One Down, Many To Go

The DaVinci Code; Dan Brown; Thriller/Mystery; -13; Laura Miller at Salon.com

I hate everything about this and I probably always will. The only good thing about it is that the movie gave me another chance to worship the glory that is Audrey Tautou's screen presence.

But seriously- is there anything in this book that wasn't already easily available knowledge? There's nothing intellectually brave or forward about suggesting that a 30-something rabbi was probably married and probably had kids. I think that's a little like suggesting your local mafioso might eat gabagool for lunch every once in a while; suggesting that the fellow in question is a mafioso is likely to draw more gasps than pointing out his dietary habits.

And there's the rub. The church leaders who seem most threatened by this book are the ones who seem unable- or unwilling- to grasp the idea that if Jesus was indeed real than he was most likely nothing more than the historical equivalent of any modern, extremely charismatic and successful counter-culture preacher.

That was about twelve hours of my life I will never, ever get back. Ever.

Although, as much as I hated the book, it did move pretty darn fast. I do admire Brown's pacing.