The Da Vinci Code (Four Stars)

Adult fiction
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown
Anchor Books (Random House)
©2003
ISBN: 1-4000-7917-9
489 pages
US $7.99/CAN $10.99

"An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries… unveiled at last."

I devoured this book in a single day. I had previously read ‘Angels and Demons’ by the same author and found this novel just as arresting. From the very first page I was hurled into the story, intrigued by the many layers of symbology revealed through this book. The origin of Friday the 13th, why kids make a ‘v’ of their fingers when taking pictures, the significance of the Star of David. Amazing.

The plot is so intricately detailed yet easy to follow along. Each step proceeds logically to the next and I never felt left behind (which is vastly important in books of this magnitude). The premise of the book itself, that it would reveal a secret so important it would devastate the foundations of Christianity, holds up to its promise.

For thousands of years, the Catholic Church has tried to put down the sacred feminine, to make women less than what they truly are. They have squashed the greatest secret of all time – that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, and established a royal bloodline that extends to the present day. This heir is supposed to be the one to reveal the secret to the world, but the heir doesn’t even know who he is, what his genealogy is.

I don’t want to reveal all the details of the fantastic search for the truth, but I will say that this book not only has an intriguing plot, it has fascinating characters that you truly care about. As a Christian myself, I do not believe in the underlying premise of this book, that Jesus Christ was a mortal and no more. I firmly believe in the divinity of Christ. But it takes a brave man to write a book that would say otherwise.