Horror Book Reviews
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Title: Digital Fortress: A Thriller |
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Review of Digital Fortress: A Thriller
- When the NSA's invincible code-breaking machine encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant, beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage--not by guns or bombs -- but by a code so complex that if released would cripple U.S. intelligence. Caught in an accelerating tempest of secrecy and lies, Fletcher battles to save the agency she believes in. Betrayed on all sides, she finds herself fighting not only for her country but for her life, and in the end, for the life of the man she loves.
Product Description
- In most thrillers, "hardware" consists of big guns, airplanes, military vehicles, and weapons that make things explode. Dan Brown has written a thriller for those of us who like our hardware with disc drives and who rate our heroes by big brainpower rather than big firepower. It's an Internet user's spy novel where the good guys and bad guys struggle over secrets somewhat more intellectual than just where the secret formula is hidden--they have to gain understanding of what the secret formula actually is.
In this case, the secret formula is a new means of encryption, capable of changing the balance of international power. Part of the fun is that the book takes the reader along into an understanding of encryption technologies. You'll find yourself better understanding the political battles over such real-life technologies as the Clipper Chip and PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) software even though the book looks at the issues through the eyes of fiction.
Although there's enough globehopping in this book for James Bond, the real battleground is cyberspace, because that's where the "bomb" (or rather, the new encryption algorithm) will explode. Yes, there are a few flaws in the plot if you look too closely, but the cleverness and the sheer fun of it all more than make up for them. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and a lot of high, gee-whiz-level information about encryption, code breaking, and the role they play in international politics. Set aside the whole afternoon and evening for it and have finger food on hand for supper--you may want to read this one straight through.
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Comments for Digital Fortress: A Thriller
- Posted on 2008-06-21
the first unbelievable performance
Ensei Tankado is a brilliant cryptographer who used to work for the NSA (National Security Agency). However, when his conscience tweaked him about his work, he was ousted and publicly humiliated so he created the unbreakable code that none of NSA's computers could touch. Then, he offers to sell it to the highest bidder. Unfortunately, in the very first chapter of this book, he dies of a heart attack while vacationing in Spain.
Well, actually, no. You see, he was killed. And he kind of figured out that someone was trying to kill him, so he takes a ring that he wears, which has some codes on it and passes it on to the passersby who are attempting to help him. One of them takes the ring, buth as no idea what it is and so the NSA sends a professor of languages to recover the ring.
Hmmm .... this is starting to sound familiar: A professor of some musty and not very useful skill is plunged into a world of cloak and dagger? where did I see this before??? OH! Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons have the exact same premise! And just like those, this book has incredible action and a resolution within 24 hours that will just blow your mind. In line with the subject - cryptography - we learn a little bit about the subject but then are underwhelmed when the whole smart defense and intelligence industries cannot solve the simple problems that are posed for them while the outside - professor - and his girlfriend come up with all the answers.
If you like misdirection and answers to questions that are really just questions of their own, then this book and its fast pace will really excite you. In my own case, I thought this was just as overwrought as his other "thrillers". It is good for a quick read at the beach, or for a long-delayed flight, but I would not spend any serious reading time on it.
The convoluted plot line involves all kinds of secrets, people with agendas, hidden agendas, and hidden agendas that are hidden from the agendas. There are many preposterous scenes and events and in the end the good side wins - or does it? The book does pose some serious questions about privacy rights vs the responsibility of governments to protect their people, but it deals with this issue by having caricatures spout off lines that no one could possibly believe. We also have the case where a brilliant man who is approaching retirement throws his life away because he is secretly in love with a young woman different than his wife and all kinds of fun sexual peccadillos are conducted by a bunch of other characters who are never developed into anything but caricatures.
Score: 3
- Posted on 2008-06-03
I got to page 7...
Let me preface this by saying that I loved "DaVinci Code" in all its clichéd glory. I know the "DaVinci Code" is far from being a literary masterpiece, but it serves its purpose. I thought it was interesting and well researched, and it made me like Dan Brown. Now since I liked "the code", and since the copy of "Digital Fortress" I started to read is my roommate's (whose literary taste I respet), I was expecting to be entertained. I was not. I had a "deja read"...A female cryptographer and a college professor! You are kidding right? One college professor having an Indiana Jones life, ok Mr. Brown I buy it...Now two! (Or I don't know how ever many books he has written or will write about the same characters) Two! Last time I checked my college professors, though pretty interesting and smart people, never jumped off planes and headed to Europe to solve life threatening mysteries.
Now I know its only a book and its fiction. So, I'm trying to work through my realism issues, trying to let myself be caught in the beautiful pages of fiction, but I can't. Why? well because this book is horribly predictable, which forced me to quit, and I never quit a book (I was one of the only people in my high school who actually read Kafka and not the cliff notes). I quit! But that makes no difference because I have a pretty good idea how this book goes. Let me sum up what I think happens: both characters are unknowingly working in the same case which may or may not damage/streghten their romantic relationship. They will travel through Europe and connect all findings with some ancient European mystery. The bad guys are messing with "us" in an attempt to protect some sacred ancient tradition tied into some modern institution. These bad guys will stop at nothing to silence our- not so buff but extremely brainy heroes, so that the mystery remains a mystery. In the end the heroes will solve it all with the help of math and history, and will leave happily ever after. Not bad for only finishing 7 pages huh?
Score: 1
- Posted on 2008-05-28
Hilariously stupid!
It would be easier to explain "What Dan Brown got right" rather than to list things he got wrong...
The characters are completely ridiculous in this story. They are supposedly very intelligent but every step of the way they act like dimwits. Especially Susan (main character), who is relegated to expository device for the benefit of the challenged reader. Don't tell me your heroine is a genius and then show her constantly confused and overwhelmed by the simplest of concepts, just so someone can can try to explain technobabble nonsense to her (=the reader). That's hack writing if I ever saw it.
I wonder why everyone is calling her a young woman though? In my copy she is said to be 38 years old? Is this a misprint? I mean, it would surely explain a few things if she is really supposed to be 18 years old instead. And if we drop her IQ about 100 points from the stated 170, things really start to fall into place...
The plot itself is a swiss cheese. It makes your head hurt if you try to backtrace later. Very little makes sense.
Locations (Spain and NSA building) are obviously inventions of Dan Brown's mind and not based on reality, but they are not really that exciting either.
Let's just not talk about the main backdrop (computers and cryptography), even though Mr.Brown himself has compulsive masochistic tendencies to draw attention to his nonsense inventions.
And the supposed linguistic genius repeats some folk-etymology ("without wax") and have mastered "six asian dialects". Dialects? More correct to say Spanish, Italian, and French are dialects, than to suggest Chinese Mandarin and Japanese are dialects...And he knows Kanji language, hehehe.
One hilarious blooper is that Mr.Brown claims that Shichigosan is "the seven deities of good luck". Shichi-go-san literally means seven-five-three and is a celebration of children of these ages held on November 15th. I think someone was pulling his leg. Maybe the same people as the so-called "ex-NSA agents" (prankstering kids most likely).
Score: 1 - Posted on 2008-05-08
If I could rate it lower, I would...
I'm honestly surprised by the number of people who are reviewing this book in a wildly positive fashion. Frankly, if I were Dan Brown, I'd be mortified that this book is still out there for public perusal. The characters are presented as experts in a highly mathematical field, but when presented with a stupidly obvious puzzle they are left blinking stupidly at each other by simple mathematical concepts like Prime numbers.
There are many twists and turns, as others have said, but the premise is flimsy and the results are awkward. All in all, this was NOT a good book.
Score: 1 - Posted on 2008-05-03
Good Lord! It's Appalling!
I picked this up as a holiday read... and boy, what complete junk it is. It fails on pretty much every level. It fails as a thriller because it employs every stupid cliché plot device known to man: the good guy is the bad guy; the senior manager is behind it all; the girl is very clever & beautiful but terrifyingly stupid when it comes to closing doors and hatches. It fails as a technology book because it is so moronically poorly researched. The tech component is about 1% reality and 99% made up junk. Soldering mainframe components under the desk? Snigger....
Frankly, I'd rather be forced to eat this book than ever read it again. Its easy to see why all the books PRIOR to Da Vinci Code were unsuccessful.
Score: 1