Book 12, Day 42: The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is a book I've always thought I should read. Well, it seemed like I should considering the hype around it. I thought I'd seen the film, which I very much enjoyed, but it turned out to be Angels and Demons instead. Still, when I came across the book in the 'library' on the last day of my holiday I decided I would give it a go. I've never really been into thrillers but I do love a good mystery and with everyone recommending it it seemed like a good idea.

I really am glad I finally got round to reading this book. I was slightly worried that as it is a sequel from Angels and Demons I wouldn't be able to follow it properly, especially considering I don't really remember the film and lately I've come across a lot of books that are nth in a series where you have to have read all of the books to understand anything that's happening. However, I was happy to see that this works as a brilliant standalone novel. I would love to go on to read Angels and Demons and the sequels that follow to see how they all work together as a series, but they're definitely not a prerequisite to reading the Da Vinci Code.

For those who don't know, the Da Vinci Code picks up on symbologist Robert Langdon's life one year after the events of Venice (Angels and Demons). He is called to a murder scene where the victim is laid out like da Vinci's Vitruvian Man and surrounded by cryptic messages. Along with cryptologist Sophie Neveu, Langdon follows and uncovers centuries-old secrets about the Priory of Sion and end up on a quest to discover the Holy Grail.

Before reading this I had a vague concept of what the book was about, but it delved more deeply than I expected into religious history (albeit an alternative version that many people have denounced), and as a result of its complex and intricate plot I was completely enthralled. Add to that some good cryptic messages that you are trying to decode along with the characters and you end up shouting answers out loud in the hopes that the characters will hear you and understand before it's too late. Of course they can't; they're characters in a book. But this is the first book in a long time that's got me physically shouting out loud, and to me that's the sign of a job done well.