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What an amazing ride it has been! I must say that Dan Brown is truly one hell of a thriller writer. To be honest, this type of book isn't really my cup of tea. I picked it up on a whim as I'm more of a fantasy/paranormal fan and this was far from that genre. In fact, I nearly didn't read it and almost sent it back to the library to get more fantasy books. But oh boy, am I glad I thought otherwise!

From reading other reviews, Dan Brown has been described as “a master of smart thrills” and I wholeheartedly agree. There was an enormous amount of research done for this book. I really liked how the author managed to provide us with the techno descriptions of cryptography and the workings of technology. He did it in such a way that it neither bored us nor was it too overcomplicated to the point where we'd lose the plot. Nope, everything was explained in an understandable and exciting manner, making the story flow extremely fast for me. I should also mention that some of the one-star reviews claimed that the information in this book was incorrect. I can't really comment on that as I know practically nothing about cryptography and coding. But I will say that the author managed to make it all sound very real and correct.

Another aspect that I liked was the development of the characters. Yes, they were all very layered, especially the bad guys. Wow, this author can definitely create interesting character backgrounds where not everyone's motives are always clear. The only thing I didn't really like was the fact that the characters' personalities weren't fully explored or developed. I just would have liked the characters to have more feelings and emotions attached to them, but that's just my personal preference.

So, this was my first Dan Brown book and I'll tell you this, it will not be my last! Now that I've read this, I can't wait to start on his Robert Langdon books because from what I've heard, they are quite deep. Either way, due to the fast breakneck pace of this book (there was never a boring moment) and the simple explanations of complicated topics, it makes me wonder why there are so many one-star reviews. I guess I'll find that out (or not) when I read more

I absolutely loved this book. From the very beginning to the very end, I wasn't bored or uninterested even for a single moment.

The plot was truly fascinating, filled with unexpected twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. It was like a thrilling adventure that I couldn't put down.

The story was also very solid, with well-developed characters and a clear narrative. Each character had their own unique personality and motivation, which made them feel real and relatable.

This book is definitely a great read. It's one of those books that you'll want to recommend to all your friends. I can't wait to read more from the author.

Dan Brown never fails his readers!

His novels are known for their thrilling plots, intricate mysteries, and engaging characters. With each new release, he manages to captivate audiences around the world and keep them on the edge of their seats from beginning to end.

Whether it's "The Da Vinci Code," "Angels & Demons," or any of his other works, Brown has a unique ability to blend history, art, and science in a way that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. His attention to detail and research is truly remarkable, making his stories feel not only fictional but also believable.

Readers are drawn to Brown's novels because they offer more than just a simple escape. They challenge our minds, make us question what we know, and take us on a journey through some of the most fascinating and mysterious places in the world. In short, Dan Brown is a master storyteller who continues to delight and inspire readers with his incredible talent.

One star because there are too many pages that seem unnecessary, one star for the overuse of clichés, one star for the extremely flat and stereotypical characters, one star for the overly predictable ending, one star for not having done proper research and just spouting the first thing that came to mind, one star for the writer's air of superiority and pedantry that results in being so offensively out of place, one star for not adding anything of value,... One star for everything that can be evaluated in a book.

In his biography, it is said that he studied in Spain. Come on now!

The book is a baseless insult towards our healthcare system, infrastructure, technology, the intelligence of the Spanish people, beliefs, culture,... If Spain was so backward during the years when the writer was a student, why did he spend a whole year studying here? Why didn't he choose a less "third-world" country?

The book is completely dispensable.

I'm truly at a loss as to what to believe after delving into this book. I've long been a fan of Dan Brown's works, mainly because of his seemingly realistic writing style, which often employs big words that make readers feel inadequate about their own knowledge.

At least, that's what I initially thought.

After reading this particular book, I decided to do a bit of my own research (yes, those were big words for me too, and I had to rely on Google). To my surprise, I discovered that a significant portion of the technology, computers, and cool machinery described in the book simply didn't exist. In fact, Goodreads turned out to be a great source of information, with many dissatisfied reviewers dissecting the book's credibility. I had really hoped that those things were as cool as they were portrayed in "Digital Fortress."

However, setting that aside, there are indeed some historical facts and figures that are real, albeit perhaps not as exciting. The NSA, cryptology, and the Enigma are all real concepts. Although I wouldn't go so far as to say that Brown's books are an excellent crash course in a myriad of wacky subjects, his writings do introduce readers to an entirely new world that most of us would otherwise never have imagined.

That being said, I can't claim that Brown's writing style is my absolute favorite. His books typically start off strong, but often seem to lose their momentum towards the end. The plot developments aren't always the best I've encountered, although the fact that he comes up with them in the first place is quite remarkable. Moreover, there is a noticeable similarity in the plots of most, if not all, of his books. It doesn't require a cryptologist to figure this out. Before reading this, I had only read three of his books (which, I admit, might be a fair number), and my recent awareness of this similarity has indeed diminished the element of surprise in his novels.

Without giving away any spoilers (although I'm sure most of us can guess by now), I would still recommend Dan Brown's books. Despite the relatively low ratings on Goodreads, I believe they offer an entertaining escape. I'm aware that many readers accuse Brown of twisting reality to an extreme degree. Fortunately, as someone with no prior knowledge of the topics he writes about, I have no problem enjoying the book for what it is. But I'm certain that if Dan Brown were to write about something I'm passionate about and knowledgeable in, such as watching TV, using Facebook, or sleeping, I might have a different opinion.

This is definitely a fast-paced book that is breathtaking at times. It takes the reader into the fascinating world of cyberism and national intelligence.

What I really love about this book is that the heroine, Susan, is a female. She is not only a female but also one of the crucial assets in breaking the code.

As we may or may not know or realize, our government possesses numerous top-secret infos and files, safeguarded by top-of-the-line technologies, firewalls, and the like. Just imagine a situation where someone is blackmailing the agency and is on the verge of exposing the database to viruses, worms, or hackers. However, that person dies before the agency can obtain the passkey to prevent the destruction.

This book will lead you on an exciting adventure in a male-oriented world, as Cidamon said. And I truly hope you won't be disappointed! It offers a thrilling and engaging storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

\\n  \\n    \\"Who will guard the guards?\\"\\n  \\n

This is my very first encounter with a Dan Brown book. And just like the old saying goes, this would surely not be my last! I initially began reading this book last May. However, I never managed to finish it as I stopped at Chapter 20. But here's the thing, even after a 5-month hiatus, I could still recall the details with remarkable vividness.

Digital Fortress is an incredibly entertaining and information-packed book that I couldn't wait to devour. The way Dan Brown structures the entire plot, with surprisingly digestible chapters, truly makes the reading experience worthwhile. It's like a crash course in cryptography and etymology. Despite the overwhelming amount of cryptography details, I wasn't intimidated in the least.

We follow two main points of view, namely that of NSA head cryptographer Susan Fletcher and her fiance David Becker. They both embark on separate paths in an attempt to dismantle and understand the mysterious Digital Fortress. Before you know it, you'll be taken on an action-packed journey through Seville, Spain, and get a peek into the elusive world of the NSA and cryptography.

This book is truly one of a kind for me, and I'm certain I'll be rereading it in the future. Also, I actually learned a few tricks in basic cryptography from this book! For anyone who can crack the code, uhmmmmm, I'll definitely love every review you post from here on out! HAHAHAH

191-41-51-520-09-15-251-11-21-213-13-02-19-09-0505-01 15 192020 THISS IS FUUUNNN

Update: (April 4, 2019) I can no longer figure out whatever jumble of an attempted "code" I wrote here HAHAHAH

Trash at the Top of the Charts

There are noisy neurodeliria from Dan Brown here, as he is engaged in orchestrating an American story full of technical terms, extremely annoying computer jargon, and improbable chases (David Becker on a scooter as a pawn chasing the deaf killer, atomic trash).

The tombstone of the book is the sibylline derision of the state of obesity - Jabba, the NASA employee; the client of a prostitute, fat and not endowed - which really corroborates the pitifulness of the book and devalues Dan Brown as a person.

Taking away personal inferences that leave a bit of time for them to find, the work is distinguished neither by honest entertainment, given the banality spouted freely, nor by a vague theoretical tension intrinsically related to the genre (the culprit can be identified after about forty pages).

My book group chose this book and I will never forgive them.

I’ve never read anything by Dan Brown. He doesn’t write my type of fiction, so while I was aware that he’s a huge success, I never bothered to pick any of his books up because I knew I wouldn’t be interested.

What I didn’t know is how much of a shit writer he is.

I’m sure he cries into a giant pile of money every single time someone tells him that.

Digital Fortress is about the government and secrecy. Susan Fletcher works for a super top secret government agency called NSA that cracks codes to read emails and save the world. How do I remember that her name is Susan Fletcher? Susan Fletcher is referred to as Susan Fletcher on every page that Susan Fletcher appears on. Apparently Brown is worried that people won’t remember that Susan Fletcher is one of the main characters in his book Digital Fortress by Dan Brown.

Susan Fletcher is the best code breaker NSA has. She is also beautiful and perfect and everyone loves her and wants to do her. Susan Fletcher has a brilliant mind. She is also very attractive and smart. People look at Susan Fletcher and think to themselves “How does an IQ of 170 fit into a body that attractive? I am going to think more of these thoughts so that the reader of Dan Brown’s Digital Fortress will know what Susan Fletcher looks like in the book Digital Fortress by Dan Brown.”

Your first drinking game is to take a shot every time someone chuckles.

Your next drinking game is to empty a Red Solo Cup every time someone’s eyes are described as strong hazel, deep green, inky black, sable, gray, or any other color that barely exists in real life. Yes, people do have these eyes, and apparently they all live in Dan Brown’s world. Dan Brown wrote the book Digital Fortress.

If you do not drink and are into health, do push ups or squats or something instead of pounding booze. Either way, we’re all going to crumple to the floor and throw up.

When Susan Fletcher is called in to work on a Saturday by Commander Strathmore, head of NSA, she knows that something must be very wrong. She was supposed to be on a vacation with her finance David Becker. David Becker is beautiful and smart. He plays squash and no one minds when he puts his entire head into the water fountain to wash away the sweat. David Becker is that amazing.

Turns out that the Commander has sent David Becker, Susan Fletcher’s finance, to Spain, even though he does not work for NSA. Susan Fletcher thinks thoughts to tell the reader how important NSA is.

Seriously, how is this guy a big name writer? I just don’t get it.

Dan Brown, the author of Digital Fortress, does not have time for important things like “Show, don’t tell.” when it comes to writing his books. He wants to get to the important things like telling the reader how intelligent and beautiful Susan Fletcher and David Becker are. They are engaged and have been for six months. Susan Fletcher tells David Becker this when she says “You do remember we’re engaged, don’t you?” which is exactly what people in real life would say if they wanted to let you know that they were engaged.

Susan Fletcher stays underground in the NSA bunker trying to figure out what is wrong with their giant, enormous, massive, expensive, costly, top secret, classified translator project. The computer is used to cull through email and crack codes and save the entire planet. It has done so successfully. But now it has found a code that it cannot crack and Susan Fletcher has to use her beautiful body and intelligent mind to solve the problem.

Meanwhile, in Spain, David Becker is on a crazy journey of his own. He has to find a ring because it somehow has something to do with this code. He is able to follow thin clues to track the ring from person to person. Apparently David Becker, with no training (because if he had training, someone in the book Digital Fortress by Dan Brown, would have told us about it) becomes the world’s most brilliant detective. Oh, and also he is given stupid coincidences that tell him where to go next. He is smart and is able to use these giant arrows to find the next person to talk to.

Of course everything turns out to be suspicious and there’s lots of traitors and threats from every side. One thing I did like about the book Digital Fortress, written by Dan Brown, is that there were parts where I honestly didn’t know who the bad guy was. Luckily Dan Brown quickly tells information to make me pay attention to a specific character in his book Digital Fortress and I, the reader, can get back to the important part which is remembering that Susan Fletcher and David Becker are engaged and they are both very intelligent and very beautiful.

The crazy ending was kind of fun because everyone was in the same place sort of screaming and trying to solve the problem before the entire government was shut down, but other than that… What the fuck, America? This is one of our top selling authors?

In conclusion, I did not like the book Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. Not only do I not care for this type of story, I could not get past the writing. How does this happen?

I don’t care if this makes me sound like a book snob, but seriously, this is who we’ve chosen as one of our Must Read Authors? For fuck’s sake.

My book group meets tomorrow and I’m bringing a giant list of discussion questions. Apparently they all hated the book too, including the two people who suggested it for this month. Way to make the rest of us pay for your mistakes.

Digital Fortress is the very first book that Dan Brown published, yet it was the last one of his that I got around to reading. Now, I'm all caught up and eagerly awaiting whatever he comes up with next (aside from his newer children's release). I have a penchant for thrillers and suspense novels, but I haven't quite pinpointed my favorite authors in this genre just yet. I've firmly decided that making that determination will be one of my reading goals for 2021. Before I embark on that journey, though, let's have a little chat about this particular book.

Published way back in 1998, it's crucial for readers to bear in mind that if you're devouring it in the present day, you need to consider how drastically technology and security have evolved over the past two decades. A great deal of the theory and approach presented in the book is quite different from what we know today. While you don't necessarily have to be a tech whiz to enjoy the story, having some understanding definitely helps. And if you happen to know a bit about the field, like I do since I work in it, you'll feel a unique connection. I'll admit, there were times when it got a little too technical for my liking. It wasn't that I couldn't understand it; rather, it made it difficult for me to stay fully focused on the narrative.

All in all, the plot is highly intriguing. A man meets his demise after threatening to expose all the US secrets from the NSA site. He had in his possession a virus and an unbreakable code. What that truly means turns out to be very different from what we ultimately learn in the book. I was absolutely thrilled to solve the very last puzzle and work out the answer on my own. That was indeed a satisfying ending.

The main character is a female technologist who works for a male head of the NSA (actually, there are two male heads, one African American and one Caucasian). Right from the get-go, I was pleased to see the diversity represented and that it was somewhat ahead of its time in that regard. However, she is engaged, and her fiancé becomes embroiled in the plot. There are several trips through Europe, a political nightmare unfolds, and there are plenty of fiery explosions and even some murders!

I'm going to give this book a 3.5, rounded up. For the most part, the plot feels a bit stretched. There really wasn't any reason why the main character's fiancé had to be the one to go to Spain. It seemed more like a convenient plot device. I don't necessarily mind that, as long as he was truly qualified and we got to know him better. That being said, I felt like we ended up knowing him better than the main character herself. She was smart and highly qualified, and she kicked butt on several occasions, but I knew next to nothing about her on a personal level. I just felt a bit too distanced from her.

The villain meets his end almost immediately. Or at least one of them does. So that was a bit of a different experience. But all the engaging, fast-paced dialog and action scenes are really on point. It clearly shows why Dan Brown has evolved into such a great writer. Of all his books, this one probably ranks in the bottom half of my favorites, but it's still definitely worth reading if you're a fan of these types of novels. It will surely draw you in.

A truly exciting story.. With each chapter, things become more complicated and suspicions multiply, surrounding all the people..

In the beginning, I thought that David Baker was North Dakota's business partner... It turns out that Hill is Dakota according to Susan's words.

I'm really looking forward to the end.

...

This story keeps me on the edge of my seat. Every new development makes me question everything I thought I knew. The characters are so well-developed that I find myself invested in their fates. I can't wait to see how it all plays out. Will the truth be revealed? Will the suspicions be confirmed or disproven? Only time will tell, but I'm sure it's going to be a thrilling conclusion.

What would occur if every nation and individual in the world, equipped with a computer, could gain access to every top-secret file of the government? This is precisely what Susan Fletcher and David Becker must prevent in "Digital Fortress" by Dan Brown. Packed with intense action and nail-biting suspense, "Digital Fortress" is a captivating read for anyone who craves excitement.

Dan Brown is renowned for his numerous other action novels, and I have devoured every single one. This particular novel is on par with the rest, written in the same engaging style. By masterfully leaving the suspense lingering throughout his books, Brown ensures that all his novels are thrilling page-turners.

The United States government has recently acquired a colossal computer, TRANSLTR, capable of decrypting any code. A top-secret government agency, the National Security Agency (NSA), has purchased this computer to safeguard against terrorists sending coded messages to their counterparts both within and outside the United States. Fearing that the American people might view TRANSLTR as a violation of privacy, the government has kept this device a closely guarded secret.

Susan Fletcher, the head Cryptographer at the NSA Crypto facility, and David Becker, a foreign-language specialist from Georgetown University, find themselves in the midst of a perilous situation. Commander Greg Strathmore is in charge of the facility, and there are three other Cryptographers and numerous engineers working on TRANSLTR.

Susan Fletcher notices that TRANSLTR has been working on a particular code for eighteen hours, an unusually long time considering most files are decoded in less than one hour. A few days later, a mysterious address sends them an email, challenging the NSA to find a way to shut down Digital Fortress. This virus has the potential to disable TRANSLTR and expose the main government data bank to anyone with Internet access, putting the nation at risk of attack and plunging the citizens into total chaos.

The NSA dispatches David Becker to retrieve the ring containing the code to shut down Digital Fortress. Meanwhile, Susan Fletcher endeavors to convince the head boss of the entire operation that there is a serious problem. Both David and Susan face life-threatening situations, with David nearly being shot to death and Susan narrowly escaping being blown to bits. Will they succeed in averting disaster?

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone seeking an action-packed adventure. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, leaving you pondering the "what if" scenarios. However, if you have a somewhat sensitive stomach, this novel may cause you to look away at times. It is a must-read for those who enjoy being thoroughly engaged in a story until the very end.