da vinci code controversy

I have myself read Digital Fortress and found it an average book. The problem with Dan Brown seems that the story line remains same only the characters and the surroundings seem to change. As far as Da Vinci Code is concerned, the controversy was blown out of proportions. Every author has a right to give his or her interpretation of stuff and this book was labeled a fiction, so really people should not have reacted the way they did. Cheers! Ram

There are probably a few people who would say he didn't muddle with history at all. But I'm no expert on religious history, so who am I to comment? Whether he did or not isn't important though - I think people need to keep in mind that it was a fictional novel! True, it was well researched, and based on a very real subject, but it it's fiction all the same. I think the offended religion should check their preconceptions at the door, and just enjoy the story! As a writer, I find it pretty frustrating when overly sensitive people get their feelings hurt because they don't agree with the authors imagination. Just look at all the controversy surrounding the Harry Potter series - they're brilliant books, written by a brilliant woman, who's been the subject of all sorts of criticism, just because a few people lost their imagination and got their feathers ruffled by an imaginary magical world! If every fictional book was written in a way that would be guaranteed to avoid offending anyone, we'd have a lot of boring books on the shelves.