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I'm in the middle of Deception Point and though I've read both The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons, it's just now hitting me that Brown has the habit of killing off his characters in horrifically real ways. What I mean by this, is that despite all the possibilities of killing off someone gruesomely, it's the most common ones that Brown really hits home with. Drowning, being burned, etc'. It's the ones that people really don't think about when thinking of horror (though I don't mark his books in that genre), but Brown really makes you cringe sometimes for his characters that get knocked off by these means.

Now I like his novels as these are the only ones I've read so far, but I'm wondering what you guys think? You a fan of his works? I find them a pretty good read. I have to admit Angels & Demons is my favorite. I read this before I saw the movie and well I still prefer the book, unsurprisingly. I've got plans to read his latest, The Lost Symbol after I finish Deception Point.

I am not a big fan of Dan Brown...I don't like his super-short cliffhanger chapters. I think he relies too much on sensation rather than an actual plot. With the Robert Langdon books, I find him to be a very arrogant and irritating character (though in this, I admit he's like real professors...) and many of his grand pronouncements aren't so grand to a well-read person. Some of the stuff is just outright ridiculous. He quotes the Protevangelion of James as historical fact. This is one of gnostic gospels that tells also of Jesus as a boy creating friends to play with, then killing them (you can find it in any library's religion section).

Anyway, I am reading the most recent book, which I just got from the library today. I have read all the others, and despite his faults the books are entertaining to some extent, and I have to one-up my boss (who is a fan) by reading the book first. Besides, I read fast enough that one particular book isn't a huge investment for me.

Well, I can't say if I like him or not. I did enjoy the movie adaptions, but I've only half read one of his books. I got about halfway through Angels & Demons then stopped to take a break. I didn't like how scornful his books are towards religion, especially Christianity. I enjoyed the story and the science fiction, but because of the scorn I have to read in parts.

I think Dan Brown is terribly overrated. Books like the Da Vinci Code cover up mediocre writing and a cheesy plot by breeding controversy and conspiracy theorie.