Dan Brown's Inferno

[Bismarck]

Brown has graduated from humble hack to pompous hack. Inferno is formalistic, overwritten and absurd. I'd recommend Mark Musa's translation of the Divine Comedy and a good guide book to Florence instead.

[Gusington]

Why'd you even pick it up?

[Bismarck]

Excellent question. I've made a mini-study of Brown, reading all his work.  His first four were about the control of knowledge, a nice concept. However, he discovered riches with conspiracy and symbology. I just was curious if he went back to his more interesting concept.

[Bismarck]

Anyway, my wife and I are watching a Great Course DVD on the Divine Comedy.  The Inferno fit in.

[DEVGRU6]

Brown has graduated from humble hack to pompous hack. Inferno is formalistic, overwritten and absurd. I'd recommend Mark Musa's translation of the Divine Comedy and a good guide book to Florence instead.

No doubt he is busy hacking away and spending pompously a ton of his "hard" earned income....:)

Respectfully, anyone that can start then complete to finish a book, has my respect.

[Gusington]

What's the title of the film you are watching Bismarck?

[bayonetbrant]

I'm no big fan of Brown's, but the conspiracy sourcing he ripped off for DaVinci Code - Baigent, Bacon & Leigh and the others - make for some entertaining, if far-fetched reads.  And I've been to Rosslyn Chapel (last time I was in Scotland) and it's very cool, very weird place with a lot of very neat carvings in it.

[Bison]

I admit it.  I enjoy reading his books.  Are they the greatest works of literature?  No.  But they are entertaining.  Certainly more entertaining that Moby Dick.  Now that is a piece of overhyped crap.

[Bismarck]

What's the title of the film you are watching Bismarck?

It's not a film; it's a series of 24 lectures on Divine Comedy/i].  Check out thegreatcourses.com

[Airborne Rifles]

I've read four of his books.  By the third one I realized they all had the same plot and got bored because I knew who all the heroes and villains were and what twists were going to happen within the first quarter of the book.

[Staggerwing]

I'm no big fan of Brown's, but the conspiracy sourcing he ripped off for DaVinci Code - Baigent, Bacon & Leigh ...

Wasn't that Baigent, Lincoln & Leigh? 


Although I have to admit that any conspiracy is made better with the addition of Bacon...

[Gusington]

Thanks for the link Bismarck. The kind of conspiracy material that Brown bases his books on I know nothing about...what are some of the better non-fiction books? My aunt gave me one for Christmas called The Temple Mount Code by Charles Brokaw but I have not read it. My aunt is a little crazy.

[Bismarck]

Holy Blood Holy Grail

Although Brown defended against a copy right suit brought by the authors, I still think he stole their idea.

[Staggerwing]

Holy Blood Holy Grail

Although Brown defended against a copy right suit brought by the authors, I still think he stole their idea.

That he most definitly did. I read Holy Blood  Holy Grail, the Messianic Legacy, and the Temple and the Lodge almost a decade before reading the DaVinci Code. When I read the latter book it was like deja vu, with me having an almost constant internal monologue consisting of lots of Oh! Oh! I know that one! followed by Ha! I saw that coming!

Despite all that I really did enjoy reading the DaVinci Code. Maybe it's because I had the feeling that I was 'in the know' so to speak as far as the plot point backgrounds went.

[Bismarck]

I too enjoyed the DaVinci code because I'd never read Brown before. With his other books, been there - done that.