Digital Fortress: A Thriller

The suspense was great. Sometimes it gets a little bogged down with details, but it keeps you guessing until the very end. Well worth the time.

There's a reason Dan Brown is always at the top of the ratings with his books. He is a master at crafting suspenseful plots. Digital Fortress was one of his early books, but it was still as potent as his later works. It is trite, but true to say that I couldn't put it down. Because he wrote this book years ago, the technology is a bit dated, but unless you're a techno-geek, you won't notice. I love all his books.

Not his best book. But it was interesting.

I enjoyed the book, I have liked other Dan Brown books better. I missed all the history and historical places found in earlier books.

Book did not live up to browns other books it seemed to increase in intensity as it went. Starting very slow but ended with intensity

This story never flags but is rather like driving a Grand Prix car on a winding track at 150 miles an hour knowing the tires are running thin! The premise is amazing and the resolution will leave you spinning!

Dan Brown's books remind of the Kentucky Derby: like a shot out of the shoot. There is no build up; you're at 70 mph immediately and stay there until you cross the finish line. I am not a computer geek. The internet is a place to shop, read and learn plant care. But, I can appreciate the importance of it in our lives. Mr. Brown shows how fragile our world could be in the wrong hands by telling a great story that has truths along the way, I'm sure. Worth the read.

But too long to read in one sitting! A well written and suspenseful story line that will keep the reader guessing til the very end. Not for the faint of heart and somewhat pendent at times but well worth plowing through the science.

As with any book featuring technology, reading it 20+ years after it was written things are going to feel a little dated. But get past that and the story premise is quite interesting.This is Dan browns first book, so some latitude is allowed when comparing to his more recent books. The story line was predictable and I had worked out the various twists well before the author reveals them - something he improves on in more recent books. Having said that, it was an enjoyable read. The 101 introduction to cryptography in the early chapters is quite accurate and is presented in a way most people will understand. He also raises some interesting questions about privacy long before the Edward Snowden disclosures as to what the NSA were actually doing (and in all likelihood still are). In fact what they were actually doing at the time was far worse than portrayed in the book.I am currently working my way through Dan Browns books. Starting out of order with Angels and Demons, I have now gone back to the beginning and reading the books in publication order.

Being an avid fan of the Robert Langdon stories and unable to wait until September for the next one, I decided to buy the other two Dan Brown books. I was conscious that this one was Dan's debut and wondered if his addictive writing style would have been developed 18 years ago but decided to give it a go anyway. I need not have been concerned as this story gets straight into top gear and cascades the reader through a series of twists and turns in typical fashion. Naturally, any IT related story which is 18 years old is going to be a little dated in places but that does not distract from the attention to detail and unrivalled ability to deceive the reader into thinking an event has happened only to spin it in the next breath. I rarely describe a book as 'unputdownable' but Dan Brown has just delivered the 5th in a row. I now need to pace myself reading 'Deception Point' to make sure the gap between completing it and the release of 'Origin' isn't too great !!

This book is dire. It is difficult to find any redeeming features .As many reviewers have commented the characters are very two dimensional and underdeveloped.The entire rationale is based on one misguided and deluded individual, largely unexplained.A lot of the plot revolves around a highly important government building being plunged into darkness - every significant building has emergency back up lighting - duh.Secondly, a computer overheats but has no thermal detection to automatically shut it down - duh 2.A character comes out of an airport. Jumps on a motor bike and immediately racing down the runway - what happened to the security, fences, etc.Must have been a very really book?

The book kept me interested till the end but each twist and turn was predictable, like watching a movie, well made but you know the ending and despite hoping for a daring ending that offered something different, it failed to do so at pretty much every turn.Spoiler ahead but you can try guessing how it will end?The author is famous for solving mysteries and this time they were I.T problems, with familiar Latin and maths and very clever people that save the world with a few seconds left on the clock...It is well crafted novel but it is predictable, and feels very superficial, nothing that will be remembered for long. Will anyone ever write something that isn't a rehash of countless novels and films?

I read the poor reviews because Robert Langdon isn’t the main character, which is frankly unfair.Take it as a new story and you can’t help but love it. Suspense, puzzle solving, relationships, the short chapters that means you can never put it down. Another excellent book from Mr Brown.