The plot is simple and the research is shallow. Digital Fortress is easy to pick up and easy to put down.
The book begins like a romance novel. A central character of the book, David Becker, is described as “dark-rugged, youthful … sharp green eyes and wit to match. His strong jaw and taut features reminded Susan (heroine cryptographer for the NSA) of carved marble.”
Becker, a brilliant foreign language specialist and full professor, has no clue who or what the NSA might be – that is a mere nine pages into the book.
The end of the modern world is at hand. First, because the NSA won’t be able to sneak a look at everyone’s secrets due to a do-gooder’s efforts (misguided of course) to share his unbreakable code. Second, because – well, I won’t ruin the story.
Author Dan Brown of The Da Vinci Code, Deception Point and Angels & Demons, fails to provide any real insight into the workings of the NSA, its computers or cryptology.
Digital Fortress is entertaining, but simple. It could have been so much more.
Two stars.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
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2 comments:
Digital Fortress was definitely Dan Brown's weakest novel. For a first novel, though, I think it's pretty good.
For Da Vinci Code fans, it's interesting to see how Brown's writing style developed from this first attempt to his more popular works.
Mr. Brown I agree that "it's pretty good." Entertaining, but simple. Having read some of Dan Brown's later works first, my expectations may have been unreasonably high? Email me and let's talk about your recent book on Dan Brown.
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