Digital Fortress (1998)

Finished reading Digital Fortress by Dan Brown in only three days. The fact that this book was written 21 years ago is simply unbelievable. Almost all of the technological advancements described in the book seemed very futuristic and maybe even unconceivable by many at the time, but reading this book in 2019, when pretty much all of it exists and we kind of take it for granted, really makes this book shine in my opinion. The genius of Dan Brown’s writing is emphasized by his complex story with multiple plot twists, well-rounded characters and the cliff-hanging action. The last book Dan Brown book I read was Origin back in 2017 and although I still think it portrays Brown’s best qualities as a writer and the length of each chapter balances ideally the right amount of action and description, Digital Fortress offers a lot of the same, though in a much less refined form.

I found myself observing Dan’s maturity in writing over the years. The details of the characters, as well as their interactions, connections and thinking, have gone a long way since “Digital Fortress”. A feeling of fearlessness from Dan’s writing can also be noticed, as back in 1998 he was not only not as well-known but he didn’t have his audience yet, so this book feels like it was written for “everyone” and that’s both a good and a bad thing. It’s a good thing because Dan Brown showed his artistic side while delving into meticulous tech details while not generalizing none of the characters or places depicted in this book. It’s a bad thing because some of the characters are not “shaped” to perfection and that’s largely due to the fact that Brown tried not to make them extremist or socially or politically inclined in anyway possible. Now in 2020, it feels like Dan was already aware of “political correctness” back then and he played it as safe as possible from all points of view.

The biggest draw from this book is the nonstop action and drama that basically make it a page-turner and the sheer pace is sometimes too much to keep up with, especially if you take a break from it for a couple of days. It also makes Dan Brown shine above others all the more, especially now in 2020. I’m grateful to have read it and to have experienced Robert Langdon’s first ever adventure.