Are Dan Brown novels really just Scooby-doo for grown-ups?

Question

It's just all too ridiculous, the way the characters suddenly 'remember' an important detail at the very last minute.
Personally, I think they're badly written guff.

onlyget1s - I hope your books are better than Dan Browns, but I have my doubts

Rachel Marie - I got my copies in charity shops for about 25p each. No royalties from me either!

Answer 1

I love Stephen Fry's comment on the Da Vinci Code in the quiz show QI ..he called it "A*se gravy of the worst kind " sums Dan Browns stuff up nicely ;)

Answer 2

The problem I always had with Scooby-doo was that they were whodunits with not enough suspects. The gang would arrive at some haunted castle, fairground, school, log cabin and there'd be a harmless old janitor and one suspicious-looking individual with a limp and scars. Of course, it always turned out that the harmless old janitor was an excaped convict, and grumbled about those "pesky interferring kids" as the cops hauled him off to jail.
The problem I have with the Dan Brown books I've read is that they are also whodunits with not enough suspects, so, yes, in a sense, they are Scooby-doo for grown-ups.
The fact is that for the majority of adults who've grown up on a diet of Scooby-doo ... this is all they really want. I've no problem with that; after all, it's better than NOT reading. Where Mr Brown's books score is that they offer a mystery that appears incredibly complex and difficult but is actually very basic and solvable - giving readers the opportunity to crack the case and feel smart. This feel-good factor is the secret of his success ... and probably Scooby's success too!

Answer 3

The Da Vinci Code is probably the worst book I have ever read but whoever did the advertising for it is a genius. All that hype in the media meant you HAD to read it if you wanted to discuss it. I didn't buy it, tho', because I smelt a rat. So, I borrowed a copy and he made no royalties from me. Now, if I could only get back the time I spent reading it I'd be happy.

Answer 4

Ok.

So Robert Langdon/ Michael Tolland is Fred, Sophie Neveu/Rachel Sexton/Vittoria Vetra is Velma, Bezu Fache is Scooby, Corky Marlinson is Shaggy, which makes Gabrielle Ashe Daphne?

Sounds about right.

Answer 5

I personally think that the original Scooby doo scripts demonstrated a more sophisticated writing style than Dan Brown's novels. I completely agree with your assessment of them. I find it refreshing to know that there are others who don't buy into the hype of such poorly constructed novels.

Answer 6

Of course they are badly written in-articulate tales for gullible people. They are usually `connected` by fairy-tales to real events, as a result, some people believe that they are true stories. They are fictional rubbish, I showed my dog a newspaper review of his latest book, and even she refused to read it.

Answer 7

As far as I know Scooby-doo is Ghost Stories That always turn out NOT to be Ghosts! Hardly a Dan Brown scenario!
As thrillers they are pretty much standard fare!
You dont HAVE to read them if you dont like his style!

Answer 8

Wow are you nuts. I myself am a published author with a degree in journalism and a minor in English. And, I couldn't disagree with you more.

Dan Brown is excellent when it comes to his use of description, twists in the plot and overall flow of his books.

However, the most impressive thing about Brown is the efforts he puts into researching each and every one of the topics he writes about.

Answer 9

Don't mock Scooby-doo.

Answer 10

It's always been like that since the beginning, there is no reason.