Love is blind, thats the title I would like to recommend for this novel. But I can’t explain why I am suggesting this coz in that case I have to reveal the plot of this novel and thats really not my intention.
Well I would say this novel is nothing but old wine in new bottle. But looking at the other side of coin, I think every best seller novel has to have love, betrayal, thrill, suspense etceteras.
So if a story has everything mentioned above we cant say its ’old wine in new bottle’ unless its different. And yes this novel has everything to boast about :- love, betrayal, suspense, thrill, terror, well defined characters n etceteras.
And the author of this novel DAN BROWN has again emerged as bestseller writer after the success of THE VINCI CODE. but I am not sure if this novel is as much success as was its predecessor.
STORY:
The story starts when USA’s National Security Agency (NSA is an intelligence agency founded to protect US government communication and to intercept the communication of foreign powers, like criminals, terrorists, spies etcetera. But I am not sure if this name of any agency exists in US) encounters a mysterious code that it is unable to break. Basically its NSA’s job to encrypt the codes for its government and decrypt the codes of foriegn origin or powers that could be detrimental to the USA or whole world, and this job is handeled by NSA’s baby and thats TRANSLTR- a super computer powered by millions of silicon chips. TRANSLTR can break an code just any code in the world. The TRANSLTR is operated by cryptographers of NSA.
I am DEAD sure there is nothing like TRANSLTR in this world made so far. But the way author has given details about NSA and the technological advancements that took place in last couple of decades it seems author has very deep knowledge of computers n programming languages n that makes this novel a techno-thriller.
Now coming to the story:- The deputy director of NSA TREVOR J. STRATHMORE downloads a program called digital fortress from internet and feeds it to TRANSLTR, to break its code and to read its algorithm. But even after 11 hours this code breaking machine is still tryin to break the code.
The unusual thing here is that this machine has never taken more than 6 mins to break any code, so Strathamore strats feeling the heat, coz if this program went public and its writer gives away its code then NSA wouldn’t be able to trace any mal practices in the world coz in that case everybody would be having this unbreakable program.
So Strathamore called up SUSAN FLETCHRE. She is head of cryptography deptt. and he tells her that Digital Fortress is brain child of ex-employ of NSA, ENSEI TANKADO- a Japanese who hates USA as he was one of the victims of Hiroshima n Nagasaki episode. The key to this code is with Ensei. But he is found dead in Spain, but before dying he has left a clue to this key.
So Stathamore seeks the help of Susan to handle TRANSLTR and also he sends DAVID BECKOR (fiance of susan, a professor in a university in a linguistic deptt.)to spain in search of key.
So could David ever be able to find the key and return back to his fiance safely? is there anything like Digital Fortress that exists? if Ensei Tankado is dead then who is behind all this? to findout answers one has to read this novel.
PROS n CONS:
This novel is very engrossing, with very well defined characters and the story moves at brisk pace right from the page 1. The sequences in Spain where David struggles to findout the key and fight out with all odds are well written.Also suspense is maintained till last few chapters, though one gets the idea bit early.
So much of technical jargon is used like programs, algorithms. So people without background in computer programming wud feel like detached.
CONCLUSION:-
Despite some flaws its worth reading. But one should not raise very high expectation owing to its tempting title and the sucess of THE VINCI CODE.