The Nimble Books Blog

Buy the paperback now direct from the publisher for $9.61 plus $2.25 shipping and handling! Ships immediately. Free PDF updates forever( see below).

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Through the magic of print-on-demand technology, this “nimble” guide to the works of best-selling author Dan Brown provides the latest news about the author and his works, updated whenever there are significant developments. Unlike a conventional book, for which editions are printed in quantity every couple of years, this “living book” goes through frequent “mini-editions” and is printed fresh whenever customers place an order.

The Unauthorized Dan Brown Update includes information about Digital Fortress, Angels & Demons, Deception Point, The Da Vinci Code (book and movie), and The Solomon Key. It’s a “mini” book in the sense that it is fairly thin–~80 pages to start with, although it will grow over time. It’s a “meta” book in the sense that it complements, without trying to replace, the many worthy books that are already available about The Da Vinci Code. This Update is unique in that it provides a “nimble,” timely report on all of Dan Brown’s activities, including everything that is known about The Solomon Key, “The Da Vinci Code” movie, and beyond. The Update gathers, analyzes, and synthesizes the best information that is publicly available about Dan Brown and his work.

Read this book if …

• You like to stay up to date on favorite authors such as Dan Brown.
• You enjoyed Dan Brown’s books, including The Da Vinci Code.
• You want a guide to the best books and websites about Dan Brown and his works.
• You want to know about The Solomon Key.
• You want to know about the Tom Hanks/Ron Howard movie version of The Da Vinci Code.

Don’t bother if …

• You think Dan Brown is a hack.
• You want to read a 500-page treatise about early Gnostic history.
• You want to read a detailed 500-page refutation of everything that is incorrect about The Da Vinci Code.
• You are a highly literal-minded fundamentalist Christian.
• You are a highly un-literal-minded New Age mystic.

This Update is for book fans who think Dan Brown can tell a good story, not for zealots (of any persuasion) who never read fiction.

What this mini-book contains

• What to know (my two cents) if you missed Digital Fortress, Angels & Demons, or Deception Point.
• Pointers to good books and articles about Dan Brown’s previous works, including The Da Vinci Code.
• The latest news about movies based on Dan Brown’s books.
• Careful summary, attribution, and evaluation of all the published news about The Solomon Key.

What this mini-book does not contain

• Detailed factual, artistic, historic, theological, religious, and symbological analysis of The Da Vinci Code or any of Brown’s other previous works.

How to subscribe to updates of this book

Purchase of this book entitles you to free PDF updates forever.

If you send a proof of purchase (typically, an e-mail receipt from Amazon.com or other fine retailers) for either the paperback or electronic versions of the book via e-mail to updates@nimblebooks.com, we will send you a free update via PDF.

Tip: Don’t bother asking your retailer for a free update! They won’t know what you are talking about and aren’t set up to help you. You must contact Nimble Books directly. Unfortunately, we can’t offer the free update in paperback form, since it costs us money to print and ship each copy.

For those who are curious about how often we update, the answer is that it is determined by the intersection of the occurrence of significant news and the sensible management of costs. It is not free to update the source file for a book–it costs at least a week’s worth of revenue. So we try to be strategic about when we do updates–but we love taking advantage of technology to deliver a superior product!

Author’s comments

I decided to write this book when I finally read and enjoyed The Da Vinci Code in late 2004. I had studiously avoided the massive bestseller because I had read and been unimpressed by Brown’s first book, Digital Fortress. Frankly, I thought DF was pretty dumb and clanky … but Da Vinci was clearly a much better book, with high idea density and dozens of intricately plotted puzzles. I was amazed by the improvement between his first book and his fourth. He’s a young guy, and it looks like it will be worthwhile to track his work for a long time to come.

I learned a lot of fascinating things in the course of my research. Here are some of the discoveries you will share when you accompany me on this journey.

• Brown had a significant career as a singer/songwriter.
• He wrote a “self-help” book for women before he ever became a novelist.
• He wrote a great on-line list of 7 tips to selling a novel–and it is available free on-line.
• He has outlines for twelve (12) future Robert Langdon novels.
• The Solomon Key may be tied to an ancient Masonic phrase, “Is there no hope for the widow’s son?”
• His literary career at this point (book #5) is running ahead of the authors he considers his role models.
• Why Ron Howard cast Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon.

Our trusty Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines “nimble” as follows:

1: quick and light in motion: AGILE *nimble fingers*
2 a: marked by quick, alert, clever conception, comprehension, or resourcefulness *a nimble mind* b: RESPONSIVE, SENSITIVE *a nimble listener*

And traces the etymology to the 14th Century:

Middle English nimel, from Old English numol holding much, from niman to take; akin to Old High German neman to take, Greek nemein to distribute, manage, nomos pasture, nomos usage, custom, law

The etymology is reminiscent of the old Biblical adage, “to whom much is given, much is expected” (Luke 12:48). Nimble Books seeks to honor that Christian principle by combining the spirit of nimbleness with the Biblical concept of abundance: we deliver what you need to know about a subject in a quick, resourceful, and sensitive manner.

Tags: About Nimble Books, Law by wfzimmerman
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Wow. The Emmy-winning actor Michael Moriarty is an absolute loon.

ESR | September 26, 2005 | The fall of Da Vinci’s Troy: “The fall of Da Vinci’s Troy

By Michael Moriarty
web posted September 26, 2005

To understand this editorial, it helps to have read Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. In that veritable Mein Kampf of an 800-year old, goddess-worshiping cult, called the Priory of Sion, is all the information required to identify the Socialist Federations for what they’ve always been: a religion.

While Socialism has literally expropriated the main vocation of churches, which is to inspire charity out of free will, replacing it with the religion of enforced charity, we have failed to see that the socialists’ desire to maintain the ’separation of church and state’ in all public debate was a cover, a veil over their growing secular empire. The worldwide socialist federation under the United Nations is the largest, wealthiest and most powerful church in recorded history. The Catholic Church at its zenith was insignificant by comparison….”

And on and on…

Tags: Dan Brown, The Solomon Key and Beyond by wfzimmerman
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The Quest of Thrones - Queen Across the Water: “WELCOME TO THE QUEENDOM ACROSS THE WATER

An important message from Daenerys Targaryen, Khaleesi of the Dothraki:

I want to thank all of you for helping to locate Ser Jorah Mormont. Unfortunately we did lose Jhogo, a valiant bloodrider. If he was amongst your sworn swords and companions, you are eliminated from this Quest.

I wish I could offer you some rest, but our journey has just started.

You must now locate Aggo, another bloodrider and member of the queensguard. This image of him can be found here:

www.locusmag.com
Hint: He went there to look for dates where he can meet several scribes.

This is really an extremely clever promotion because it encourages readers to dive deep into the websites of content providers who will play a key role in the success of A FEAST FOR CROWS.

Tags: A Feast for Crows by wfzimmerman
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All the HBP re-read threads, with much discussion from alt.fan.harry-potter posters, are available on Google Groups at http://tinyurl.com/7tuaa.

Tags: google, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by wfzimmerman
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HBP Chapter 30 Re-read

The White Tomb

At the beginning of the chapter, a number of characters undergo minor development.

Seamus Finnegan refuses point-blank to go home – will we see slightly more of him in book seven?

Madame Maxine arrives to visit Hagrid.  For reasons that aren’t entirely clear to me, JKR writes the scene from the point of view of underclassmen who don’t know her, instead of from the point of view of the majority of Hogwarts students (and our favorite characters) who all do know her by name.

Bill Weasley now bears a distinct resemblance to Mad-Eye Moody and likes raw meat.

Harry begins to master the complex art of having a girlfriend as he comments that Fleur is ‘ugly, though.”

Harry rehearses the plot for book seven  in his head: “the locket … the cup … the snake … something of Gryffindor’s or Ravenclaw’s”.  My money is that Horcrux #4 will be something of Ravenclaw’s, simply because we haven’t seen enough of them yet.

I liked Harry’s fury at Dd’s “inexcusable trust in Snape”, and then, even better, Harry’s realization that he, Harry, had been taken in just the same.  “He had refused to believe ill of the boy ***who had been so clever***, ***who had helped him so much.*** JKR is showing Harry learn something that is often very difficult to learn: that people who have many admirable qualities and do many helpful things can be among those who do us the most harm.

Interesting that Harry “did not look for some kind of loophole.”  Looks to me as if JKR is showing Harry’s increasing maturity in the face of loss and grief.  In this light, it seems almost inconceivable that she would allow Dumbledore to return in book seven.  Dead is dead.

Harry now feels “the tiniest drop of pity” for Malfoy.  Compare Frodo and Gollum.  Advantage: Tolkien.

Madame Pince is with Filch.

The funeral: who gives the eulogy? For some reason I thought “Nicholas Flamel” – I can’t remember whether he had simply begun the process of dying or whether he is actually already dead.

Anyone missing from the funeral?


The scene with the fire around Dd’s body  and the creation of the white tomb raises many questions.

Where did the magic come from?   The fire, the phoenix, and the white tomb on the grounds of Hogwarts are all characteristically Dumbledorian magic.   Did someone else cast the spell? Apparently not, because everyone at the funeral seems surprised. But if Dd’s dead, how could he cast a spell?

I lean towards the view that some sort of white magic focused on love and loyalty was bound up with Dd’s life and that therefore the “phoenix/tomb” spell  already existed – its release was triggered by the end of Dd’s funeral.   I also suspect that this “phoenix magic” will reappear in book seven.  The scene with Scrimgeour underlines that Harry is Dd’s true heir and thus the most likely locus for the phoenix magic.  “I am Dd’s man through and through…” he will only be gone from the school when none here are loyal to him” (Seamus Finnegan, Luna, Neville, McGonagall, Sprout …)

Great moment when Harry realizes there will be no more protectors, and that indeed, he must be the protector now (of Ginny).  

The whole Ginny break-up thing didn’t make much sense to me, at least in terms of the reasons Harry gives (and Ginny accepts).  Surely Voldemort knows that Ginny and Harry are an item by now.

According to the trio confab at the end of the book, the agenda for the first part of book seven is:

1. Dursleys




2. Bill and Fleur’s wedding




3. Godric’s Hollow




4. The hunt for the Horcruxes.

Tags: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Law, YA by wfzimmerman
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Anything from Tim Powers is cause for celebration. His Kim Philby novel, DECLARE,was one of the very few novels I have ever read where I came to the end and I thought, “that was perfect.”

Powers, Three Days to Never (preorder): Subterranean Press: “Three Days to Never
By Tim Powers
(preorder–not yet published)

Illustrated by J.K. Potter

Limited: $80
Lettered: $600

When 12-year-old Daphne Marrity steals a videotape of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure from her grandmother’s house, neither she nor her college-professor father, Frank Marrity, have any idea that the theft has drawn the attention of both the Israeli Secret Service and an ancient European organization of occultists — or that within hours they’ll be visited by her long-lost grandfather, who also wants that videotape.
And when Daphne’s teddy bear is stolen, and a blind assassin nearly kills her father, and a phantom begins to speak to her from a switched-off television set, Daphne and her father find themselves running for their lives through a southern California in which magic and the undead past are dangers as great as the guns of living assassins.
From ancient prophesies about Israel to the secret lives of Charlie Chaplin and Albert Einstein, this breathtaking novel throws a suburban father and daughter into the midst of an ancient supernatural battle.

We’re finalizing details with Tim Powers about our edition of Three Days to Never. Nothing’s settled yet, but it looks as though our edition will include a chapbook of Tim’s working notes toward the novel.
We’ll be happy to match numbers on the The Bible Repairman and novel for interested customers”

Tags: Zimmerblog General by wfzimmerman
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Stock Market News and Investment Information | Reuters.com: “FACTBOX-How France ranks among European takeovers”

French takeover activity has been minimal since … 1815.

German takeover activity, on the other hand, has been quite healthy.

Tags: Zimmerblog General by wfzimmerman
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Microsoft plans to sell search ads of its own - page 2 | CNET News.com: “For Microsoft, running such a network has another benefit - the building of relationships with Web site owners, many of whom are users of its software and online services.

‘Google uses its network to build adoption of its Web search,’ Mehdi said. ‘We can drive a deeper relationship with hundreds of thousands of small businesses out there.’”

So will Microsoft search favor Internet Information Server (IIS) users?

Tags: google, Zimmerblog General by wfzimmerman
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