Dan Brown is a great writer who seems to have tapped the right recipe for being able to create the type of story that can truly lure readers into a book. Digital Fortress is no exception. My problem with this book, and I believe it significant, is that Brown seems to rely on a cookie cutter format for the outline of all his published works since the mega successful Da Vinci Code.
Even though Digital Fortress presents different characters in name, few really offer an air of freshness as Brown seems to draw too heavily on familiarity and realities of his own life and of those already represented or introduced in the earlier novel. The college professor hero character is getting a bit worn and tiresome.
Brown does make one major and noticeable deviation from his norm by the introduction of a very strong female personality slash heroine. Though, I believe, he doesn't make her strong enough and she ends up needing to rely on the strong men around her to save the day.
In the end, the plot twist and exposure of the novel's villain prove to be another minor disappointment.
Overall, Digital Fortress is undeniably well done and enjoyable, but is disappointing to anyone who has already read any of his other novels. If you are one of those millions who read his breakout work, save yourself a trip to the bookstore and just reread something you already have on the shelf. You'll be left with the same feeling and will know exactly what I mean about this book.