Book Review: 'Digital Fortress' by Dan Brown

Susan Fletcher is a brilliant cryptographer at the NSA, a top American intelligence force. According to her, no code is unbreakable. But one day, the NSA’s supposedly infallible supercomputer, the TRANSLTR, is faced with a code it cannot crack. If truly indecipherable, it could bring the NSA and hence national security to its knees. As Susan races against time to trace one of the two existing copies of the passkey to the code, the man she loves, David, undergoes a perilous journey to find the other. 

The book is packed with action, and the author paints a perfect picture of urgency with his words, keeping readers biting their nails and turning pages rapidly. At the same time, descriptions are abundant in the book, however they do not drag; rather, they help eliminate ambiguity. Elements of cryptography are explained without overcomplicating, leaving the reader wanting to learn more. The plot is intricate and well planned. It is evident that the author has wholeheartedly done his research. Plot twists, when they happen, are completely unpredictable and yet reasonable.

Each character has a well-defined set of personal values, and the characters’ actions are congruent to their personalities. Through the characters, we are reminded that good and bad are not mutually exclusive. The characters are otherwise unremarkable and do not particularly stand out. It also appears that Dan Brown has a compulsive need to add a beautiful, intelligent woman to every single book of his. Nevertheless, this can be understood as an attempt to attract a wider range of readers and therefore forgiven. 

The writing style is intelligent yet easy to read. A few writing tics or repetitive phrases can be observed, such as “Susan was lost” or “muted scream.” 

The suspense always keeps readers guessing, however the end does drag a little. The final clue had some very obvious hints which the characters took needlessly long to decipher. A reader who has some knowledge of themes related to the final clue may be able to solve it before the characters do. This was the case for me, and it was infuriating to watch the characters take forever to reach the conclusion. 

That having been said, Digital Fortress is very fast paced and the epitome of a thriller. I was tempted to read it in a single sitting and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good page-turner!