dan brown 0, bie 2

[some of the post contains hidden characters in order not to spoil some endings of some book. If you couldn't care less, highlight from an asterisk * when you see one.]

Na ja.. After my admiration rambling about first impression of Angels & Demons (A&D) by Dan Brown, I haven't written how the story (mine, not Brown's) really ends.

So I met Robert Langdon. For me, Robert Langdon is another Indiana Jones. Another Jack Ryan. Not another ... [who's that guy? wait, I have to Google him for a sec] Alex Cross. Between these four fictional recurring character, I gravitate more to Alex Cross, eventhough I just forgot the name, LOL. Maybe it's somewhat personal because I like psychology to other subjects, though.

There are other recurring fictional characters of course, Hercule Poirot, for example. But unlike them, Poirot relies mostly on his intelligence only, without his physical abilities.

But anyway, it is easy to be addicted to his novels. So far, I'd only read two of them, though, and I finish each of them less than 12 hours. Very rarely happens to me.

In the late 80s, I started to read serious novels. By serious I mean, novels which are intended for adult readers. My first that kind of novel is [get this, it will be shocking] Bila Esok Tiba, a translated version of If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon. I had to hide this novel in my elementary-school-pants pocket, because my friends said it was porn, and I don't wanna get caught, of course. :)

By junior high, early teenage years I read 2 more Sidney's epics. The Stars Shine Down, and The Naked Face. For the following years, I grasp more and more of his, and by the end of my fifth or so book, the twists in Sidney Sheldon's are not so twisted anymore. For me. Because most of the time I can guess the "missing part of the puzzle".

This happen as well to my second most read writer, Agatha Christie. Of course in the beginning, every book fooled me, steered me to the wrong direction, and I took the bait. The climax is of course the Murder of Roger Ackroyd where the murderer is *---the narrator of it---.

But this experience brought me to be really careful in reading such books. Keep on guard. Accepting all information memorize and analyse them. If possible, get a conclusion. If not, then play along. Weird, I know. Friends of mine keep telling me read them as you read them. Don't analyse, think and so on, but that's how I got my groove fun by reading book.

Now back to Dan Brown. Halfway through A&D I suspected someone to be the culprit. I just had a feeling on this character. I kept brushing it off and said, "Come on, this is not Agatha Christie, dude. Just read it and read it." But of course, you can not easily ignore years of customs eventhough it's a personal one. So I said, "Okay, this character will be my suspect."

And I was damn right. Eventhough some series of events near the end of the book made me question my suspicion, I still stand to my decision. And what can I say, when the true culprit of the story was unveiled. I can only shrug triumphantly. LOL. 1-0.

How about The Da Vinci Code? I read DVC solely due to the hype. Yes, I know I surrender easily to hypes. And I am really curious what makes this book so popular. To be honest, I like Angels & Demons more. Yes, I was captivated as well, but A&D is more.. unbelievable.. And halfway through the novel, again, I got this strange feeling that the culprit is *---Leigh Teabing---. So, 2-0.

Even so, I can not hide the fact that Dan Brown is simply a brilliant writer, hardworker researcher and smart businessman. I took this line from his description of Constantine the great in the Da Vinci Code. *He goes way beyond the limit by confronting powerful organizations and he compromises at the end. That is why I got 2 scores right now.

So I am eager, but not oh-so-obsessed-eager to read the not yet published sequel of Robert Langdon. Waiting it to be 2-1, or maybe 3-0. But for the mean time, you owe eye too. :)