This is a real story. Some years back, a Bangladeshi young man studying in a US college, bought a copy of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code in New York and boarded a Dhaka bound plane. He sat on his seat and opened the book to finish it by the total flight time. No doubt a wonderful plan to pass time in a boring long flight. When the plane reached Dubai and it was time to change his plane, he tried to get up but could not. His legs felt numb and he could not stand up. He fell back on his seat crying for help. Emergency medical squad arrived and they got him out on a wheel chair. Then they noticed that he was wearing very tight, ankle high boots which stopped blood circulation to his feet. His swollen feet were making him writhe in pain. He was hospitalised where his boots had to be cut with knife and his feet were given the required medication and physiotherapy. Finally, blood circulation to his feet became normal. Two days later he sufficiently recovered and could catch his connecting flight to Dhaka. When I asked him about it he said he just could not put down the book as the story was so fast-paced and engrossing. He didn’t even visit the toilet in long 15 hours. See, it was Dan Brown magic.
Dan Brown goes to the actual locale for his story and describes the roads and lanes, cafes, churches and hotels as they stand today. A reader gets rare description of actual Vatican in his book Angels and Demons. No one has ever given such authentic graphical presentation of the place. Critiques wrote: “Angels and Demons is a fast-paced thriller introducing symbologist Robert Langdon, who must stop the ancient secret society, the Illuminati, from destroying Vatican City with stolen antimatter. Set in Rome and Geneva, the plot involves a race against time, decoding symbols, and a conspiracy involving the Catholic Church.”
My favourite is Deception Point. It is a thriller by Dan Brown that follows White House intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton as she investigates a NASA discovery of a meteorite in the Arctic. The discovery leads to a dangerous, high-stake conspiracy that influences a presidential election. The novel Origin focuses on artificial intelligence (AI), on a super computer that became too powerful and almost destroyed the country. The story hinted at the potential of wayward technology that will ultimately dominate and reshape human life. The problem is, this novel is too long and difficult to finish in one sitting.
In the trail of Ian Fleming, Alistair Maclean and John le Carre, Dan Brown came to fill the void. Regarding Dan Brown, Critiques wrote: “Dan Brown remains one of the most successful and polarizing thriller writers, known for creating ‘popcorn novels’ that are fast-paced and highly engrossing.” I totally agree. An ardent reader would find it difficult to put his book down before reading the last page.
Dan Brown has taken his hero symbologist Robert Langdon through different kinds of odd, life-threatening situations and landscapes to keep the readers glued to his pages. In his stories, Brown skillfully includes ancient to modern history; Victorian to modern art; religious symbols; dramatic chases through old cities and ancient cemeteries and cleverly builds stupefying conspiracy theories around the characters. The fluent but easy language makes complex topics accessible to a wide audience – from 18 to 80.
Here is why Dan Brown continues to keep readers enthralled. His novels are well-accepted for having intriguing plots, dramatic twists, and nail-biting finishes. The race-against-time melodrama keeps readers hooked to the book till the last chapter. Many describe his writing as ‘cinematic’, and he seems to have no problem with that. In fact, many of his books have been made into cinema. Usually, his stories begin with a murder then goes on to unfolding of a secret code, and a chase through half the world.
Brown describes his own work as fiction that aims to entertain while introducing readers to new ideas, symbols and new locales. He makes art, history and conspiracy theories feel like a thrilling, educational journey.
Some reviewers wrote that readers feel his stories are full of controversy and intellectual curiosity. His stories often challenge traditional perspectives on religion and history, often encouraging deeper exploration of the themes. In Da Vinci Code he included a storyline in which Jesus Christ was said to have married Mary Magdalene and fathered a daughter, named Sarah. This story which presents the fictional narrative as a hidden historical truth generated significant noise, particularly from the Catholic Church and various Christian organisations, who viewed it as a direct attack on central tenets of their faith. The novel claims that the “Holy Grail” is not a chalice (drinking cup) but rather the bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, which was carried by their daughter, Sarah, who fled to France.
His latest novel The Secret of Secrets follows the protagonist to Prague, continuing the formula of high-stakes, conspiracy and suspense.
A reviewer wrote: “Dan Brown’s legacy is defined by transforming the thriller genre with high-stakes, research-heavy, and symbol-laden narratives. With over 250 million copies sold, his novels, including The Da Vinci Code, triggered widespread debate on religious history.”
Massive Commercial Success – The Da Vinci Code is one of the best-selling novels of all time, driving significant interest in religious, historical, and conspiracy topics.
It seems the Dan Brown magic will continue for a while.
The writer is the Consultant Editor, Daily Times of Bangladesh
