The Da Vinci code is an entertaining, fast paced read. But I can see why there was mild hysteria from certain quarters ,regarding the book.
The idea that Christianity borrowed from pagan tradition is widely accepted, however, the book seems to make a fundamentally different statement - Christianity was essentially pagan, until the Church, as part of a power grab, destroyed the "sacred feminine", in the process deifying Jesus. Or something like that.
But it's only a novel, admittedly a fast-paced and engrossing one, but still, fundamentally, a work of fiction. The plot has also got some puzzles, that if one has the inclination for that sort of thing, could be interesting diversions. I didn't bother, and let the characters solve the puzzles, although I did figure out the Westminster Abbey codeword before the characters did.
If you are a bible-thumper stay away from this book, if you want to be entertained, and understand the difference between fact and fiction, then you should read The Da Vinci code.
