Rating: 
Summary: GRrrrreat!
Review: Its just great. Simply that. Full of suspense. Very interesting. Just buy it!
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the DaVinci Code, but pretty good
Review: If you are looking at this book because you loved the DaVinci Code, you will probably enjoy it, but not quite as much. It is a very good book on its own right, but compared to the DaVinci Code it doesn't stand up. There are places where the DaVinci Code stretches the suspension of disbelief a little, but Angels and Demons does it a lot--so you'll have to be able to set aside the realms of plausability a little to enjoy this one. Personally I found that Brown's strength is in his writing style and the ideals he chooses to set his stories in rather than his actually plotlines or characters, which are usually trite and predictable. It is a very good read, but there is a reason why it was not as popular as the DaVinci Code.
Rating: 
Summary: Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed the information about the Vatican and the talk about science vs.religion. However, by the end of the novel, a pattern emerged. There are many conflicts in this book, and each is resolved...but, for each conflict, there was this formula: 1. Oh no! This is horrible. What are we going to do? 2. Wait, the professor recalls some knowledge hidden in his brain. 3. Problem Solved. 4. Repeat process with next conflict. After reading this, I tried Deception Point, and Digital Fortress...but both did not hold my interest. As I said, I liked the religious theme in Angels and Demons. I'll wait for paperback Davini Code.
Rating: 
Summary: Big let down
Review: My first Dan Brown experience was with The Da Vinci Code, and what a great book that was. I purchased Angels & Demons shortly after expecting the same thrills. It just wasn't so, I thought this book was a complete let down. Professor Langdon was a weak character in this book and an even weaker, or more like pathetic, excuse for a hero! Overall, a big disappointment.
Rating: 
Summary: A page-turner, but a hackneyed and cliche one...
Review: Right now Dan Brown is the hottest thing since bread came sliced, but I must admit I was disappointed with Angels & Demons. It's not terrible, but it's not great either in my opinion. I felt torn because he can really weave a plot and I couldn't put it down, but I felt like if I could imagine a crazy plot twist he'd do it and if there were a thriller/mystery cliche he'd use it (there aren't many characters who are who they appear to be). Not only that, but I can only take the suspension of disbelief so far with a book based in the "real" world. Many times I rolled my eyes at the dialogue and the way people reacted to situations. I would say this is a nonChristian version of a Left Behind book, and that's not really a compliment. Both this book and that series have a way of sucking you in, but the characters and dialogue are so bad you consider setting it down for good. After reading this book I've decided I probably won't waste my time with any other of Brown's books.It was an easy-read, but it lacked realism and much real depth I thought. If you need a no-brainer book for vacation, go with this one. It'll keep you entertained at least, partly from the relatively fast-paced plot, partly from rolling your eyes at how bad some of it is. Don't buy it though, this type of book is what libraries are for, as you'll never reread it.
Rating:
Summary: Not an engaging book at all
Review: What book were these other reviewers reading?!? The Illuminati lore is poorly researched, the plot painfully transparent, and the overall pace of the book is erratic. If you are stuck in an airport, and need SOMETHING to read, I guess this book is okay. You'll probably finish it by the end of the flight, and can safely dispose of it in the destination airport's garbage can.
Rating:
Summary: A Fun Read, but Do Your Homework
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As did my wife who read it a few months before me. We both agreed that a particular action point toward the end of the book was so unrealistic that it was almost a downer. Besides that, a lot of fun. We've also both read the Da Vinci Code and I have similar compliments for that book too. But for both books, I would stress that if you are looking for factual and complete information on history, science or religion, please, please, please do not turn to Dan Brown alone. He can spark your interest, but please do your homework and find respected sources that know what they are talking about. Remember Dan Brown is a fine novelist and he has done enough research to make his novels compelling, but this does not make him a scholar or an authority figure on history, religion or any other sphere outside his range of competency.
Rating:
Summary: Ham handed writing: bad sci-fi plot meets daytime TV dialog
Review: I got 50 pages into this book and had to stop. This is hack writing at its most tedious. Perhaps Brown can put together a plot, but his writing is pathetic. His characters are not believable. In the first few pages his Harvard professor protagonist receives a phone call and gets on a private plane at the request of someone he doesn't know and doesn't even bother to ask where he's going. The dialog of characters supposed to be world class physicists reads like high school students. Brown laboriously explains references that require none. Nothing here is remotely believable. Mach 15 civilian aircraft? Free-fall chambers? Living quarters that can be turned into freezers at the turn of a dial? Oh, but wait, here comes the world class physicist who happens to also be a world class babe, daughter of a priest (???) who's also a yoga master. 50 pages in we've got nameless assassins visiting brothels, ancient secret societies and super underground scientific research centers. Sounds like James Bond, or perhaps more accurately, Austin Powers. Check out this passage from page 23: --> "Friction," Kohler said. "Decreases her aerodynamics so the fan can lif her." He started down the the (sic) corridor again. "One square yard of drag will slow a falling body almost twenty percent." Langdon nodded blankly. He never suspected that later that night, in a country hundreds of miles away, the information would save his life. <--- Oh, well there's a cliff hanger! Please. Maybe this kind of writing would be suitable for a video game, but it just doesn't hold my interest. Perhaps it was a mistake to pick this up after reading several Dennis Lehane novels (someone who can actually write), but I find this drivel impossible to read. I like a good adventure yarn, but the writer has to have some skill. If you can ignore poor writing mechanics and let the plot carry you, perhaps you'll enjoy this book. If you expect authors to have any degree of writing skill or respect for their reader's intelligence, look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting! You'll stay awake until the wee hours with this!
Review: The Da Vinci Code introduced me to the world of Dan Brown, a talented author with a gift for suspense. There are many parallels between Angels and Demons and DVC (Da Vinci Code), so any fan of DVC is sure to love this.
Robert Langdon, our protagonist in this opus is aging, but is still quite good in his field, (religious symbolism.) The ultimate test comes in the middle of the night when an intriguing and disturbing fax is sent to his home. The fax is of a corpse that has been branded (yes, burned) with the word Illuminati.
The reader soon finds that the Illuminati was (is?) an ancient secret brotherhood made up of the finest minds in science. Over time, the group's goal of enlightenment backfired and turned into a vendetta against the Catholic Church, based on the trouble that the Church has given scientists over the years.
The Illuminati, it seems have started a full-scale, no compromises war against the Church that is going to last one day, and at the end of that day will be the complete destruction of the Vatican (literally!).
Langdon's purpose and goal is to use his knowledge to sieze the information needed to stop the Illuminati in their evil game.
This book is fascinating, and you are virtually guaranteed to love it! Cheers!
Rating:
Summary: Another Dan Brown classic
Review: I read "The Da Vinci Code"...and soon after I got "Angels and Demons" because I knew it would be good...and it was very good. The only downfall to this book are the moments that are too far fetched. There are a couple moments in this book that I found myself thinking "that could never happen" and it took away from the story because "The Da Vinci Code" was very realistic. But besides that, this book is very hard to put down. Dan Brown writes in a way that he introduces different characters and different story lines and keeps approaching the point where they all merge into the climax of the story...and it's very easy to read for hours on end just anticipating what's about to happen next. A lot of twists and turns, and if you liked "The Da Vinci Code" you'll like this as well. If you haven't read either, I'd suggest "The Da Vinci Code" first. I just bought "Digital Fortress" by Dan Brown and can't wait to read that one!
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