I am back again with another review of Dan Brown's book, the widely famous, Digital Fortress. I told you I'm high on Dan Brown fever/craze!!
Digital Fortress, as the name promises, is a science fiction that will leave your mouth gaping as Brown's novels always do. It is another brilliant piece of work by the author.
This time, the story is about NSA's (National Security Agency) top cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, who gets an urgent call from her boss on the weekend, Commander Strathmore, to come to work. She arrives to hear the shocking news that TRANSLTR, the NSA's incredible code-breaking machine which can even turn the best computer encryption software useless, has at long last come face to face with its enemy.
Codenamed the Digital Fortress, it is an unbreakable code created by an ex-NSA cryptographer, Ensei Tankado, who had threatened to make it available for public use if the NSA didn't make TRANSLTR's existence known to the general public. This startling events inculcated terror through the veins of NSA.
As Susan goes on a quest to find Ensei's secret partner, and relief to all of NSA's troubles, she is puzzled, angry and scared that Commander Strathmore has mysteriously sent her boyfriend David, an ordinary university professor, on a dangerous mission to Spain to retrieve this unbreakable code's key.
Will David ever be able to find it and live to bring it back? It's a rapid race as Susan and David fight through a tangle of secrets, lies and unknown mysteries....
Midwest Book Reviwers say it correctly, "Digital Fortress is the best and most realistic techno-thriller to reach the market in years. Dan Brown's ability to paint in living color the gray area between personal freedom vs. national security is awesome. The story line is so good, readers will feel a chilling thrill a minute as the book makes one think who is truly the terrorist and who is actually freedom's guardian."
November 1, 2008 at 12:05 AM
For one thing, this is the Dan Brown book I dislike most. The plot is kinda good (not brilliant as in Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons), and the theme is interesting (but it's nothing innovative).
What irritates me most is the way people are portrayed in the novel, especially computer coders. Their dialogues (especially in the climax) feels as if they were starring in some typical Hollywood action movie. It felt really artificial.
Yet, a good read nonetheless! :)
November 1, 2008 at 1:42 AM
a dan brown fan by myself, enjoyed reading this review..
and i just loved the title of the book...!!
:)
November 1, 2008 at 9:38 AM
this book was good. yes. i loved reading the book ad nice review
November 1, 2008 at 5:23 PM
sis, let me disagree with you once more - This is another book on which I wasted money by buying it. A passable read, nothing more than that - that is how I would rate this.
November 1, 2008 at 5:27 PM
have you ever tried Dune by Frank Herbert? try that... it is a good read.
November 1, 2008 at 10:21 PM
@ Alok- I'm an ameteur considered to you :P
Choices differ, I guess....I liked the kinda dialogues and found the theme creative as I haven't read many of that type (I usually prefer medical thriller and fantasy do Brown remains the only science fiction)....I guess I cannot choose one BEST Brown book, but I think this was better than Da Vinci!
Artificial yes, but not that unconnected...Brown usually strikes a chord :)
November 1, 2008 at 10:23 PM
@ Vinu- Glad to find another Brown fan :) Yea...title rockssss!!!
November 1, 2008 at 10:23 PM
@ Chriz- Good?? Fabulous LOL!
Thanks :P
November 1, 2008 at 10:29 PM
@ BB- another contradiction, I guess! Anyway...I read it from the library LOL! Passable? I'm surprised :)
November 1, 2008 at 10:31 PM
@ BB_ Nope...hearing about it for the first time!!!
BTW, TO ALL- did you all not notice the change int eh template guys??
November 2, 2008 at 4:38 PM
I love Dan Brown! I didn't even know this book was out, I'll have to pick it up soon. Thanks for the recommendation!
November 3, 2008 at 6:09 AM
Digital Fortress was the last book I read of Browns... and I liked it because it was SO different from the other two.. no?
November 4, 2008 at 1:01 AM
My interest in Dan Brown books were spurred after reading 'The Davinci Code'. Like you am also a fan of Brown and almost hunted down his works once I finished reading 'Da Vinci Code'. The review is well crafted and it helped me kind of rewind. Nice post. Keep posting :)
November 4, 2008 at 6:22 PM
ha its a lovely book :)
November 6, 2008 at 5:11 AM
The plot, as someone posted, was quite interesting, but I have to say the dialogues at the end of the book are amongst the worst and the most unbelievable ones I have ever read. That was extremely artificial and surreal.
I was really annoyed at the way Spain was portrayed. As a Spaniard myself, I could tell Mr. Brown that for Spanish standards, the distance between Burgos and Valencia is quite considerable, no one would say to someone from Burgos "I am from Valencia myself".
The state of hospitals and social security attention is much better than protrayed. I have yet to see a hospital with patients lying on gurneys on the floor.
Doctors are among the best in their specialties: just as an example, Valentin Fuster is Spanish, but you know him as one of the most renowned cardiologists in the world. The same applies to all Spanish doctors I have ever met.
We don't greet each other with three kisses on the cheek. That usually happens in Holland, and it allows to distinguish Protestants (3 kisses) from Catholics (2 kisses).
People don't go out all together to the street to attend mass. You will never see such a lonely street in old town.
Gypsy women in Spain all have black hair, unless they dye it to be red.
Should I go on with the cultural offenses? I would suggest some local help when setting a new novel in a different country
November 11, 2008 at 4:59 PM
@ Jane- Out??? It's "all out"....do buy a copy, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
You are most welcome!
November 11, 2008 at 5:00 PM
@ Mac- Two??? There are three dear...and I guess it is different from Deception point and Da Vinci Code :)
November 11, 2008 at 5:01 PM
@ Sunil- The review sure helps in more ways than one- meeting other Brown fans is one of that!!!
November 11, 2008 at 5:02 PM
@ Vish- You bet I agree!!!
November 11, 2008 at 5:07 PM
@ Anonymous OMG!!
That's a long list. I've never been out of India myself so I have got nothing to contradict...only one suggestion, do please leave your name next time...it would be good hearing again!
Now, it might be as you suggest, but for me and more than half population of the readers, I do not think cultural differences matter (no offence meant). All that matters is the plot, you know!
Though I guess I have to agree to it, I would say that the dialogues were not bad, though not the mark of a a very good writer too!
December 25, 2010 at 1:32 AM
What do the numbers on the back page mean? Are they some kind of code? If so what?