The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code: A Challenging Response to the Bestselling Novel

I've been waiting for this book to come out for several weeks and am so glad I finally got it. Many aspects of this book make it a clear winner above similar books.

1. Good pricing
2. Sticks to just the facts
3. Addresses the fascinating aspects of The Da Vinci Code
4. Short -- great bathroom reading (sorry, but its true)
5. Easy to understand
6. VERY quick and to the point
7. Does NOT talk about Dan Brown like he's an idiot
8. Presents some complex historical events very clearly
9. Covers Knights Templar, Priory of Sion, Gnosticism
10. Respects all religions

What I really like about this book is how Abanes so clearly explains wht the Priory of Sion really is. Pictures are included. And his explanations of Leonardo Da Vinci's works are really insightful. I found myself saying, "Well, yeah, that makes sense."

I think the one person who really needs to read this book is Dan Brown. I really like The Da Vinci Code by Brown as a work of fiction. And that's what I now know-it is just that, TOTAL fiction. Abanes has given the reading public a super guide to historical inaccuracies in The Da Vinci Code.

Abanes discusses, among other things, what Dan Brown says about: Tarot, Venus, goddess worship, Gnosticism, the Gnostic Gospels, Constantine, the formation of the Bible, the Merovingian dynasty, the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, early Christianity, and more-all in 96 pages. Incredible.

Love this book.

Organization of this short response (although more than adequate) is very nice. Abanes starts with a short intro that lays out The Da Vinci Code plot (warning - spoilers present) and highlights how many people are viewing Brown's book as fact - really, as fact (not the general story, of course, but the underlying historical information). This, of course, is what Dan Brown himself believes (as documented by Abanes).

Then, we get 5 short chapters that are laid out in a truly unique way-Abanes first gives a short excerpt sentence or two from Brown's book that provides a historical claim of some kind, then ths is followed up with Abanes' response that pulls from all kinds of sources in order to show just how off base Brown was. The chapters are:

1 - Conspiracy Theories, Mass Confusion, and Rewriting History; 2. Gnosticism, Ancient Gospels, and the Bible; 3 - Mary Magdalene, the Church, and Goddess Worship; 4 - The Grail, the Priory of Sion, and the Knights Templar; 5 - Leonardo, the Mona Lisa, and The Last Supper.

Pretty complete. And one great thing about this book is that Abanes does NOT pull only from Christian or Roman Catholic sources. He actually draws information from Christian, non-Christian, Wiccan, Gnostic and other sources to show that no matter what views you personally take on spirituality, the issue is NOT one's religious beliefs per se, but rather, is truth. He even quotes from scholars somewhat hostile to Christianity, whose work on history in general shows that Brown is simply wrong on so many things.

This one by Abanes is a major eye-opener, and thank God, he does NOT beat you over the head with the Bible (although he does quote when necessary to demonstrate a point). I never felt like someone was preaching at me, but instead I felt like I was simply hearing someone talk to me and show me documents to back up his point.

And, I gotta say, the reading was a breeze. I read it in one day and felt like I had a wealth of information ready to talk to others about The Da Vinci Code. Really interesting style of writing, very refreshing word usage. NOT boring. I enjoyed it very much-and hey, I'm a Dan Brown fan (of his FICTION).

Finally, Abanes didn't attack Brown as a person, or belittle his beliefs. This book just offers the facts and let's people take from it what they want to take from it. He has a particularly enlightening section on the European Witch Hunts. Very, very interesting!

This is a fabulous book. Not only well-priced, but packed with information for only being 96 pp. Abanes is not an alarmist and does not hit you over the head with any religion. In fact, he plainly says that the problem with Dan Brown's book has nothing to do with whether he believes in Christianity or not, the problem is that Brown is misrepresenting historical facts, as well as a world religion.

Abanes says The Da Vinci Code would be just as problematic if its misrepresentions were used to attack any religion such as Buddhism, Islam. I really liked this about the book-balance. No over zealous reaching or evangelizing.

This book lets the facts speak for themselves. The format is strikingly easy to use. Five chapters, each of which is split up into simple point-counterpoint arrangement wherein he quotes from Brown's Da Viinci Code, then presents documented historical facts to show where Brown is, in a word, wrong.

The way Brown presents history is absolutely appalling. I would be tempted to laugh were not so many people believing what he wrote.

Anyway, excellent, excellent, excellent. You will not regret this purchase.

I am disappointed by this book. I was expecting a scholar to deliver us some facts and real information, but he seemed to be a novice when it comes to writing a book. Throughout this book, he was hung-up on proving Dan Brown wrong, and that what actually put me off from the book, because his persistent argument looked one sided and personal . It looks like a mere platform to settle a personal thing, than to actually provide readers with correct information. Even if what he says is right, he just delivered it so badly in quest of bringing Dan Brown down, that he actually moved away from the very motive behind writing this book. Or may be that was his only motive! If you have to read it, buy a second hand copy.

Although its literary merits are certainly debatable, the DaVinci Code is a work of fiction and a work of fiction only. Many, including Abanes, mistakenly believe that Dan Brown was attempting to write a history. This is simply not the case. He is using an age old *literary technique* of telling a fictive story in the *literary form* of a non-fiction narrative. Lolita, for example, is widely known as one of the great fictions of the twentieth century, indeed, Nabokov's book is possibly the most famous example of the use of this technique. No one who reads Lolita ends up with the impression that Humbert Humbert actually existed and the events he told actually happened. Dan Brown is not claiming that Jesus married Mary Magdelene. He took the gospels, one of the foundational texts of western literature, and spun a (rather mediocre) novel out of it. It is time for Abanes and everyone else to calm down, and give the DaVinci the little attention it deserves as FICTION.

Richard Abanes has a bone to pick with The Da Vinci Code and he proceeds to lay out the biggest piece of dross I have tried to read in very long time. I'm not certain if it is because Dan Brown's novel threatened Abanes' worldview or for some other unknown reason, but he spends all 75 pages of his book skewering every little detail of The Da Vinci code as if the book was a personal attack on his own belief system.

He has divided his book into primary concepts and then breaksdown each section by details and suppositions found in The Da Vinci Code. In many cases he wins at knit-picking, but loses in attempts to refute the overall concept (see the section on the history of the Bible or on Mary Magdalene).

I made it only half way through before a tore the book in half, disgusted by boredom and the time I had spent trying to get a balanced view of the novel.

Do not waste your time with this book when I'm certain any other book on the same subject must be money and time better spent!

Nationally recognized researcher Richard Abanes, author of Harry Potter and the Bible, looks at three of the most fascinating people in history: Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, and Leonardo Da Vinci. Based on his extensive research, Abanes explores the answers to many of the questions that Dan Brown’s fictional thriller, The Da Vinci Code, raises

The Truth About the Da Vinci Code by bestselling author Richard Abanes is a user-friendly and easy-to-understood reference source for anyone wanting to make an informed decision about the claims made in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Unlike other books that may appear in response to Brown's riveting novel, Abanes' book will be concise (96-pages), inexpensive, and formated in such as way as to help Christians and non-Christians alike find the facts they need in order to form their own conclusions about the contents of Brown's volume.

Each chapter of The Truth About the Da Vinci Code includes a short introductory section so readers can gain a greater understanding of the issues, then immediately provide a point/counter-point segment that details some of the most fascinating and controversial statements contained Dan Brown's book. Using this format will enable readers to find quick answers to some of their most pressing questions: Does Brown's novel accurately present history in general? Is it true that Jesus was married? Was Mary Magdalene supposed to take over the church as Christ's successor? What is the Holy Grail? Who were the Knights Templar? How did the secretive Priory of Sion come into existence? Can the Bible be trusted? What are the Lost Gospels? Was Christianity built upon "the greatest cover-up in human history"?

Using his expertise in the area of fringe religious groups, mythology, and occult literature, Abanes provides a fascinating answer to what so many reviewers have been saying about Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code -- i.e., it is all based on verifiable facts and documented events in history. If you, too, feel this way, then The Truth About the Da Vinci Code is the next book you must read. It might just change your mind. It will, at the very least, give you a lot to think about.

Join Richard Abanes as he "de-codes" one of the most controversial novels of our time and goes behind the scenes to separate fact from fiction. This is a quick reference guide for all readers. And the documentation is impeccable.