- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: Gollancz; First edition (6 April 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0575077190
- ISBN-13: 978-0575077195
- Product Dimensions: 15.2 x 11.6 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 867,862 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Va Dinci Cod (Gollancz S.F.)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Something fishy is going on in the world of artistic scholarship. How can there possibly be a link between the hidden cod of Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings and the over fishing of the North Atlantic fish stocks? Could it be that Leonardo Da Vinci, the greatest genius of his age and inventor of the photocopier and mouse mat, had a chilling insight into European Union Fishing policies. Only one man can find out. Robert Hangdog, international scholar, master spy and action hero. Oh and Bezu Fish.
About the Author
Adam Roberts is 39 and Reader in English at London University. His first novel, Salt, was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. He has also published a number of academic works on both 19th century poetry and SF.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Firstly, I have only given this book 4 stars because i feel that the book itself was a little too short, and Roberts could have easily extended it, thus increasing the hilarity of the content!
the main points I found to be funny, were: firstly the fact that Roberts has portrayed "Robert Donglan" as a complete buffoon and fraud, clearly mocking the self-righteous know-it-all attitude of Langdon in the real thing. Donglan is despised by "sophie nuvidue" and hilariously tries to woo her in a number of ways, yet failing at every attempt, being greeted with indifference and dislike from Sophie.
So the best bit of this parody is the relationship between Donglan and Sophie and it really develops well. The plot itself actually becomes quite exciting whilst still keeping the underlying comedy.
Overall then, a very funny quick read that will make you laugh in many places.
the main points I found to be funny, were: firstly the fact that Roberts has portrayed "Robert Donglan" as a complete buffoon and fraud, clearly mocking the self-righteous know-it-all attitude of Langdon in the real thing. Donglan is despised by "sophie nuvidue" and hilariously tries to woo her in a number of ways, yet failing at every attempt, being greeted with indifference and dislike from Sophie.
So the best bit of this parody is the relationship between Donglan and Sophie and it really develops well. The plot itself actually becomes quite exciting whilst still keeping the underlying comedy.
Overall then, a very funny quick read that will make you laugh in many places.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
After Adam Roberts's magisterial parodic take on the world of Tokieniana, I eagerly opened The Va Dinci Cod in the hope of reading a literary and intelligent parody of the publishing sensation which itself is in fact neither literary nor intelligent, the appaling Dan Brown techno-religious thrillers epitomised by The Da Vinci Code.
The book starts well, (although for some reason neither Roberts nor the author of the Asti Spumanti Code seem to have noticed that every single Dan Brown novel begins in the same way, a prologue within which the first victim is actually in the throes of his own violent death). The usual Roberts hallmarks are there - the author's footnotes painfully explaining a normal English idiom as a means of highlighting the strangeness of it, the highlighting of something of an afterthought by the original author as being rather more significant. For example, believe it or not but in the Da Vinci Code, when describing its hero Robert Langdon, it actually states that he looks a little like Harrison Ford - a clear hint to Hollywood. So Roberts extends this further and amusingly has his author more or less saying "anybody except Tom Hanks" - Hanks of course is the one who actually is playing Langdon in the forthcoming movie.
However, one has got a little over half way through the already quite short book before this kind of extended riff has gone by the wayside in favour of a more or less straight re-telling of the story with slightly different characters and motivations. There is nothing intrinsically funny about the idea of Eda Vinci, purported sister of Leonardo who is supposed to be the real model for the Mona Lisa.
Worst of all is the denouement, which goes on far too long, only has two substantial jokes in it, and at the very end simply stops, with no epilogue or other satisfying roundup of the plot of the book. Then there is a map of Central London with the fish shape, and an annotated picture of a codfish, both distinctly devoid of any humour. And that's it, the book is finished. The advertisements for other "Dan Brine" novels at the end that one would have expected from Roberts, are absent. In point of fact the impression distinctly given is that, unlike the Tolkien parody, very little thought has gone into making the book a complete, total and intimately detailed spoof. Instead, Adam Roberts was given a set number of pages to fill, has filled them - towards the end, almost perfunctorily - and satisfied his publisher. But not this reader.
Format:Hardcover
This short and sweet book is a parody of the Dan Brown mess ''The Da Vinci Code'', and will certainly appeal to those with a bit of a silly sense of humour and a dislike of the original book. Actually, I don't really dislike the original as such, but just find this rather hilarious.
I stumbled across it in a bookstore in Toronto, and after reading the back cover extract I was laughing uncontrollably. It reads -
''In his own blood, the dying man had written a single sentence in splashy, red letter. It was very much a red letter statement:
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAD ME MURDERED!
For long seconds Donglan stared at the mysterious message. 'That, Doctor Donglan,' said Tash, 'is why we have called you in at this time. That mysterious message.'
'It may,' said Robert, 'be an anagram.'
'We wondered about that,' said Tash. 'Can you decipher it?'
Donglan smiled. 'Of course. It is my speciality.' He said. He tried to add 'I am an anagram master'. But instead said 'I amanana manna' and 'I am anamanna' and stopped.'''
For those that really dislike Dan Brown's style of writing, how he throws in useless facts and sets things up perfectly for a film, you will find pleasure here. -
''He could play Robert Donglan. Which I only mention here to help you, the reader, visualise the character, not to try to influence any casting decisions...Just as long as it's not that hideously ubiquitous Tom Hanks, with his huge sandbag please-punch-me face...anyway. Anyway...''
It's funny and rather silly stuff. But if you disliked the original and want a good mockery of it, then this will have you giggling.
I stumbled across it in a bookstore in Toronto, and after reading the back cover extract I was laughing uncontrollably. It reads -
''In his own blood, the dying man had written a single sentence in splashy, red letter. It was very much a red letter statement:
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAD ME MURDERED!
For long seconds Donglan stared at the mysterious message. 'That, Doctor Donglan,' said Tash, 'is why we have called you in at this time. That mysterious message.'
'It may,' said Robert, 'be an anagram.'
'We wondered about that,' said Tash. 'Can you decipher it?'
Donglan smiled. 'Of course. It is my speciality.' He said. He tried to add 'I am an anagram master'. But instead said 'I amanana manna' and 'I am anamanna' and stopped.'''
For those that really dislike Dan Brown's style of writing, how he throws in useless facts and sets things up perfectly for a film, you will find pleasure here. -
''He could play Robert Donglan. Which I only mention here to help you, the reader, visualise the character, not to try to influence any casting decisions...Just as long as it's not that hideously ubiquitous Tom Hanks, with his huge sandbag please-punch-me face...anyway. Anyway...''
It's funny and rather silly stuff. But if you disliked the original and want a good mockery of it, then this will have you giggling.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Much funnier than the Soddit or Star Warped
This parody of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, is no masterpiece. It's still funny, in small ways. This is the only parody worth reading for jokes. Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2006 by Bungus Malone
Funny from start to finish - a must if you've read Brown's best...
Having read the first line of the prologue I was already laughing!
A very light hearted spoof of the ridiculously popular Da Vinci Code. Read more
A very light hearted spoof of the ridiculously popular Da Vinci Code. Read more
Published on 25 July 2006 by Paz
Laughed Out Loud!
This book is silly and daft and a total mickey take but that's what it's meant to be.
It genuinly had me laughing from the start until the end. Read more
It genuinly had me laughing from the start until the end. Read more
Published on 30 May 2006 by A. J. Tomkins
Good but not excellent
This is a must-read for anyone who likes parodies. It's very very funny although some of the puns on names I could have come up with myself.
If anything it was a little short. Read more
Published on 21 April 2005 by Mr. Daniel W. Weinberg
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