Rating: 
Summary: Great page-turning read...
Review: I actually picked this up because I couldn't yet get my hands on "The DaVinci Code," and decided to read them in order. (Having started the latter now, I do actually recommend reading them in order as there seem to be a few allusions to the former.) Yes, there are bombastic pontificating soliloquies on the intersections of science and religion, but they were well-written and I appreciated them as thought-provoking and character-developing at the same time. The descriptions of Rome and of major works of art were beautiful, and the use of symbols and (for the most part) historical fact left me in awe of how much research the author must have done, not to mention how much information he crafted coherently into just over 500 pages. So, why 4 stars instead of 5? Because it all tied up too neatly in the end. It all felt so original until about 45 pages from the end... and then it all tied up, in the way I had originally thought it might when I was 50 pages into it. But still, it was engrossing and completely enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: Impossible
Review: It reminded me of Jurassic Park. Ok to read to pass the time when nothing else was around during a snow storm.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Thriller / Vatican and Rome Thriller
Review: If you read "The Da Vinci Code", you'll find this book very similar. Both books feature the Harvard symbologist Richard Langdon. But take "The Da Vinci Code", and replace Paris with Rome, the Louvre with the Vatican, the beautiful sidekick Sofie with the beautiful sidekick Vittoria, Da Vinci with Galileo, the Priory of Sion with the Illuminati, a murdered grandfather with a murdered adopted father, genius on crutches with genius in a wheelchair, lone crazed albino monk wreaking terror while working for an unknown leader with lone crazed "Hassassin" wreaking terror while working for an unknown leader, and secret ancient codes in artwork with secret ancient codes in stone sculptures, and ... .. voila, you have "Angels and Demons". (Technically, it's the other way around - this book was written before "The Da Vinci Code".) But I have to say - in spite of the identical formula, I still - even though I had JUST read Da Vinci Code - I STILL found myself being surprised by this book. I really got into this book more than Da Vinci Code. It's good. The descriptions of the Vatican are fascinating all by themselves. In fact, while I really was interested in "The Da Vinci Code", this book - "Angels and Demons" - leaves me wanting to visit Rome and see all the places mentioned in this book. Excellent reading, very interesting and engaging, and just when you think you've figured it out it surprises you. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: A Thumbs Up Ten Star Thriller
Review: Harvard professor Robert Langdon, an expert in symbology, is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol burned into the chest of murdered physicist, Leonardo Vetra and he discovers the work of the Illuminati, the most powerful underground organization in the history of the world. Since the time of Galileo, they have promoted science as opposed to blind devotion to the Church. Now it looks like they may finally have come out of hiding. Shortly before his death, Vetra used a particle accelerator in an attempt to reproduce Genesis and created matter from nothing by colliding energy beams at extremely high speeds, proving that matter can be created, thus explaining both the Big Bang and Genesis. However, Vetra's research has created a deadly byproduct, highly explosive antimatter, which was captured by his lab partner and daughter, Vittoria, and suspended in canisters with magnetic fields. One of the canisters has been stolen by Vetra's murderer and when its battery pack runs on in twenty-four hours, the canister's antimatter will come into contact with matter and explode, destroying an area about the size of a small city. And guess what, a mysterious canister has been seen inside Vatican City, where the College of Cardinals is convening to elect a new Pope. It seems only Langdon's knowledge of Illuminati propaganda can save the church and Langdon and Vittoria race around Rome on a desperate hunt through crypts, catacombs and cathedrals, following a four hundred-year-old trail of ancient symbols that leads them toward the Illuminati. All right, so maybe the book deviates a bit from historical fact. But it is fiction, after all. And darn good fiction at that. There is a reason why Mr. Brown has so many bestselling books in your local bookstore, several reasons as a matter of fact and ANGELS & DEMONS is only one of them. Mr. Brown gives us terrific people, terrific description and terrific thrills in this book that I found impossible to put down. Haley Lawford, S/V Cheerleader Too
Rating:
Summary: Look Out Below!
Review: This novel is quite a good read. Unlike what some have said, it isn't anti-Catholic. If anything I was surprised by how positive it treated the church based on my previous reading of The DaVinci Code. One issue is how similar the flow of the story is to the previously mentioned work. I found myself making comparisons all along the way. Da Vinci is definitely a better novel. I really have to wonder about gravity after reading this novel...and that's all I'll say about that. Overall, a good read but don't do like I did and read it right after reading Da Vinci Code or you'll have too much déjà vu.
Rating:
Summary: Twists, Turns, Action - and a truly Unique Story
Review: Robert Langdon - the Harvard symbologist best known for his role in the _The DaVinci Code_ - makes his first appearance in this work. Langdon is called to CERN - the world-famous laboratory in Switzerland - to help investigate the bizarre murder of a leading physicist. The scientist's chest has been branded - with the unmistakable symbol of the mysterious group called 'The Illuminati'. Worse, the scientist's most recent discovery - antimatter secured in a magnetic container - has been stolen. The antimatter is a dangerous explosive, akin to a nuclear weapon, co-developed by the scientist's attractive daughter. She accompanies Langdon in the fast-paced search for the weapon, which leads to the Vatican. Thought to have perished years ago, the Illuminati are a shadowy lot -- founded by scientists like Galileo --and have battled the Catholic Church for centuries. The hunt for the murderous thieves -- and the Illuminati -- all point to a devastating plot to destroy the Vatican and, with it, the Catholic Church. Using ancient and modern clues, Rome's landmarks, and fascinating historical documents from Vatican archives, Langdon tracks the killers like a bloodhound. Complicating matters is a Papal Conclave, with hundreds of Cardinals sealed into the Vatican while electing a new Pope... and sitting on a time-bomb. _Angels & Demons_ is a roller-coaster ride. Just when you've got a handle on the culprits and their motives, a whip-saw 90-degree turn flings you in a completely different direction. With plenty of fascinating detail, an exciting plot, and unique characters, this novel will grip you and not let go.
Rating: 
Summary: exploring the vatican's inner sanctum
Review: generally compelling read, except the ending was a little forced. the best part was the ambigrams: illuminati and earth air water fire. pretty cool. brown's not nearly as good a writer as his compeer-in-compelling, patricia cornwell. his characters tend to be writ too simply, too.
Rating:
Summary: More Anti-Catholic/Anti-Religion from Dan Brown
Review: The book is very well written and very suspenseful. Make sure, however, that you understand "well written" in the preceding sentence as including only sentence structure and flow and not historical or theological accuracy. In those areas, the book is downright scandalous. I don't use those words lightly. The only Catholics that Brown seems to understand are those liberal theologians whose secular stands most likely fit with Brown's. Notice in the book that the conservative Catholics are the nuts, the crackpots, those standing in the way of science. He simply cannot convey their arguments well. Instead, he resorts to the most unfortunate simplifications or demonizations of their positions. The anti-science position can indeed be made quite plausibly and in fact has, I believe, the better philosophical arguments in its corner (See Gadamer, Jonas, Arendt, Heidegger, Charles Taylor.) There are also scenes in the book that are downright offensive to serious Catholics. For instance, there is a nun impregnated by artifical insemination by a priest, something that Humanae Vitae in 1968 and Evangelium Vitae in 1995 specifically consider antithetical to any sustainable human dignity. The very use of artificial insemination is a serious sin and Brown has those in Holy Orders partake of this in order to preserve their sanctity. No serious Catholic could ever entertain such fallacious reasoning--preserving personaly chastity and thus pleasing God by using serious sin as a means. If Brown doesn't know this, he is ignorant; if he does know it, he is being offensive. "Exitus acta probat" is not sustainable Catholic reasoning.
As I also mentioned, this book, like Da Vinci Code, has serious historical problems. One of the worst I noted was when it was stated that Churchill was Catholic. Good luck trying to find substantiation for that one! All told, it is a fun read, but if you want a substantial read on Catholicism and demonic brotherhoods, pick up Malachi Martin's Windswept House. Unlike Brown, Martin, a former Jesuit, knows Catholicism well.
Rating:
Summary: Don't want to put it down --- but it is irritating.
Review: A fast moving story that keeps you going, but the frequent scientific laspses like using an ohmic field detector to find a video signal instead of a directional radio finder. Another irritating thing is the recycling of the characters in the DaVinci Code. Brown changes the names to protect the innocent but keep the personalities the same.
Rating:
Summary: Angels and Demons- A highly recommended book
Review: A friend first introduced me to "The Da Vinci Code". After reading the book, I was captivated by the suspense and the fast pace of the novel, and was soon off finding books that are also written by Dan Brown. I was a fan of Dan Brown's and his collection of books by the end of my reading of "Angels and Demons". This will be a book that will set the readers off into their thoughts of solving the mysteries themselves, while reading rapidly to quickly catch the next dilemma in line.
Dan Brown writes about a main character in the two books, Robert Langdon, as the code breaker of the many mysteries that lay in his path. The Harvard Symbology professor is a well-known symbologist that many government agencies or polices would pick to take part of the crimes that needs a code breaker. In this book, the story started out with a midnight waking call, a mysterious voice that requests for his help in a murder crime. Langdon soon started off his crime-solving adventure to try to find the truth behind the resurfaced secret brotherhood, the Illuminati, which tried to take control over the entire Catholic Church. He then joined hands with the daughter of the murdered scientist in search of the assassin responsible for the act.
"Angels and Demons" and "The Da Vinci Code" are both similar books with the murder crimes needed to solve, the mysterious midnight phone call, along with the many codes broken by Robert Langdon. The high suspense of this novel left me with my heart hanging in the air. By reading this book, I reached the information that I never would know about even in my wildest dreams. If you enjoy a fast-paced novel that includes murder, adventures, or secrets, this book will definitely satisfy your requirements.
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