Yes Camilla, i'm looking at you

Dan Brown writes airport novels. You're bored in an airport, you look for a book, this seems interesting, pulls you in from the start...sold. And Dan Brown had been doing that for several years largely unnoticed (and largely unsold) until the Davinci Code.

For some reason, that no-one can pinpoint (after all if we could we'd all be doing it), that book at that time in that place, had the x-factor for want of a better word. No it isn't the greatest literature ever, not it isn't entirely factual, not it may not be the greatest thriller on earth...but somehow it grabbed societies imagination and it didn't let go. Just like Rowling, just like Meyers...no one can plan it, it just happens.

Over 80million copies later there is little doubt it is a truly great airport novel.

Of course a lot of people jump on the FACT element and tear it to pieces *cough*Camilla*cough*, however lets actually look at that:

Firstly, it's a fictional book, it's a story, from front cover to back, and anyone who is going to get uppity about what he says inside it. Well really. It's called immersion people, say it's true at the start and you are hooking the audience from the get go. Hollywood does it all the time, with their stories 'based on truth'. But somehow when a book does it the snobbery comes out.

Secondly. Yes Dan Brown did say it was 99% true in an early publicity interview for the book...an early publicity interview for the book...go back and read that part again...PUBLICITY. Get it yet people? He was a struggling author selling about 10,000 copies each of his 1st 3 novels, at that stage you do anything to get publicity as you are trying to sell your book! And it worked, he finally became a great salesman (something many 'better' authors simply cannot do), who cares if it wasn't entirely accurate, it got books off the shelves.

He's since gone back and used words more akin to "alleged" and "rumored", and said he hopes his book stimulate debate etc. All fine by me.

So yes. Pure literary snobbery, that a 'hack' author can attain what many here would consider 'better' authors cannot. But really, the book isn't meant for a lot of people here. It's an airport novel, it's quick, fast entertainment. I quite liked it, it isn't great but it hits a spot.

The real miracle though is my father, and he probably is the intended audience in many regards. He's read less than 10 books in his life since he left school. Some car racing biographies, he gave lord of the rings a go after the movies, and Dan Brown...

Like Rowling, Dan Brown gets people to read. It fires their imagination, it creates debate, outrage, snobbery. It makes a big noise, a big fuss, and so more people pick it up to see what it's all about, my father being one of them. He quite liked it, so he read Angels and Demons, then Deception Point, he's looking forward to the new book. If the books get him to read more, well that makes me smile. Nice one Dan.