In my comeback blog, I mentioned how I would do good on my Goodreads challenge & then immediately got caught up in everything else but that. After a lean phase, I am back to re-reading Dan Brown series: the ones with and without the charming Robert Langdon. Actually David Becker is equally endearing, but somehow he got the opportunity for only one adventure and Robert got four! The last time I read these books was when I was in school and could read only when the book was available for borrowing in the library, so I didn’t follow any particular order. This time around, I will start my notes with Digital Fortress, followed by Angels and Demons, Deception Point, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, and Inferno.
Will this book interest you?
Published in 1998 by St. Martin’s Press. 295 pages. Belongs to the genre techno-thriller and mystery. Revolves in the world of cryptography, NSA and ethical implications of snooping for security. Many people love to hate Dan Brown’s books. I like the efforts he puts to get to know worlds which are generally shrouded in secrecy: NSA, Freemasons, Priory of Sion, CERN. He goes into too much detail and people have raised concerns that some of his facts are wrong. But this is fiction- try putting yourself in his shoes and you will know how difficult it is to come up with an original plot, define characters, research for facts and weave it all into a story that will hook its readers to turn pages. If you are a fairly well read person in this genre, this book is not for you. This is Dan Brown’s first attempt. You can recommend this to beginners who will really like the tension and the slow unfolding of the plot reveal in this fast paced book.
“It’s not about what you tell the reader, it’s about what you conceal.”- Dan Brown
I started Digital Fortress 2 days ago and completed it yesterday. I thought I’d be bored because I’m reading it a second time. But I really enjoyed it ‘without wax’ (For all those who are puzzled by this reference, go read the book to find out!) The writer keeps the suspense alive throughout the narration, revealing only what is necessary. I believe completely in the scene only to be shocked yet again by the turn of events. The author has done the same thing with The Da Vinci Code too. So many similarities: I find both are fast paced and have character transformations that I never saw coming, in spite of the bad gut feeling I had about them- be it Col. Strathmore or Sir Leigh. What lovely ladies Sophie and Susan are. Throughout the story they prove Shakespeare wrong: beauty & brains do go together. Robert Langdon and Daniel Becker both teach for a living, tackle codes for leisure and break the hearts of girl students in the spare time in between.
Interesting characters
The book has characters described in such detail that it is actually comical. Say Jabba and I picture Jabba the Hutt (Star Wars); say Chad and Midge and I picture Louis Litt and Donna Paulson (Suits). Pity that Leland Fontaine isn’t Harvey Specter ♥♥. Leland Fontaine is that boss who gives you your space but keeps one eye on you the whole time (in this case, a secret tap). He has a major communication gap with his equally powerful subordinate where ultimately nobody wins. Ensei Tankado, the supposed antagonist, is the actual author of digital fortress. He has led a shunned childhood, finally finding his calling and coding only to be evicted for voicing out what he thought was right. And that’s the recurring theme throughout the book: government surveillance in the private life of citizens for the purpose of national security. Is it ok to take liberties in ethics in the name of national security? The book does not answer this dilemma because its job was not to answer it anyway. The story just revolves around the lives of people who grapple with these challenges on a daily basis. The whole Tankado ⇔ NDakota jumble was reminiscent of Tom Marvolo Riddle ⇔ I am Lord Voldemort trick. However it was more of a decoy than sinister magic. The only magic scene in this book is the mysterious working of fate- with Numataka choosing to forsake his baby for honour or Strathmore’s prized scheme blowing up in his face(pun intended!).
Favourite quotes:
- Everything is possible. The impossible just takes longer.
- You can’t jump for the stars if your feet hurt
- There are always other options!
- Force a hand, and it will fight you. But convince and mind to think as you want it to think, and you have an ally
I drew four important lessons:
So that’s all for this novel. I will not be writing a traditional review in the future as well. No plot summary. I want others to read these books and compare their experiences with mine. Let me know what you thought of this book in the comments below. Meanwhile I will now move to reading my next book.
Advertisements Share this:- More
