DVC
November 9, 2006
I’ve begun listening to the Da Vinci Code at work. I’m about two discs (out of 13) in. I’ll give Dan Brown one thing. He’s a good writer. His research and conclusions are obviously very shady (read: suck), but the man knows how to use the English language.
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Full Circle 
The writing is taut, and he knows how to create suspense, but a good writer? I’m going to question that one. Brown is better than say, Clancy, but let’s see…
Wally Lamb, Bret Easton Ellis, Jay Mcinerney, George R.R. Martin; these are authors who’ve been in the NYT bestseller list in the last 10 years, and are superior crafters of our mother tongue. Man, I’d even say King is the better author.
Side note: I’m biased. I’ve sold books I don’t like, but DVC is the only book I’ve thrown away.
Maybe it plays better on CD. It might depend on who’s readin it.
-CE
Well said, E. Suspense? Ees. Master of the craft? no. I stand corrected.
But you are right regarding heard versus read. If you get a good reader, it takes the
written wordstory to a whole new level.Is it still the written word if someone is reading it to you?
Happy now? Smart-alec.
I prefer the term “Jackass.”
Well, yes it is still the written word. They’re not inventing a new story off the top of their heads to put on the CD. Someone is indeed reading the written word, and putting it into some audio format.
That’s like asking if it’s still a movie if I blink. Man, you really are the Foreign Legion of the blogosphere.
BTW, Hutch, who is doing the reading for the audiobook?
-CEJ
E, you got quite the audible chuckle from me with the Foreign Legion crack.
The reader is Paul Michael. The narrative is incredibly flat to start out with and I was not optimistic about how the book was going to be read. But once a multiplicity of characters got involved, I appreciated his narrative (lack of) tone to clearly distinguish between narrator and character. All in all, good so far. Nowhere near the quality of Rob Inglis (narrator for Lord of the Rings trilogy) or Jim Dale (narrator for the Harry Potter series), but those are lofty perches up there…
Come on E, you stealing jokes from Fogey now? That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.
Man, I came up with that. That’s mine. Fogey had to sign a EULA to use the thing. Standard practice, extending the brand, yadda yadda.
-CE
1) ‘The Da Vinci Code’ is a good mystery-thriller, and it was a fairly entertaining movie…. but ‘Angels & Demons’ is way better. No doubt they’ll make a movie of that too..
2) Don’t feel bad, o Slothy one, I too wander about others’ blogs without actually having one of my own! bwahahhaha!