Digital Fortress

((Absolutely hilarious quotes at the end of the review, feel free to skip the review and read some of the cringiest lines written perhaps in the entire 20th century.))

Zero redeeming qualities. Do not waste your time on this garbage. It starts crap and just gets crapper and crapper. I wasn't even expecting much, just a fun adventure mystery with cryptology and outdated nostalgic takes on technology and the NSA. While it does deliver about 5 paragraph's worth of that throughout the 400+ page book, the rest is filled with crap characters, story, and prose, plus casual sexual harassment, cringey male power fantasy, and creepy male gaze crap.

Like, I get it, this isn't high class literature. But it's like frozen pizza. It's not meant to be as good as the real thing, but it's meant to satisfy while being cheap and easy. This book is like if you bought a frozen pizza and it had literal human feces for toppings. That's how crap it is. It's an insult to good pop fiction.

The first two Langdon books were guilty pleasures of mine when I read them years ago. Maybe they're worse than I remember, or perhaps there is something about that series that's different than Digital Fortress, Dan Brown's first novel. But even if you're a fan of the Langdon series and interested in reading this book, seriously, do not waste your time.

Also, while I usually roll my eyes when a reviewer says they guessed the villain early, I LITERALLY guessed the villain in his introduction scene on page freaking 25, it was that painfully obvious.

Here are some ironically hilarious quotes (but trust me, the book takes itself very seriously so don't think reading it you'll find more of this).

> Jabba resembled a giant tadpole. Like the cinematic creature for whom he was nicknamed, the man was a hairless spheroid.

> "How the hell are you?" "No complaints." Jabba wiped his mouth. "You on site?" "Yup." "Care to join me for a calzone?" "Love to Jabba, but I'm watching these hips." "Really?" He snickered. "Mind if I join you?" "You're bad." "You have no idea."

> The motley assortment of drunken and drugged-out kids at the nearby tables were now in hysterics. Two-Tone stood up and sneered at Becker. "What the fuck do you want from me?" Becker thought a moment. I want you to wash your hair, clean up your language, and get a job. Becker figured it was too much to ask on a first meeting. "I need some information," he said. "Fuck you." "I'm looking for someone." "I ain't seen him." "Haven't seen him," Becker corrected.

> The air felt caustic in her windpipe.

> Two thin lines had appeared outside the concentric circles. They looked like sperm trying to breach a reluctant egg.

> Susan turned to Soshi. "I need access to the Web. Is there a browser here?" Soshi nodded. "Netscape's sweetest." Susan grabbed her hand. "Come on. We're going surfing."

> Becker was dark--a rugged, youthful thirty-five with sharp green eyes and a wit to match. His strong jaw and taut features reminded Susan of carved marble. Over six feet tall, Becker moved across a squash court faster than any of his colleagues could comprehend. After soundly beating his opponent, he would cool off by dousing his head in a drinking fountain and soaking his tuft of thick, black hair. Then, still dripping, he'd treat his opponent to a fruit shake and a bagel. (((this character, the main character of the book, has identical initials as the author. gross.)))

If the roundly reviled The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons are examples of Dan Brown at his most polished, you can only imagine how bad he was during his early career.

Actually, you can imagine, or you can read Digital Fortress and find out for yourself. But I don't recommend it. Where the Langdon books spill their secrets two acts too soon to anyone with a basic knowledge of French, or of Latin roots, Digital Fortress boasts a simplistic play on words that crumbles, fortune cookie-like, to anyone who knows Spanish. Yes. Spanish. Like right and left hooks from Butterbean, the plot twists come molasses-slow and predictable. Where The Da Vinci Code was at least a fun ride with some lazy narration and gaping plot holes, Digital Fortress isn't even a guilty pleasure; only a guilty purchase.

I could go on, but I won't. Let me just say, in closing, that Digital Fortress was so stupid, my ears popped every time I opened the book.

Avevo ragione a pensare che leggendo che questo libro mi sarei fatta due sane risate. Infatti, a mio modesto avviso, Dan Brown è uno scrittore umoristico travestito da autore di thriller.

A dire il vero, di risate me ne sono fatta ben più di due, perché i protagonisti hanno un “culo” che neanche i miracolati di Lourdes possono vantare. Sempre sull’orlo di un baratro, ne escono fuori illesi in virtù non tanto del loro presunto altissimo quoziente intellettivo, che in realtà deve essere assai prossimo allo zero date le cretinate che fanno, quanto delle inverosimili coincidenze “casuali”. Nei romanzi di Dan Brown, infatti, il “caso” è sempre e rigorosamente dalla parte dei buoni e non gliene frega una cippa lippa di apparire esageratamente tendenzioso. No, lui no. Lui ha un compito preciso: essere l’angelo custode di quei cretini che si ostinano a mettersi nei guai. Stanno cercando un ago in un pagliaio? Lo troveranno. Stanno per cadere da un palazzo di trenta piani e sono appesi al davanzale di una finestra solo con il dito mignolo della mano sinistra? Qualcuno passerà di lì e li tirerà su. Un killer spietato che non ha mai sbagliato mira in vita sua li insegue? Non azzeccherà un colpo neanche a piangere. Stanno cercando un imprescindibile codice di accesso? Andranno su Internet, digiteranno la domanda e riceveranno la risposta.
Per una qualche oscura ragione, il “caso” di Dan Brown aspira a un riconoscimento ufficiale della sua costante quanto inutile bravura. Probabilmente ha un super-ego molto esigente, che non gli concede tregua, poveretto.

Tirando le somme, dunque, come thriller, quale pretende di essere, la valutazione è di una stelletta (mezza sarebbe più adeguata, ma non si può, perché non c’è). Ma come romanzo comico le cinque stelle non gliele toglie nessuno. ;-)

I’m quite in shock that I managed to finish a book in less than 2 days for the second time in a row! Tbh, I gotta admit I wasn’t expecting much from a debut novel, but it turned out well in my opinion! I’m not really in the mood to write a complete review because my head and my stomach are killing me.

But gosh, the plot twist? A bit predictable but there was surely something about it that left me thinking for a few minutes before continuing to read it.

And, it might not be THAT romantic but gosh, I fell in love with the main couple… imagine deciphering codes with your lover/soon to be husband? Yeah sure, it could be dangerous but I love Susan and David sm.

It’s my first Dan Brown book and I haven’t read the Da Vinci code yet, so I might as well give it a try!

P.S: Susan is married to me along with David, ofc.

It was surprisingly my first book of Dan brown. Cryptography was always an interesting subject for me and always had a kind of passion towards the way it encrypt and decrypt things. I am the one who use cryptic words even in the conversation and I know exactly why I loved this book so much now. Story was changing very fast in last few hours and terribly stressed me when the worm was about to hit their main database. I liked susan :) , liked the plot and the way its carried out :)

This was Dan Brown's first book, and it is very clear that he hadn't perfected his formula yet.

Susan Fletcher is the hot genius who works for NSA in the Crypto department who has all the men drooling after her. No one can believe that "those legs could carry a 170 IQ". (Seriously.)

She's hoping for a romantic weekend with her fiance, a lowkey genius professor, who's an expert in languages and has a perfect memory (a Robert Langdon prototype if you will), but is called in to an emergency at work.

Someone has created an unbreakable digital code, which means that the NSA will be prevented from intercepting terrorist messages, and will cripple US intelligence from protecting its citizens. A chase ensues to find out how to stop it from being sold to the highest bidder.

As always, Dan Brown writes about such interesting topics, and in a way that keeps you hooked. He is not known for stellar writing, but usually he's good bad, but this one is just bad bad. Some seriously cringy lines throughout. But, it kept me reading until the end, so it gets 2 stars.

كمُبرمجة وكقارئة تمكن هذا العمل من التسلل للعقل والقلب لثراءه العلمي واللغوي ...
عمل جميل ومُتوقع من دان براون

عندما واجهت آلة تحليل الشيفرات التي لا تُقهر في وكالة الأمن القومي (إن أس أي)، شيفرة غامضة لم تتمكن من حلها، اتصلت الوكالة برئيسة تحليل الشيفرات، سوزان فليتشر، اختصاصية الرياضيات الذكية والجميلة. الأمر الذي اكتشفته كان كفيلاً بأن يرسل موجات الصدمات السلبية في كواليس السلطة العليا. لقد أصبحت (إن أس أي) رهينة-ليس بالبنادق أو القنابل، بل بشيفرة معقدة جداً قادرة على تعطيل استخبارات الولايات المتحدة في حال تمّ إطلاقها. ناضلت فليتشر بعد أن علقت في عاصفة متسارعة من السرية والأكاذيب، لتنقذ الوكالة التي تدين لها بالولاء. ولكنها وجدت نفسها، بعد أن خُدعت من جميع الجهات، تقاتل ليس من أجل بلدها وحسب بل من أجل حياتها، وفي النهاية، من أجل حياة الرجل الذي تحب".



كعادته الكاتب المفضل لدي دان براون اتحفنا بهذه الرواية الاكثر من رائعة, رواية تدخل في عمق عالم الالغاز والشيفرات يجعلك بعض مرات تدوخ من كثرتها, عالم مليء ب الغموض والاحداث والاكشن تحس نفسك داخل فيلم اكشن ومغامرات ولكن بشكل عميق جدا وتفاصيل تجعلك توقف عند الكثير منها وتفكر وبجدية بها.

دان براون استعان مرة اخرى بـ أكبر الوكالات الامريكية والاكثر سرية ودخل لأعمق تفاصيل بها, وايضا اخذنا لعالم الشيفرات والالغاز بطريقة جريمة والاكشن, على رغم كل هذه الاحداث ايضا تدخل بعض الاحداث الدينية والنفسية بـ الكتاب, وطبعا لا ننسى ان الكاتب في هذا الكتاب مقابل استخدامه هذه الكم من معلومات والاحداث عن الشيفرات والالغاز فقد اختار اسبانيا للتعمق بهذه الاشياء وطبعا خير ما اختار, وجانب الاخر من الكتاب هو الكراهية والحقد الذي ينمو بداخل الانسان بسبب الظروف التي مر بها انا عن نفسي ارى هذا حقد او ثأر بس كانت جميلة جدا.

طبعا رواية جميلة واستمتع بها جدا بها معلومات وتفاصيل كثيرة خلاني استفاد منه جدا واكتشف اشياء اخرى في المقابل, مرات جان اكو شغلات بسيطة جدا فجاءة صارت وهاي شوية لم افهما, بس اكيد انصحكم بها.











When the indiscipline code machine at the National Security Agency (NSA) faced a mysterious code that she could not resolve, the agency contacted the code analysis chief, Susan Fletcher, a smart and beautiful math specialist. What I discovered was enough to send negative shock waves in the corridors of supreme power. NSA has become a hostage - not with guns or bombs, but with a very complex code capable of disrupting US intelligence if it is launched. Fletcher struggled after being caught in a storm of secrecy and lies to save the agency she owes her allegiance to. But she found herself, having been deceived by all sides, fighting not only for her own country but also for her life and, ultimately, for the life of the man she loved. "





As usual, My favorite writer Dan Brown. We have compiled this wonderful novel, a novel that goes into the depth of the world of puzzles and codes, which makes you get confuse a few times more than a lot. A world full of mystery, events, and thrills. Feel yourself in an action and adventure movie but in a very deep and detailed way, And seriously.

Dan Brown used again the largest US agencies and the most secret and entered into the deepest details for it, and also taken to the world of codes and puzzles in a manner of crime and action, despite all these events also enter some religious and psychological events by the book, and of course do not forget that the writer in this book in exchange for this use The number of information and events about the codes and puzzles Spain has been chosen to dig deeper into these things and of course the best thing he chose, and the other side of the book is the hatred and hatred that grows inside the human because of the circumstances that I passed on myself I see this hatred or revenge but was very beautiful.

Of course, a beautiful novel and enjoy it very much information and details let benefited from it very much and discovered other things in return, there was very simple tasks came and became some little like things did not understand, but I advise you to read it.