Digital Fortress by Dan Brown (2004, Paperback)

I have so far read 4 of Dan Brown's books (Angel & Demons, DaVinci Code, Deception Point & Digital Fortress) and three features of his writings stand out. First, audacious plotlines; Brown does not believe in small measures but goes out on a limb. The plotlines are way over the top but have just that crucial amount of credibility to draw in a reader, even when he knows it is fiction. Second, the pace is mercilessly quick; the entire plot of the book plays out over a few days at most. Last but for me the best of all, his books have a wealth of esoteric information that one would not normally read about. I found myself enthralled by a never ending series of factoids that had me rushing to the Internet for explanation or elaboration.

Digital Fortress follows the above lines. A quick capsule : Set with a cryptographic background, it describes a battle of wits between a governmental agency focused on breaking codes (used by good and bad guys alike in order to forestall terrorism) with a former employee who passionately believes in individual privacy. In a rapid-fire series of thrust and counter-thrust, the action cuts between Washington and Madrid with the standard does of blood, explosions and romance. Unlike Brown's other novels, this is very undemanding of a reader's intelligence - the average reader will see the signposts well before the protagonists themselves.

Sadly, there are flaws aplenty that seriously impact the plot credibility.
Apart from the likelihood of an amateur professor being used as a proxy agent, the ease of the bypassing of the Gauntlet anti-virus software, particularly when Gauntlet safeguards not only TRANSLTR but also the databank is simply not possible. In such a situation there would be multiple layers of safeguards, not just a single bypass attributable to a single individual no matter how senior. More to the point, having raised the whole issue of individual privacy vis-à-vis governmental oversight, Brown never follows through on the implications. A pity, as this is of key topical importance as well.

Nevertheless, this is a good weekend read when you want to just enjoy a story and not get too caught up in the process. Three stars for that, with a star each subtracted for the plot credibility lapses and inadequate research.

THIS BOOK "DIGITAL FORTRESS" BY DAN BROWN IS ABOUT A WOMAN NAMED SUSAN FLETCHER WHO WORKS AT THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY (AKA NSA) AS THE HEAD CRYPTOGRAPHER. SUSAN IS SUDDENLY CALLED INTO WORK ON A SATURDAY TO UNLOCK A CODE THAT IS TRYING TO INVADE THE NSA, AND COULD POSSIBLY MAKE THE NSA CRUMBLE AT IT'S KNEES IF NOT DE-CODED. MEANWHILE, HER FIANCEE, DAVID BECKER IS MYSTERIOUSLY CALLED OUT OF THE COUNTRY TO DO AN ERRAND WHICH SUSAN IS UNAWARE OF. SUDDENLY, ALL THE PIECES BEGIN TO FALL INTO PLACE FOR SUSAN THAT DAVID IS WORKING TO RETRIEVE THE CODE THAT IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO THE NSA, AND SUSAN HAS TO WORK TO DE-CODE THIS EVIDENCE BEFORE TIME RUNS OUT AND BEFORE LIVES ARE LOST.

THIS IS A GREAT, FAST PACE NOVEL, BUT IT DOES GET A LITTLE INTENSE WITH ALL THE CYBER/COMPUTER JARGON AND IT KINDA PUT ME OFF THE BOOK WHEN IT CAME TO THIS, BUT OTHERWISE ANOTHER GREAT BOOK FROM THE GREAT DAN BROWN.

I have always enjoyed Dan Brown's imaginative way of writing so that the reader becomes part of the story. After reading one of his books, the reader can feel like a "micro" expert on a new topic. Digital Fortress was an inside look at the advancing world of technology and national security. It had a different pace than some of his other works, but I enjoyed the fullness of the world and the situations that he created.

I personally have not read a novel/book in over 8 years as I often find I could not make the time nor been able to finish a book without falling asleep. That was before I came upon Dan Brown.

He to me is a prolific writer which captures your imagination and his literary style makes it easy to keep your fingers moving/gliding through the pages. I have read all his books and am waiting anxiously for the his next release coming soon. Yes not all his books were of equal standing, but for a writer to do the amount of research he does and variety of topics he covers is staggering.

You cannot go wrong with a Dan Brown book.....while waiting for his next novel I've switched to Greg Iles another great writer.

cheers

If you like computers, this is a very good story about computer and programming. I am a fan of Dan Brown, got familiar with this author since Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. The only drawback of this book is it's kind of boring in the middle of the story. The beginning and the ending are both excellent.