Instruct: Classify a review as either positive or negative.
Query: Digital Fortress: the quest for an unbreakable encryption algorithm

I read this novel back in 2003 and found the plot plausible enough to be disturbing. In many ways, I still like this novel better than some of Mr Brown's later novels.The story moves at a fast pace which to some extent masks some quite shallow character development. Some elements of the story are uneven as well but that (to me) was all part of the thrill of it. The pursuit of unbreakable encrytion algorithms and what this might really mean to the world in the hands on an unscrupulous individual was far more intriguing to me than the believability (or otherwise) of the characters involved.This novel was published in 1998 and is, I think, Dan Brown's first published novel.I recommend this novel as an action-filled page turner. I'd probably rate it as 3.5 stars if Amazon provided such an option.Jennifer Cameron-Smith