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Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor of religious symbology, receives an urgent phone call late at night in Paris. The police tell Mr. Langdon that Jaques Sauniere, the curator of the Louvre, has died by murder inside the museum. The police also find several codes alongside the body, which they recruit Langdon to solve alongside talented cryptologist Sophie Neveu. However, as Langdon and Neveu continue to dig into Sauniere’s murder, they start to uncover several shocking truths. First, Langdon realizes that Sauniere helps lead a secret organization known as the Priory of Sion, and that he dies protecting the Priory’s most valuable secret, the location of an important religious relic. At the same time, they realize that Opus Dei, an extremist religious sect that has long wanted the Priory’s secret, has now made its move. Now, Langdon and Neveu have to race against the clock to protect the Priory’s secret. Sauniere makes the task anything but easy. Langdon and Neveu have to piece together puzzles and cryptic messages to succeed, causing them both to apply everything they have ever learned so they can decipher the code that holds the key to a stunning historical revelation before it disappears forever. 

            Dan Brown writes this novel exceptionally. I have very little context of the historical events in the book, nor do I fully understand the biblical and religious elements mentioned. However, Dan Brown gives lots of context and makes it very easy for me to understand the concepts behind the tale. The story itself also intrigues me greatly, and while I do not know much about this subject, I still follow along very easily. Also, all of the information that Dan Brown provides on the historical artifacts, as well as both organizations, Opus Dei and the Priory of Sion, reflects historical accuracy. Dan Brown includes this in the disclaimer at the beginning, which I appreciate, as it relieves the reader of having to google and fact-check the novel on my own time. This makes it even more fascinating of a read, as the information that Dan Brown provides disrupts our perception of Christianity and religion. Dan Brown does it respectfully, but he still provides tangible evidence that truly shocks me in regards to Christianity in modern society.

            This book does a great job of mixing an exciting, thrilling storyline with factually accurate and intriguing historical data. This book teaches me a completely new perspective on the evolution of religion. I will say, however, that some people would see this book as controversial as the perspectives it offers on religion tend to contradict modern religious beliefs. However, putting the potential controversy aside, I still find this book incredibly gripping, just from its story. The book has about 450 pages of densely packed text, so it definitely requires dedication to sit down and read all the way through. However, the book concludes very well, and the ending leaves the reader satisfied by wrapping everything up nicely and answering all of the outstanding questions that the reader may have. 

            All in all, I would rate this an 8 out of 10 as the book’s length and complexity confused me at times. However, on the whole, the novel entertains me greatly, and Dan Brown crafted this novel extremely well, making it a very enjoyable read. 

Checkout The Da Vinci Code from the Newport Beach Public Library.