with it were: that it was quite badly written in places; and I found the pseudo-academic style quite annoying. Other than that it was a pleasant way to pass a couple of days :)

I'm only on chapter 85 :blink:

But....

I've found the book to be well thought out, perhaps a little judgemental towards the Catholic church, but the author has taken pains ot point out that it is a w**k of ficition. There is no sign of intollerance towards the Church, Dan Brown seems to have avoided directly criticising the church.

I have as yet found no signs of intolerance in the book, although the story does feature some darker actions of the (fictional) church, the author avoids direct statements or condemnation of the institution.

'The Da Vinci Code' is intolerant to Religion. Many good people have been killed due to Religious intollerance, especially the Jewish people.

I watch a show with Dan brown on he was claiming the stuff in the book was true....but I can tell you it certainly isn't. Mr Brown was also very rude about the Catholic church.

I am no Catholic but I see nothing wrong with them or any other Relgious groups. I just find books that make up facts about any Religion wrong. I say we let people believe in any God they want. The Nazi's made up lies about the Jews and exterminated them I find it shocking that Religious intolerance is aloud to be published.

No offence to any one who likes the 'w**k' of Dan Brown....

At this point I would just like to point out that this is fiction ;)

Yes, but Dan Brown claimed his book is based on facts when I was watching something about it plus it still is against a Religion.

Julius Streicher's Anti-Jewish writings were fiction yet it was hatred against the Jews.

A lot of Anti-Homosexual groups use 'fiction' to turn people against Homosexuality.

They do?

Good lord.

Mayhaps I read the wrong kind of fiction as a lad :o