> > May 19 - The Da Vinci Code
> >
> > Dan Brown's heretical book became the most popular adult book of all time when it sold six skillion copies -- nearly a thirtieth of what Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sold the first day. ... Don't care.
>
> How on earth can you make a movie out of random conspiracy ravings? I don't think I can be arsed to find out. I wonder if the book would have sold even a dozen copies if people hadn't started screaming "heresy!"

Yes, I think it would have, but maybe not quite as many. I read the book. It's not a terrible book, but it's probably the worst structured (published) book I've ever read. Dan Brown seems to think it's a good idea to interrupt fast-paced action scenes with two page flashbacks to infodumps cleverly disguised as Harvard lectures.

Anyway, my take on its popularity is that if he had left off the uber pretentious first page, which starts "FACTS:" and goes on to list a bunch of things that aren't at all true, the book wouldn't have sold nearly as many copies. It's the thin veneer of truth that keeps undiscerning people interested in the hack job of a book. These people would be better off reading the book that obviously gave Brown the idea for his novel, "Holy Blood, Holy Grail". That book has even worse pretentions of truth, as it claims to be non-fiction, but at least it doesn't have albino assassins and cryptanalists who can't solve simple anagrams.

-- Dave