Books: Deception Point by Dan Brown

There’s not much more to say about the fourth Dan Brown book I have read. Deception Point follows right along with the rest. Some fast action, some twisted facts, some plot twists, and a good read overall. I would rank Deception Point third, ahead of Digital Fortress but behind the big two. The story is a little more interesting, a little more complex, and more thought-provoking.

Deception Point also has another advantage: it deals with a much more interesting political situation. We get to look at NASA and relations with the White House, with Brown’s typical techno-friendly spin. The ending was fairly predictable, although that might have been because Brown is predictable in general and I discovered that in the other three books.

Unfortunately, Brown has only written four books, and I have now read all of them. I am not sure where to turn next. I will definitely look forward to his next offering, The Solomon Key which is coming soon and deals with the Masons. Meanwhile, I will have to find another fast-action author to read.

Book: Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

It’s official. I am a Dan Brown junkie. In the last six months, I have read Angels and Demons, The DaVinci Code, and Digital Fortress. Unfortunately, there’s only one more to go, Deception Point, as well as the to-be-published The Solomon Key.

Digital Fortress, while not on the level of other two books, is quite an interesting read. As always, the story takes place in a short timeframe, leading to quick, intense action. More interesting is the idea of multiple perspectives, where Brown takes us inside just about every character, including the main villain.

The codes in Digital Fortress weren’t terribly complex – I knew both the elevator code and the kill code many pages before they were revealed – but the action is king here. Brown really puts you inside the action and at the end, you just can’t put the book down. The book wasn’t as thought-provoking as either of Brown’s books featuring Robert Langdom, but the pace never slowed. I am happy to have read Digital Fortress.

The biggest payoff of following Dan Brown has definitely been watching the DaVinci Code movie. I finally saw the visualization of a book in which I lived for a few weeks. While that movie left a little to be desired, I was glad to see the ways in which Brown (or more specifically, director Ron Howard) agreed and disagreed with my own visualizations. I am excited for the Angels and Demons movie, and I think The Bourne Identity will be a book I read soon. I read all the Bourne books and then watch the movies. Seems like that’s an interesting way to go.

Books: The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury

As I mentioned, I’ve been on a Templar kick lately, mostly sparked by The DaVinci Code. Well, I just finished The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury. The book follows two heroes, Sean Reilly (no, not the guy I used to work with) and Tess Chaykin. He’s an FBI agent and she’s an archaeologist, and together they try to discover a secret from ages ago.

Kind of like DaVinci Code, eh? In fact, the tagline reads For those who think Dan Brown doesn’t write fast enough. Bah. The book is pretty good, but certainly couldn’t drag me like either of the two Brown books I’ve read. I really can’t get too attached to Reilly, Tess, or any of the other characters in the book. The story is interesting and thought-provoking, and it’s well-written, but there is a reason Dan Brown is so popular. His books are simply better.

There was one thing in this book I really liked. Some chapters take place in history, back in the 13th century when the secrets were first hidden. Khoury does a good job of telling you just enough in those chapters to connect the dots from the modern-day parts.

Overall, this is a good read, but falls far short of the lofty compliments on the cover.

Books: The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

Dan Brown has cemented himself as my favorite author. I have read plenty of action thrillers in my life, but nothing quite like this. As I read The DaVinci Code, I could not put the book down. I stayed up late at night reading, and spent every possible moment thinking about the plot. Fortunately, I was stuck in LaGuardia Airport last weekend and was able to finish the book.

To be honest, I liked Brown’s Angels and Demons better than The DaVinci Code, for several reasons. The first is the relationship to the Pope. The Papacy is one of the most interesting pieces of history I have ever studied. Since so much has been written about that topic, we are able to go back in time with much more definition and clarity. I can place myself back almost 2000 years and still have a pretty accurate idea of what happened.

Also, the Angels and Demons has some beautiful symmetry. Even the death scenes are symmetrical and symbolic. Even though I knew how most of the book would play out (until near the end, of course – no one could see that coming), I found myself trying to picture the events before they happened. Brown’s descriptions exceeded my expectations each time.

The DaVinci Code is a more popular book, and I look forward to seeing the movie. While the codes in the cryptex were fairly easy to decipher (and much more interesting that the art in A&D), the plot remained interesting and exciting. I felt much more attached to DaVinci Code’s Sophie than I did to A&D’s Vittoria.

I can’t seem to get enough of Dan Brown. In addition to the DaVinci Code movie, I am excited for my next Brown book, which will probably be Digital Fortress. For years, people have been raving about these books, and I let them pass by. I am glad I have picked up on it, finally.

Books: The Long Tail by Chris Anderson

I just finished reading The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson. The Long Tail concept is simple; the sum of “non-hits,” despite their lack of sales or success, can often equal or exceed the sum of the “hits.” Let’s use music on iTunes as an example: the top 50 songs of a given year generate a lot of money. But there are thousands of songs each year, and they all sell. Since iTunes is able to put most of these songs on its virtual “shelf,” it can reap profits from both the head (top 50) and from the long tail (all the other songs).

Anderson’s book deals with ways to profit from the tail. For example, iTunes has (relatively) infinite shelf space compared to, say, long tail. So while the hits still sell, there is a very long tail available to consume. As filtering and search improve, users will be able to buy further down the tail. And as methods of production become more accessible to the general public, the tail itself will grow. For iTunes, that means more music to sell, and as people become more and more happy with the personalized music they are buying, they will buy in greater bullk.

The Long Tail itself is an interesting concept, but Anderson does a great job keeping it interesting. He constantly uses real-world, current examples such as Google, Amazon, Netflix, the LEGO company, and Wikipedia using the Long Tail to further profits. Wikipedia is the best example; Anderson likens it to Encyclopedia Britannica. The end result is a more accurate, much more timely, and much, much, much more in-depth encyclopedia than Britannica could ever hope to offer.

I recommend this book highly. The concept is interesting by itself, and Anderson covers it well. The Long Tail is now part of our culture and anyone who wants to stay ahead of the curve should be familiar with it.

Anderson would be proud that I am offering up this link to the Long Tail Wikipedia entry. Go there to learn more about this important idea.