Tolog Review: The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown
reviewed by Sophie Johnson

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is a thriller about a symbolist, Robert Langdon, and a cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, who team up to compete in the race for the holy grail. Robert Langdon is both a professor and an author who has written books about the mystery of the holy grail, Mary Magdalene, and the sacred feminine. Their journey starts with the murder of Sophie’s grandfather, Jacques Saunière, who was the curator of the Louvre and, secretly, the grandmaster of the Priory of Sion. The Priory of Sion is a very powerful secret society that guards the location of the Holy Grail. The race to find the grail includes a mysterious fringe catholic sub cult based on Opus Dei, who are intent on using the grail for evil purpose. 

The holy grail is thought by many people to be the cup that Jesus drank from, at the last supper, but a wise man called Teabing, who has researched the grail his whole life helps Robert explain to Sophie that the grail is not a cup but in fact documents that are thought to prove that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child. This information is considered to be very dangerous and the decision to release the grail’s information to the world could have unpredictable effects. It is a big controversy for christianity and other religions. The grail’s information could go against christianity’s faith and teachings. For these reasons the society have kept the grail hidden. 

On the night that Saunière was killed he left clues that brought Sophie and Robert together. At the crime scene, which was in the Louvre, Saunière left codes and messages that began Sophie and Langdon’s hunt to finding the grail before it can fall in the wrong hands. As soon as they begin the grail hunt they discover that they are being chased by the French police lead by Captain Fache. Fache believes that Landon killed Saunière and blasts his and Sophie’s images all over France making it very hard for them to travel anywhere. With the help of Teabing’s smart mind and powerful privileges the trio have quickly made progress in discovering the route to the grail’s hiding place. 

But Fache isn’t the only person following them. A psychotic albino monk called Silas from Opus Dei, led by Bishop Aringarosa, follows their every move and plans to steal the grail as soon as it is discovered. Silas will do anything to please Aringarosa and their leader, who is known as “The Teacher”. Opus Dei extremely desires the grail because its contents hold unthinkable power. But, it must not land in Silas’s hands because his actions have proven his intentions to be dishonorable. As the race to find the grail gets to a climax, Robert and Sophie travel to many historical places in England, and it all causes a surprising turn of events that no reader would ever imagine.