# The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

3 Hacker News commenters recommended The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as an easy page-turner that makes reading less of a chore. Critics call it not particularly good or tasteful.

## Why people recommend it

- Easy, gripping page-turner (1 comments): "Pick up an easy dumb page turner like The Da Vinci Code, and reading won't be a chore." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45843110))
- Read by people as young teens (1 comments): "I was reading Brown at like.... 12 years old." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46454226))

## What people warn about

- Not particularly good or tasteful (1 comments): "neither of which (the books) are particularly good or tasteful or whatever" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48398731))
- Opening facts page is fantasy (1 comments): "the very first page listing "facts" rubs me up the wrong way because every claim on that page is fantasy horseshit" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46033112))
- Format copied from its style (1 comments): "dan brown jacked the whole format" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49402963))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy](https://hackerapproved.com/p/hunt-for-red-october.md): 7 recommend
- [Freedom by Daniel Suarez](https://hackerapproved.com/p/freedom.md): 7 recommend
- [Reamde by Neal Stephenson](https://hackerapproved.com/p/reamde.md): 6 recommend
- [Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kill-decision.md): 3 recommend
- [Angels and Demons by Dan Brown](https://hackerapproved.com/p/angels-and-demons.md): 3 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593056574?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780593056578) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown", https://hackerapproved.com/p/da-vinci-code/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).