Digital Fortress Book Review

By Dan Brown

Oh, I still read book. Haha. My copy of Dan Brown’s Digital Fortress came from a housemate. She also owned The Lost Symbol. I finished the book last night, though I have the copy for almost a year. Me and my laziness. LOL.

What is it: Concentrating on code breaking and a lot of mathematics, Digital Fortress talks about how Susan Fletcher tries to save the world’s finest Security Agency using her impeccable intelligence. Remember when you are in High School, while the teacher explains how you can find the factors of a perfect square trinomial and you are thinking how this information can be applied in real life. Well, this book will be a good example.

Knowing Dan Brown, the book will definitely have an adventurous side and a geeky side on it. It is pretty interesting knowing that there is such agency who intercepts emails in order to save the world. But when a former employee of the agency tested the NSA’s systems, the whole fiasco happened.

National Security Agency

What I love about it: First, no Robert Langdon, yey! I do not hate Langdon but its nice knowing that Mr. Brown can create a character like Susan – fearless, romantic and all together, smart.

What I hate about it: After reading the book, I really don’t understand how I felt. I used to love Dan Brown before, but since I read almost all of his works, the whole mystery thing didn’t excite me much. Midway thru the book, I already have an idea who is the villain in the story, and believe me, I was correct.

Probably, I was expecting so much because the back of the book talks a lot about breaking codes and in the whole book, there was less than five incidents where code breaking skill where needed.

It is still a good read, though.

Recommended for: I will recommend this to all Dan Brown lovers out there. The book is still a good read, just don’t expect much about how the story will turn out.

The Lost Symbol

It took me a week to finish this book. Probably, I really don’t like being lectured while reading something or maybe I am really not much of a fan of Dan Brown.

Don’t get me wrong. The book is really worth reading, its entertaining at some aspects, intriguing at some point, and enlightening. I even have to read a lot about Masonry to fully understand some ideas and how important they are in the society.

Dan Brown really has a thing for Secret Societies, there is no doubt about that. But I really find Illuminati and the Priory of Scion more interesting.

The Lost Symbol have a more interesting plot though. Also, it is more tragic and deadly. Nakakastress Imagine reading a book that talks about a hand that was cut and a casket that will be filled with water in order for you to not drown but to stay in a space and die because of starvation. Also, there was a part where the villain place a needle in the Lead’s eyelid in order for the blood on her body to drain. It was sort of like a human hour glass, yum! :)

Unlike the other books of the author where there will be pages where he will discuss something about the history lesson you missed in college, Dan Brown was able to incorporate the lectures to the story, he have the characters talk about them. Which is really good. I remember reading Angels and Demons before and when I felt that I will be reading about a thesis like discussion of how Illuminati was established, I skipped it. In the Lost Symbol, you cannot do that, because the history is part of the story.

If you are into history and all the shit, the book is a good read. If not, its a good book to make you go to sleep.