Deception Point - Dan Brown

The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons............. the first two books I read by Dan Brown... Gave quite an insight about the Vatican and old and brutal histories connected with it......... I thought I shall not read any more of his books as he seemed to be totally glued to the idea of writing about the Vatican and christian history.

Well when I heard of Deception Point I thought here we go, again more deceptive stories (mind you some of it might even be true) on the same subject. But, when I took a look at the cover I changed my mind and decided to go for the book....

Trust me,,, it took me by surprise...

POLITICS and REAL DIRTY one for that. I didnt know DAN could write on that. Well let me tell you something....... what he has concieved in his imagination and put it down in black and white for us to read, bloody well might be possible as these people can go to any lengths to achieve there ulterior goals.....

The begining of the book was very much DAN BROWN still...... A Murder in the onset of the book......which you loose track of or should I say tend to forget all about, until he wants you to remember and that might be anywhere towards the end of the book...........

Anyways he most certainly has done a very good research on his subject..... Lots of fancy gadgets,,,,,, James bond style and lots of escapes from the claws of death.........Hollywood style.... as I read about the main characters escaping death near the ocean falling from a cliff and in freezing waters, subconciously, I was trying to portray the whole scene in my mind in Hollywood style... this reminded me of a scene from GUNS OF NAVARONE....

This book most certainly is a page turner... Tells one what extent the campaigners for the Presidential elections can go to in the US or anywhere else in the world.... Then one thing good about Dan Brown's writing is that he keeps you guessing about the mastermind till almost the end of the book but he closes his book in a jiffy always.... keeps one wondering why did he have write so much literary stuff and then end in such a quick move....... Anyways it was a good read and I personally would recommend it to anyone who loves to read fiction. A word of advice '' DONT BE DECIEVED BY THINKING THIS BOOKS IS ALSO IN LINE WITH HIS EARLIER TWO BOOKS IF YOU STILL WANT TO CONTINUE WITH HIS SAVING THE WORLD FROM THE OLD BRUTAL SYSTEM''..

Happy reading....

If you like my review thanks a lot and if you didnt thanks a lots again but do let me know why?????? you did not like it...... I do not write much about the story in my reviews as I would like you to read it....

Written by THE Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons and Digital Fortress, this review promises to be a fast read, and also as good in deceiving you as much as Dan Brown.

Dan Brown always starts off his novels with a murder.

In the loneliness of the Arctic a geologist is murdered in by a team of soldiers who appear out of nowhere, force him and his pack of sleigh dogs off into a a helicopter and send them hurtling down a chasm in the Arctic. As with all of his novels the patent Dan Brown formula of deception is used - we don't find out why this man was murdered until much later on, when the plot starts to really unfold.

The story moves in parallel in two areas - the White House where and impending Presidential Race with the election coming right up and in the coldness of the Arctic where a group of scientists and civilians have been sent by the President to examine and confirm the authenticity of a very rare object found by NASA's POD satellites. Hang on for what this rare object is. (when reviewing Dan Brown, add cliff hangers to every paragraph - grin! ).

The main characters can be described in short sentences as follows (since they are hardly fleshed out unlike as in great literature):

Sedgewick Sexton - The ambitious, and as Dan Brown quickly points out, a ladies man, is running for the Presidency and whose campaign is fast gaining steam and is hoping to knock out current President Zach Herney. As in Da Vinci Code (Legaludec - legal duce ; Leigh Teabing - Leigh & Baigent, authors of Holy Blood Holy Grail) his name is alliterative though thankfully not an anagram.

Rachel Sexton is the daughter of senator Sedgewick Sexton. She is at odds with him personally and politically. So Rachel is a pretty intelligence agent for the NRO.

NRO? - well, it’s a shortform for the National Reconnaissance Office, whose mission is Enabling U.S. Global Information Superiority, During Peace and Through War.

William Pickering, director of the NRO, a man who seems to be very patriotic in his ideals.

Michael Tolland, a handsome-looking scholar cum TV star with his own highly-rated science for masses program, who has been brought to the Artic because of his presentation skills on scientific matters.

President Zach Herney - a man of principles, the god-mother whom Rachel and everybody including Dan Brown place their complete trust in.

Rachel is sent by the President to the Arctic to examine and confirm the authenticity of this rare object found by NASA, and teams up with other scientists.

Why is the president eagerly chasing a scientific discovery by NASA? Since currently failing NASA is one of his campaign's sore points this object may give the President a huge boost in the election campaign, and as Senator Sexton has made it a habit to point out glaring deficiencies and failures of the space program, this discovery is going to be his trump card.

However, the discovery that everyone thought was so good till now now starts to show signs of foul play - a chain of deception, murder, conspiracy and twists and turns ensures that this is another Dan Brown page turner. Saying anything beyond this twisty statement would totally ruin the surprises built into each page.

However, Rachel and the others soon find out that this trip is much, much more than they ever have bargained for. One conspiracy leads to another, and as evidence of a huge conspiracy begins to unfold right before their eyes, they become hunted by a secret covert military force.

Dan Brown shows incredible research breadth, covering a wide range of topics from NASA, the NRO, the Space Frontier Foundation, Delta-Force, and multiple technologies that sound highly advanced and extremely exciting because the technologies seem actually on the verge of the possible and doable. I appreciate the peeps he gives us into inside machinery - both in Da Vinci code and this book, not just because it shows his pain-staking research, but some of the topics on sciene and religion seem everyday and close to your heart by his narration. However some redrs might be daunted when they encounter huge chunks of jargon which can usually be found only in a quantum physics book. The other qualm I have against Dan Brown is that his endings usually are rushed and seem a sheer drop after the elevating heights he takes you to.

I enjoyed this book because Brown manages to put intrigue into every page. Here, of all books, you are riveted to the action - most of it is sadly Hollywood style (sharks? Ice shelf drifting off into the ocean with Rachel and folks sitting on it? Killing assassins coming down a helicopter?) though some is really innovative and hits you with something you did not expect at all (using nanotechnology and micro robots the size of mosquitoes to spy on people, take photos - the Delta Force even kill a scientist by hitting him with a guided robot on the eye ball!) .

The chapters are SHORT. Almost maddeningly, he ends a chapter on a cliff hanger and then goes to an entirely different subject, not explaining what just happened until a little bit later in the next chapter. Just leave us, the reader, wanting a little bit more, turning the pages till you reach THE END.

If you enjoy mysteries that is Ok - this book doesn't assume that the reader is stupid, however it gives too many red herrings and of course you are either shocked near the end it is who it is revealed who ''the controller'' is or you have given up guessing.

Sort of spoilers follow, though even I will be mysterious about the whole thing so that Dan Brown manages to sell enough copies to eke out a living (I can hear you saying - say that again, he has made $350 million already, where were you while the Da Vinci Code runs top of the best seller list - grin!!)

The Plot

Sedgewick Sexton a senator whom the sorting hat in Harry Potter would have placed in the house of Slytherin :-) and is running for President. His daughter works in government intelligence and the President requests her into going to the Arctic to learn about NASA's newest discovery -- a meteorite buried deep in the ice. This meteorite is more than what it seems and a number of NASA and civilian scientists are investigating it. One of these scientists Michael Tolland is a young, hunky version of Jacques Cousteau. Together the two of them discover the secrets of the meteorite and uncover some plots.

Dan Brown Pens Suspense

The plotting is not that hard to see through if you have read Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons already. The greatest flaw in the book is the constant heavy-handed attempts at secrecy and suspense. Many times characters would explain something to each other without explaining it to the reader. The book equivalent of two characters on screen psst-psst whispering a scheme to each other before carrying it out.

This is standard Dan Brown job - Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes would at least give readers a fair chance.

For example, the geologist (who is murdered in the prologue) is given a message for transmission before he is killed off. You wanted to know what the message was? Well, you'll have to keep reading, won't you? I would have loved Brown more if he could have worked out ways of laying everything bare and yet doing a good job of Deception!

As usual there is the Author's Note stating 'All technologies described in this novel exist'.

These author's notes get him into trouble - the effect is the same as Da Vinci Code making people believe that Jesus had a matrimonial relationship with Mary Magdalene - he has nanobots flying around and wants to tell us that this is plausible and are in use now by secret government agencies.

Final Thoughts

You won’t come out of it till you read the last page, so be sure not to start at the beginning of late night!

The Plot

NASA has made an exciting discovery in the Arctic Circle. In order to verify this discovery, the President of the United States, assigns a team of civilian scientists and NRO fact-checker Rachel Sexton. If the discovery is verified, it would hold tremendous importance to the world as well as to the President who is facing elections and a strong opponent, and will help redeem the money-sucking NASA in the eyes of the American public.

A few hours before the discovery is made public by the President, Rachel and the team of scientists uncover a bizarre trail of evidence that can have shocking complications but before they can inform anybody, they are set upon by a trail of assasins. With the assasins on their trail and not knowing whom to trust, can Rachel Sexton and her companions survive and make the truth known to the innocent public?

Ok, that's about all of the plot that I am going to discuss, seeing as there are so many more reviews before me which do a great job. I will say that anyone familiar with Dan Brown's style of writing can read this book with every expectation of enjoyment. What I am going to do in this review is loosely discuss Dan Brown's work !

Warning : If you havnt read any of his books or even this particular one, there are going to be a couple of spoilers so you might not want to read on

The chronology of Dan Brown's novels is as follows - Digital Fortress (DF), Angels and Demons (A&D), Deception Point (DP) and Da Vinci Code (DVC). DF is based on digital cryptography, A&D and DVC have the religious symbologist Robert Langdon and DP is based on politics. Each of the books have a good plot, fast pace in the writing and generally take place in the time span of a single day. But, I find that the climaxes of the first 3 books are written almost with a Hollywood point-of-view, with lots of explosions, super-hero acts and betrayal and deceit.

'Brown'ian Laws of Physics and Probability

Let's look at each of the climaxes of the first 3 books in turn -

DF - Susan Fletcher is able to escape from an exploding building by guessing a password for a password-protected elevator. Lost of explosions etc abound. While this is not so probable, it's not beyond possible so I dont have too much to say about the climax of this one.

A&D - Robert Langdon makes use of a conveniently placed tarpaulin to jump off a flying helicopter. Is this a convenient plot device ?? If I was the author, I would have atleast made sure that a second parachute was placed in the copter after the wacko priest made off with one. After jumping from the copter, flying through the air, managing to steer himself with the tarp, landing in a river, being fished out half dead, RL is still able to stand on his feet and run off towards the Vatican.

Here he comes to save the day .... :)

This I found was one of the most ludicrous climaxes of all his books. I read DVC first and this book later and found that the character of RL started to get on my nerves here and he wasnt helped by Dan Brown evolving him into some sort of present-day super-hero.

DP - Again, there are enough of explosions, rescues from an underwater volcano, hammerhead sharks, budding whirlpool and escape by civilians from a special-ops military team to keep Hollywood satisfied and die-hard DB fans engrossed. The only difference here is that the main character, Rachel Sexton (a kind of feminine Robert Langdon), needs to be rescued by a scientist, Michael Tolland.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), after these 3 books, Hollywood finally picked up DVC, which didnt have super-hero tactics and which had the tightest plot of all the 4 novels. Looks like Dan Brown learnt a lot from his first 3 books and managed to pen a totally engrossing thriller on an unlikely subject. Cant say I'm complaining. I had no intention of reading another budding Clive Cussler!

The 'Et Tu Brute' Syndrome

Dan Brown's villains seem so predictable. After the first 2 books I read, I succesfully predicted the aggressors in the remaining two. They always seem to be someone the heroine (or hero in DVC), places implicit faith in, looks upto as a mentor and is terribly betrayed by in the end. I think we need a new set of villains from him, especially since the way he writes the books, we are meant to be kept guessing as to the identity of the villain and it doesnt do to make them sooo predictable.

Chapter Climaxes

Does anyone else get irritated with the little chapter climaxes that Dan Brown keeps putting into all his books? What I mean is that just when the characters are on the brink of an important discovery, the chapter ends, the next chapter either has mundane segues by the character into some silly childhood memory or else he focuses on someone else in his plot. I guess, this is the literal definition of a 'page-turning' thriller. I find myself turning pages until I read about the discovery, then going back and re-reading the rest with some peace of mind :D Anyway, I just wish he wouldnt do things like this.

Some of the memories of the characters arent as important to the plot, nor is the endless justification being carried out by the villains. In DP, the characters are being followed by assasins and still Michael Tolland takes time off to show off his information about hammerhead sharks, explain his reasoning behind search terms he enters into a site (nowadays, I dont think anyone needs in-depth explanation of internet searching, google has made everyone familiar with the fundamentals) and the villain goes off into random speeches of self-justification. Maybe, this is Writing 101, but as a reader I find it extremely distracting.

So, why read him ??

Even with some of these minor irritants, I still prefer Dan Brown over say, Clive Cussler or even James Bond. I am amazed at the amount of information that he manages to pack into his novels and as someone who loves little bits of trivia, this is just one of the things that keeps me hooked onto his books. His knowledge from something as different as 'pranayama', to an in-depth understanding of military weapons and technology, politics or something even as crazy as the properties of urine :) make his books totally interesting to read and guarantee that I'm hooked to each one I start reading.

Since I'm not much of a spy gal, I really like the subjects, plots and stories of most of his books. I think he is one person guaranteed to take a interesting, new subject, do the maximum amount of research on it and produce a wonderful read. Now, if only he can manage to stay away from his penchant for trying to impress Hollywood, I will look forward to the next books written by him with every intention of being thoroughly entertained.

Any of Dan Brown's fans out there, do let me know what you think of his work, if you agree with me, think I am talking total nonsense or even anything else you would like to discuss about DB's work.

Thank you for reading!

I immediately picked up a copy of ''Deception Point'' as soon as I finished reading ''Angels & Demons''. As I mentioned in my review on ''Angels & Demons'', the reason why I chose to read Dan Brown's works was purely for ''Da Vinci Code''.

But yet I have to admit that I read ''Deception Point'' for the kind of intricate weaving of the characters and the plots in the two works that I read prior.

''Deception Point'' is a beautiful piece of work based on political issues faced during the presidential elections. Dan Brown has shown his ability to shift genres between religious sci-thriller to a political sci-thriller with perfect ease without losing his attirbute of producing a ''factual fiction''. His works are truly commendable.

''Deception Point'' has definately brought to surface Dan Brown's skill in understanding political psychology. He has carefully positioned his pawns on the chessboard to bring forth an excellent battle of political minds and an exciting finish to the game.

Yet somewhere down the end I found the novel a bit too racing as if Dan Brown was about to miss his Sunday game of football but still has managed to do justice to the climax. As soon as the readers knew who was the culprit in the deceitful plot which ended well before a few concluding chapters, Dan Brown raced to conclude the novel. The moment I kept novel down I knew some essence was lost after the plot but overall is insignificant since the novel has been a fantastic read through till the plot was revealed.

Readers may find themselves out of place with the scientific terms mentioned in the book but an honest attempt has been made to explain well to the understanding of the common reader. That is one characteristic of Dan Brown I like the most. My friends have told me that they found the shift of genres from religious sci-thrillers to political sci-thriller very easy to follow only for this attribute of Dan Brown.

A very well edited story. No breaks in between. The links are perfect. Deceit as always has been the basic flavour in all his works as is should be to spice up any thriller.

Definately a must read for political buffs and sci-thriller freaks.

Like many a guys, I was also into reverse gear wrt Dan Brown.. Yeah I started with the much hyped The Da Vinci Code, then went for Angels and Demons and after 4 months I read The Deception Point.

Let me share some of the similarities between these three novels..

After all these 3 novels, you can really find some stark similarities between the narration, the situations and characters.

1: To start with, in all the three the villains were right in their own belief. They want to save something at the expense of a few others. In the case of Aringarosa (DVC) he wanted to save the Opus Dei, In the case of Camerlegno Ventresca(A&D) he wants to restore the Vatican's pride and in this case it is William Pickering who wants to save NASA and prevent space exploration to go to private hands. Teh villains in all the three seem to help the protagonists until they were revealed who they are.

2: In all the three novels , the story happens in about a day only.

3: There is a hit man/men in all the three novels. It was the albino monk Silas in DVC, Hashshashin in A&D and worse, it is a Delta Force Team in Deception Point. They all die in the end.

4: All the three novels start with a murder which is executed by the hit men.

5: The lead is always an intelligent pair, only in the Deception Point the female gets more lime light.

6: A particular organisation is demonised in all the novels. It was Opus Dei and Vatican in DVC, CERN in A&D and NRO in The Deception Point

7: Last but not the least... the Lead pair involves in sex at the end of each novel.. :-)

Best and the worst of the novel.

Unlike the other two novels this has less factual information. He deals with some activities of NRO and nothing much. So it is just the action that should interest you.. (In DVC the so called facts impressed me more than the plot..). But Dan has done a better thing as far as action goes. One thing I hate is how he keeps us guessing the villain just for the sake of it.. He even describes the mind of Pickering before disclosing that he is the villain. He reminds about the death of Pickering's daughter and the fight with Tench and the President over the privatisation of NASA. This he forces us to believe that Pickering is not the villain.. (Actually Dan Brown himself deceives the reader.. Deception Point???)

So the suspense does not come naturally .. It is forced on us..

But overall it is a good time pass.. (Unlike Sydney Sheldons...!!!)

Some Gaffes

1:How the leads escape from such a ruthless force like Delta Force.?? That too they see them drift away in the glacier.. Bit too much to believe.

2: No top scientists were able to guess if the photoplankton could have come from beneath the meteorite..(I'm telling this because I was able to guess...)

''Deception Point'' opens in Washington, DC, during a tight Presidential campaign. The incumbent, a man of strong principles, is a major NASA supporter. His opponent, who is basing his campaign on turning NASA into a private, non-governmental agency, thus saving the US taxpayer billions of dollars annually, is way up in the polls. He is also accepting enormous illegal campaign contributions from private aerospace companies who have billions to gain from the privatization of NASA. After many failures & much spending, NASA is badly in need of a success.

Then a NASA satellite detects a large, high-density rock buried 200 feet below the Milne Ice Shelf on Ellesmere Island, high in the Arctic Circle. NASA scientists determine the rock to be a meteor containing fossils proving that life exists elsewhere in the universe.

To verify the authenticity of the find, the White House sends a team of independent experts to the NASA habisphere, built over the meteor in the Arctic Circle. One of these experts is the intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton, the daughter of Senator Sedgewick Sexton. Senator Sexton is the man running for election against the President of the United States. The plot thickens.

Rachel, while in the Arctic, uncovers what could be scientific trickery - an incredible deception that could cause political and scientific upheaval and cost the President his bid for re-election. When she & her colleagues attempt to investigate further, they are plunged into life threatening danger. To escape assassination they flee for their lives. Their only hope for survival is to discover who is behind this extraordinary plot and expose the truth.

Dan Brown has proven to be one of the top writers in the suspense-thriller genre. The originality of his plots, his amazingly accurate research, and his ability to catch the reader's interest from the get-go and hold it until the last word in the last sentence of the last page, make him an exceptional author. Plus, after completing each of Dan Brown's books, the reader usually comes away from the experience having learned much more than a storyline. I loved ''Deception Point'' - couldn't put it down. I also highly recommend ''The Da Vinci Code'' and ''Angels and Demons.''

Hi,

Dan Brown is the author of ‘The Da Vinci Code’. Mentioning the name of this one book is enough introduction for the author. Dan Brown’s novels are based on real life institutions and organizations and generally the technologies that are described and every other thing except the story are true. He generally chooses covert organizations to base the stories of his novels and this time too, he has done exactly the same. But the trademark Dan Brown punch is somewhere missing in this novel, still it makes for a very disturbing read (for that I mean it is one hell of a story!).

The Story and Characters

Rachel Sexton is daughter of Senator Sedgewick Sexton who is the front runner and a very strong candidate for Presidency of USA. Rachel works for NRO (National Reconnaissance Organization).

Now let’s come to the outlines of the story. NASA has found proof of extraterrestrial life – that too on earth. They have found a large meteorite buried in Arctic Ice (Milne Glacier) on North Pole. When the rock is studied by NASA scientists and other civilian scientists they come to a unanimous decision that this rock is not something they had ever seen on Earth (which makes it pretty obvious to assume that it is not from Earth i.e. from Space somewhere, but read the words in bold once again!!).

In that rock they have found some fossils which also point to a kind of species that has never been observed on earth and the existence of such species on Earth is a question of debate!! This makes it obvious that the species are not from Earth, hence, from some other planet.

Rachel Sexton is sent to the site of meteorite by current President Herney – to observe everything and make a gist of it and report to the White House Staff. Rachel tells the historical news to the staff and everyone is excited. But after everything is said and done and it’s time to enjoy the glory – Rachel and three other civilian scientists with her discover something that will shake the whole world. It will become a historical fraud and people with power will try to shut the mouth of Rachel – the only way to do it will be to kill her and three civilian scientists.

Comments

I did not tell the whole story because I guess upto some extent it will spoil the interest of people who have not read it yet. People who have read it know already what I am talking about!

The moment Rachel discovers the fraud and sends the information to Senator Sexton the story actually stops because the news will be made public now. So that’s one thing for sure because nobody kills the strongest Presidential Candidate – not even Delta Force!! So, what is left is nothing but a survival run for life and a long vain chase. Generally in Dan’s novels the story ends in last 10 pages i.e. the punch is delivered just as the story is about to end. Here in it was delivered must earlier. For people who have read there share of fiction don’t really read the chase sequences (i.e. until it is USP of the story, here in the USP is the great fraud committed by influential people and not the chase so one can easily skim through it, because once you know the fraud is unveiled, it is logical that the person who unveiled it is not going to die!) because they know the end. But for beginners I think it will be worth-your-money novel.

Still, it is a good novel, makes for a nice read during a long journey and times like that. But the concept is shaking. I guess this novel need to be read and one needs to think seriously about the kinds of things this story suggests.

Happy Reading,

Khagesh Gautam

My calendar says 19 May, 2006 is 310 days away, the day The DaVinci Code will be released in theatres worldwide.

Jeez! I mean, 10 months away - ah, that sounds shorter.

Time and tide wait for no man.

Tsunami, I'm not bothered about you. So shaddap. Time, I need your favour. Will you please pull 2006 quicker? Won't you fulfill my DaVinci desire? What? Sorry, you say? Sob! I knew I couldn't trust you. Our relationship is a sham. The deception should stop here...

Dan Brown, the author of Digital Fortress, Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code - hi there. I remember salivating shamelessly over the Code. Not satisfied grinning at my childish drool, you tempt me again by throwing another irresistible cookie, ~ Deception Point ~.

Intelligence liason to the White House and a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) employee, Rachel Sexton is ordered by the President of United States Zach Herney to report about a significant NASA discovery in the Artic Ice. The discovery stuns her beyond belief. However, her day in the Artic begins to turn horribly wrong. Investigating something queer on the ice, Rachel and 3 civilian scientists fall on a shocking truth. Too late. A professional team of military trained killers close in to ensure the truth is not revealed to the world.

Meanwhile, in the political circles of Washington, Rachel's father Senator Sedgewick Sexton prepares furiously to throw Zach Herney from the office and be the next most powerful man. However, his personal assistant Gabrielle Ashe discover something that betrays her complete trust on the Senator.

The NASA discovery will have a direct impact on the political ambitions of US President Herney and Senator Sexton. So will the ugly truths uncovered by Rachel and Gabrielle Ashe. Will treachery win or will the truth survive?

Deception Point is a fast-paced rocking thriller from the smart pen of Dan Brown. The never-say-die attitude to reveal the grim facts by Rachel, Gabrielle and oceanographer Michael Tolland is a sparkling contrast to the likes of the controller, a leader who will sacrifice lives to bury the truth behind NASA discovery or Senator Sexton, who has no qualm to risk his family's lives for power. Is the book another Hollywood blockbuster in the making? Sure, if someone can dole out enough moolah. Deception Point has enough action, science and political drama to rival the best in showbiz. A noteworthy scene I'd like to mention is Gabrielle's stealth entry into the highly secured NASA headquarters. Hilarious yet brilliant. Another humorous yet fab act is when one of the civilan scientists Corky Marlinson pees on his leg to avoid......

However, there are some minor turns in the book that left me unconvinced, especially the death of one of the deadly assassins. His death at sea looks too simple. Am not revealing more, those who read DP will surely figure what I'm saying or perhaps, I'm suffering from a bad case of Dan Brown block :)

Hell!, it doesn't matter in the large scheme of things. DP deserves the 5-star rating anyway despite a few unbelievable touches.

Okay, so my movie wishlist now includes The DaVinci Code and the Deception Point (if a Hollywood bigshot says yes). Will the dream turn true? Mr. Tsunami, shut up. Time, please fulfill my desire.

Coming back to Dan Brown...you're amazing.

But pray tell me, what were you doing in my dream? You said something like you feel uncomfortable by the worldwide attention. I understand your concern. Say what? Stop writing. Take the next flight to Bahamas and be a tourist guide for the rest of your life. Swell idea, eh? Yeah, right! As if you ever listen to me.

Bathe in the media glare, ok? Don't expect me to rescue you dry with a towel and some clothes anymore! Continue serving your controversial, exhilarating thrillers. And continue to tempt me.

In recent times if any author has impressed me after Paulo Coelho it certainly is Dan Brown.

I picked up Da Vinci Code because everybody was talking about it. One just had to read it to be part of the conversation with friends... you know one of those things.

Not that I didn't like the book or anything. It is a great read.

And then at the signal one day (yes I do buy cheaper versions of books sometimes!!!) the guy flashed Deception Point and the fact that he had the information that it was from the same author of Da Vinci Code.. kinda impressed me and I casually picked up the book.

It took me a while to actually get down to reading the book because I was finishing Paulo Coelho's Veronica Decides to Die ... and everyone at my work place would pick up Deception Point and not seem to return it.

That is right.. right from the first page .. the story is addictive. You just have to get to the next page and the next one after that .. which is an amazing quality with Dan Brown.

The 557 pages just bring one interesting twist after the other and also that he has two parallel stories running keeps you kinda on the reading edge.

The story is primarily about this woman whose father is contesting for being the next President of the United States. The existing President is however trying to save his chair and is pretty kicked about a new discovery that NASA has recently made.

I am one of those people who never believed in the man on the moon phenomenon, so reading about this NASA discovery was that much more interesting.

The things people will do for power is beyond the imagination of many.

Without divulging any more information about the book, I would just like to say that it is a gread read and total paisa vasool (all 70 bucks!!!)

Just check out my profile....I've mentioned repeatedly.....that Dan Brown is the best author in the business. This book, Deception Point is one of the four books authored by him. It was also the last book of his......that I read. Earlier I had finished the other 3 books which were

Angels and Demons

The Da Vinci Code and

Digital Fortress.

Let me tell you a bit about the book......It generally relates about a discovery made in the Milne Shelf in the Arctic, where NASA finds a meteorite. Nothing special about that, huh....we find one all the time....I even found one in my room 3 days ago. But this rock had fossils of some bugs on them....and so if the meteorite is from outer space....which it is....those bugs had to be extra-terrestials.....

Now....that species are kind of the batchmates of my dog.....who's an extra-terrestial himself.....or so he claims to be. But then....the main character of the book....Rachel Sexton (i'd love a girl with a name like that), who is a data compiler and analyser for the White House.....uncovers some dark truths about the meteriorite.

What and how they discover it is for you to read.....but the various types of research, the geologic structure of a rock, the various tests done, the 'corky' comments made by the scientists........all this stuff makes the book un-put-down-able and a worthy read.

The book....like all Dan Browns makes you guess.....till the end....and even when you finally guess at the last 10 pages.......once you finish the book.....you find out.....you're still wrong. The book is like the India-Pakistan match where Pakistan made 314....and Hrishikesh Kanitkar hit a boundry of the second last ball of the match when we needed 3 runs to win of 2 balls. Until you finish the last page....you're never sure who's the culprit who deceived a lot of people with regards to the meteriorite.

Something of a boost for you to read a book is the fact....that the meteriorite actually is a real meteriorite....but the way they implant the fossils in it....the various tests to determine the meteriorites age, its extraction and excavation and vivid and descriptive detailing is what makes the book.....simply put 'one of the best books i've ever read'.

Oh...gotta go and feed my extra-terrestial dog........he wants a Marie Biscuit.......

For a Dan Brown's book, Deception Point can take a little longer to

finish. You definitely feel that way if you are reading it after The

Da Vinci Code. Does it mean it is not racy and fast-paced? On the contrary, it is as much a page-turner. But, if there is one book of Brown that should

loudly call for an illustrated version, this is the one. A book where

the power of expression often can't quite keep up with the power of

imagination.

The highly mechanical descriptions about happenings at the habisphere,

and the action sequences on the Goya ship, leave you working hard, trying to visualize the environs for a while, only to give up later, sighing

'Whatever! Let us just focus on what is happening, not so much on

how'.

The drama is quite engaging, and the characters are well etched out.

Well almost! When the identity of the signature-style bad guy, 'the

controller' this time, who stays behind the curtain for the usual

four fifths of the story, is revealed, you want to say 'oh, come on'

instead of 'wow, how clever'.

It is with the 'on the dot' precision and crisp handling of the conflicts (deftly brought out through conversations) that Dan Brown scores big here. He brings out the vanity and the insecurity of the power brokers without getting too melodramatic.

Having read the international bestseller Da Vinci Code, no one can deny that reading all of Dan Brown books is inevitable.

The pace, the grip, the suspense, the thrill and the claims made by him about the facts in the books to be true, attract you towards his novels.

Deception Point is very fast. I read the book in one day although I have an average speed. The book is based on space, biology, secret technologies and advanced robotic machinery. Maybe you are not sure, how about flying housefly-size spy cameras or weapons controlled by a remote? Or guns which use the resources from the surrounding environment as bullets (eg. ice, sand).

Its beginning may seem a little dull but as you move on with the book you hardly have time to blink. Its base theme is more like a Jeffery Archer novel, who has also written about US presidential election in some of his books but add on to it Dan Brown’s genius mind and you’ll have a complete thriller.

The story goes as - NASA makes a discovery and it is a huge step towards space exploration, but it is being kept a secret. A few who know about it are thrilled. Four of the few people who know about the discovery stumble on a shocking truth about it because of which they have to run for there lives as there are people who want the truth to be a secret.

As in all other three books of Dan Brown, the prologue of this one also is a description of murder, which starts the thrill and the action and keeps the reader glued to the pages. The reader wants to read the book faster and faster but when he finishes it he regrets doing so.

The research done by Dan Brown is great and his effort has to be appreciated, as all the breathtaking technologies described in the book exist.(given in the author's note)

I hope by now u must have realized that I strongly recommend this book for all readers who like action, science and advanced technologies.

Hi I am an avid reader ..and have been reading books for quite a while now.

I took up Deception point bcos I heard it was frm the same author who wrote Da Vinci Code(which incidently I have not read yet!).But to tell u the truth after reading the first 1 or 2 chapters the book began to appear very ordinary to me.

If u r the kind who finds Sidney Sheldon's books ''masala'' packed like the plot and the scenes are a put on then u will observe the same things over here. It has the familiar twist in the plot and bits of romance thrown in to evoke interest. The language used for narrating is very ordinary .. so dont expect any literary magic in the book.

Beginners to the reading habit will find this book very interesting .. but veterans will be left with the ''been there read that feeling'' !

Hopefully Da Vinci Code will be a better read. :-)

Dan Brown?s ?Deception Point? is a science thriller.It explores many scientific disciplines.Included in the scope of the novel are science subjects like Astrophysics,Geology,Marine Biology,Aeronautics,Glaciology,Paleontology,Advanced Ballistics.

>The wonders of the sea are laid open for the reader and the basics of naval architecture are considered.The level of sophistication of the various sciences is quite high.At times,it is quite difficult to understand what has been written without re-reading many times.

>The novel talks about the city of Washington D.C.The author introduces us to various aspects of the city-political,historical and governmental.This novel is a rare one where the central theme is not a murder or a theft.Instead,it is blatant scientific forgery around which the story has been weaved. Other than the science,this book,like Dan Brown?s other books is quite easy to read.

>Zach Herney is the incumbent president.Senator Sedgewick Sexton looks all set to challenge him in the forthcoming presidential polls.Sexton?s daughter Rachel works with National Reconnaissance Office(NRO).The NRO is headed by William Pickering.Rachel is a gister.Rachel does not like her father who is having an affair with aide Gabrielle Ashe.

>One morning Rachel is picked up in a helicopter by presidential personnel.She then boards a plane which takes her to the Arctic Circle.She enters a NASA facility where she meets administrator Lawrence Ekstrom. She also meets TV Scientist Mike Tolland,an astrophysicist Corky Marlinson,paleontologist Wailee Ming and glaciologist Norah Mangor.

>It is revealed to Rachel that a meteorite has been discovered nearby with remains of extra-terrestrial lice embedded in it.It is a major achievement for NASA.Everyone is elated.However,all kinds of problems begin to show up.As the meteorite is removed from fresh water,the said water begins to behave like sea water.

>Little by little other pieces of evidence emerge that suggest that the meteorite and the lice are actually a hoax.Everything has been carefully created by human beings to suit testing requirements.Neither the president nor NASA are involved directly in the hoax.

Who,then,is the controller who has not only committed a huge forgery but is also bent upon killing anyone who knows his secret.Read this gripping hi-tech novel by Dan Brown to find out.

I Mr. Khudwinder was walking one day on the road and on a road side book stall I saw this book with the title ''Deception Point''. Now looking at deception I thought it was a book about a man cheating on his wife, but it turns out to be the story of a government cheating its peoples.

Now this is very common in India so nothing new, but then there is a comet in the ice in antartica. Scientist go flying to the place and build a big Igloo out of rubber, they boil the ice and pull the comet out and then phunny things happen. The delta force shoot ice bullets boom boom boom and the hero, heroine and comedian, run vroom vroom vroom. Then they fall of the ice and end up in the sea. Then submarine come to save their souls. And from there on many things happen and ohh I forgot there are Sharks also in the sea.

Hello and welcome to this review folks and at this point I must apologize on behalf of my good friend Mr. Khudwinder, for his what shall I say, rather interesting explanation of the book. But since he happens to have read and memorised the story lets see what he has to say about it.

Me:- So Khudwinder Bhai, what can you tell me about the author's writing style, I mean did you like the way the author has written it?

Khudwinder:- Arey Bhai, this is a thriller movie type of book. Lots of Dishum Dishum, Lots of new scientific technologies, like guns which have natural amunition from sand water and ice, micro robots, silent helicopters etcetra etcetra and Ohh,

lots of sharks in the sea.

Me:- Hmmm... would you then say that the plot is a good one and that it makes sense?

Khudwinder:- Abb what to tell ji, Dan Brownji has written it in a way that I find it very much like that Mithun Dada phillum. Now where else will a commando take a helicopter (silent helicopterji) into Washington D.C. city and shoot a car with one

passenger in it. What a waste of money, instead main boloon ji, I would have taken the helicopter (that silent helicopterji) and and I would have killed the sharks in the sea.

Me:- Do you feel that the characters have been tailor made for the plot?

Khudwinder:- Arey I did not see what they where wearing, it is a book yaar how can I tell whether the tailor stitched their clothes well?

(OOOOpsss wrong way to put the querry forward.)

Me:- Let me ask it in a different way, do you think that the characters were correct for this story, I mean where you comfortable, in accepting the characters?

Khudwinder:- Ohhh that ji, Yes Yes, the hero, heroine, side actors and villian were all good. They had interesting backdrops, (me ...Backgrounds you mean ?) Yes yes that that, and their acting in the book is also good. the sharks are also good.

Me:- The book has a good plot, I mean story, would you agree or disagree?

Khudwider:- Now this is a good question, if you look at it from my point of view, I feel that the book has a story that maybe possible but if I think about the money they have to spend in doing all that then it is waste ji, but my 12 year old son liked it a bit, only he never understood why any fool would dig a tunnel in the ice from below to put a stone inside it. Anyway me and son, we both think the sharks to be interesting ji.

This is turning to a Shark Tale rather then a description of the book, so let me ask him the important question and be done with it.

Me:- So would you suggest other people to buy the book and read it?

Khudwinder:- I say, if a man or woman is travelling and he is bored, then let him buy this book and read it, good timepass and then he can feed the books to the sharks. By the way do you think Sharks eat paper?

Well that should give you rough idea of the book, omitting the sharks though and since Khudwinder made me read the book, I say, its alright to read a book like this once. Once and Only Once! and please switch off the grey area of your brain and feed the thinking cap to the sharks and read on.....For as a general Dan Brown bench mark, this book is also devoid of reason!

Of the 4 novels, no doubt The Da Vinci Code of Dan Brown remains the best. But the master of thrilling writing does not disappoint with The Deception Point.

It begins with the tiff between the US President and the Senator with the elections nearing. The senator is in constant criticism of the US President's overspending on NASA. While NASA relentlessly faces one failure after another.

Amidst the verbal battling, NASA makes an interesting discovery in the Artic Ice that is not only earth shattering but will make a lot of difference to Presidential vote count.

Known scientists and oceanologists from around the world authenticate the discovery. Between the set of world-renowned intellectuals is also caught Rachel, the White house Intelligence Analyst.

What sets Rachel apart from the rest is the one truth?she is the Senator's daughter. In the sheets of white ice, they discover black truths that can be lethal for their lives. And hence, starts the race?the race for their lives and a race to inform the President.

Is the US President a part of the guile? Is it the Senator's plan to win elections?

All this and more?packed in The Deception Point.

Something very reassuring about the fiction. Our Indian politicians are not the only corrupted bunch- they have company all over the world.

I loved Dan Brown for his Da Vinci code, even Da Vinci code at times has a long chasing and cinematic sequences that take off the course of the main theme, overall it was a very good read.

I started reading this book only because it was from DB. This Book Deception Point is really a 'Deception' from Dan Brown. The theme is about US Presidential elections. It resembles the Bush Kerry Fight. The books starts good and goes well(not so well too ) till a point where the four scientists and Rachel Sexton arrive to examine the so called Meteorite.

The Detla forces being after them and the scientists hell bent on proving that the Meteorite is fake when they are being chased and killed is all funny and unrealistic. Fiction does not mean characters also play fictitious behaviour. I am really pissed off by Literature. There is no so called good book.

Dan Brown wrote Deception Point in 2001. This is the 3rd book I have read by him.

On the cover of the book you will see an igloo, a derrick, an American Flag and a few large satellite dish pointed towards the dark sky.

I could imagine what this book was going to be about.

..:The Plot:.

President Herney, is trying to get re-elected as President of the United States. Senator Sexton, his opponent, has powerful friends. His supporters are businesses, who will profit, if he is elected.

President Clinton, (in 1996), that NASA had proof that there was life on other planets. The information was premature.

President Zachary Henrney, was told that a rare object was buried in some ice in the Arctic. Rachel Sexton, (his opponent's daughter), works for President Herney.

She is the person who will brief him on this, before he confirms this, to the people of the United States.

.:What I Thought:.

I found the beginning of this book to be a bit slow, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down.

He has developed each of his characters very well.

Brown has an incredibly imaginative. The entire story takes place in one day, and it is just amazing how much happens to the characters. Like every good thriller, not all of the likeable characters are good and not all of the unlikeable characters are bad.

There is no way I knew what was going to happen next, as he definitely keeps the reader guessing until the very end.

.:My Final Thoughts:.

This book is well worth the read and I highly recommend it.

I bought the paperback book for $5.00 CAD at a used book store. ISBN #07435758.

It is also available in hard cover and on an audio cassette.

Thank you for reading my review.

©LL2004

Deception Point - Dan Brown

'Deception Point' by Dan Brown is his non Vatican novel. The word Vatican does not occur even once in this novel.

The novel is based on the backdrop of presidential elections in the United States.Senator Sedgewick Sexton and incumbent President Zach Herney are both involved in the race for the presidential post.One of the main issues in the campaign is funding of NASA .While the President is a NASA supporter , Sexton opposes the spending of billions of dollars on NASA each year and prefers that space research should be privatized and handed over to commercial entities.

The protagonist of this novel is Rachel Sexton , who inspite of being Senator Sexton's daughter works in NRO (a U.S. intelligence agency ) for President Herney.The relations between Rachel and Sedgewick Sexton are not very cordial to say the least.

NASA claims to have made a revolutionary discovery on Milne Ice Shelf in Greenland.In order to independently verify its claims , NASA invites four civilian scientists to examine the discovery.Rachel Sexton is also sent to the discovery site by the President as she is a member of the intelligence community.

The discovery is hailed as genuine by the scientists initially.However certain facts come to light which throw a cloud of suspicion surrounding the discovery.Two of the scientists are murdered and other two and Rachel have to fight for their life.The genuineness or falsity of this discovery could virtually mean make or break for the presidential ambitions of President Herney and Sedgewick Sexton.

What is this discovery and what is the factor which arouses suspicion ? Who is really involved behind the murder of two scientists ?Can Rachel and other scientists survive and bring true facts before the world ?To get an answer to all these questions you will have to read the novel.

Dan Brown is once again excellent in the narration department.In this novel he picks up three sub plots simualtaneously and merges them towards the end.A highlight of this novel is that the characterisation of the characters involved is very strong.Dan Brown departs in this novel from art to science.This is more an action thriller kind of novel rather than a subtle suspense thriller like the Da Vinci Code.

The sequence of Rachel sinking in a submersible and hammerhead sharks is very well written.The political machinations in Washington are also well portrayed.As usual he introduces readers to certain unfamiliar concepts.

The drawback of this novel is that in some places the terminology used is highly technical.This may be difficult for some readers to grasp who are not well acquainted with the scientific field.In some places the readers shall feel Brown has unnecessarily prolonged the sequences.The character of Corky Marlinson could have been better written. I feel Dan Brown should stick more to writing ideological thrillers like Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons , they are more interesting.

All in all a good novel.

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