Rating: 
Summary: Audacious plot, interesting information - Highly Recommended
Review: I have so far read 4 of Dan Brown's books (Angel & Demons, DaVinci Code, Deception Point & Digital Fortress) and three features of his writings stand out. First, audacious plotlines; Brown does not believe in small measures but goes out on a limb- heck, this guy re-defines audacity! The plotlines are way over the top but have just that crucial amount of credibility to draw in a reader, even when he knows it is fiction. Second, the pace is mercilessly quick; the entire plot of the book plays out over a few days at most. Last but for me the best of all, his books have a wealth of esoteric information that one would not normally read about. I found myself enthralled by a never ending series of factoids that had me rushing to the Internet for explanation or elaboration. Since the book has no real illustrations and a pathetic "map", I also used the internet to see images of the various landmarks that feature in the plot and their historical background and found the exercise enthralling. Angels & Demons follows the above lines. Take a look at the audacity first - a plot that combines the Vatican (in the middle of a Papal election), CERN, and ancient brotherhood helped by a modern-day terrorist, a Harvard professor, anti-matter! I don't recall ever seeing a plotline with such a combination of ancient history, religious cults, religion, particle physics and killing! Picture a juggler managing about 10 different balls at the same time and you get an idea of it all. Yet Brown manages to keep the links between the various plotlines almost seamless. I am not going to even try to summarize the storyline - read the editorial summaries for that. Suffice it to say that putting it down before finishing is not an option! I found the book absolutely fascinating. Sure it has weak points : Brown's ability to write about science could do with improvement and some of his concepts (Mach 15 etc) sound implausible. The ending too was just that bit over-cute, almost apocalyptic. Maybe Brown tired, and wanted to solve the whole puzzle in one cataclysmic event or to be fair, perhaps the sheer pace and complexity was just too hard to close out properly. But the good points far outweigh the bad. The history of the Illuminati, the various works of art that play key parts in the story, the dialog between religion and science - all these make this book a great read. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Captivating, One-Weekend Read
Review: If you like a good thriller, this is the type of of book that you read in the gym, while you dry your hair in the morning, fall alseep reading at 2 a.m., and read at stop lights. I couldn't put it down. The lovable Robert Langdon finds himself caught up in a plot to bring down Catholism. Can I give it more than 5 stars? Give it a read. You certainly won't be disappointed, and its a great lead-in to the infamous Da Vinci Code.
Rating: 
Summary: Engagingly provocative
Review: What to do if someone has been mysteriously murdered with the only clue being an indelible, if arcane, form of religious symbology? No problem. Just call the Harvard art professor/religous symbologist extraordinaire, Robert Langdon. Having read The Da Vinci Code, I was somewhat skeptical of undertaking Angels & Demons. I was somewhat unsure that it would compare, much less hold a candle, to The Da Vinci Code in terms of its proclivity for supremely suspenseful and intelligent writing. Suffice to say, it did. Despite a myriad of scenarios and events being highly implausible, Dan Brown's undeniable affinity for hyperbole(Robert Langdon's transformation into Superman during one scene notwithstanding), for all intents and purposes, serves to elevate the storyline to his characteristic high level of excitement and suspense that makes for a veritable high octane page-turner. If you enjoyed The Da Vinci Code, you're sure to enjoy Angels & Demons - perhaps even to a greater degree.
Rating: 
Summary: Virgin Birth
Review: CHAPTER 1
I don't mean for this to be a spoiler, but since when did
artificial insemination qualify as the epitome of scientific technology? I mean (not to be crude), but it is no more complicated a technology than a turkey baster. I would have thought that, for all Mr. Brown's arcane knowledge on medieval minutiae, he might have heard of egg-harvesting, in vitro fertilization, donor wombs, cloning, etc; technologies that may have been worthy of bent-knee awe and reverence with more philosophical underpinnings than an American Pie gag. CHAPTER 2
But artificial insemination? It would be as if Digital Fortress was about a really big abacus that had a couple of missing beads. CHAPTER 3
Having recently read The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons, and Digital Fortress in that order, I think I'm about ready to write a best-seller "thriller" of my own. It is almost paint by numbers. It works, but I just can't seem to get that Elvis on Velvet taste out of my mouth now. CHAPTER 4
This is about as formulaic as it gets. You can see the story board starting with a clever ending and work backward to have all the pieces fall into place. Clue, if you like a secondary character in the first 50 pages in any of those books .... well, I wouldn't want to spoil it for you, but I bet you catch my drift. CHAPTER 5
Perhaps Danny could throw us a curve next time and just have everyone "play it straight". Now, THAT would be a suspenseful read - waiting for that quirky surprise that never comes to pass. CHAPTER 6
The historical research is excellent and gives an interesting perspective on what you might have in your mental world view database. CHAPTER 7
Good books to read waiting between episodes of Monk if you're into that sort of thing.
Rating:
Summary: Prepare to suspend belief
Review: As another person who read The Da Vinci Code first, I certainly see a formula style in Brown's writing. The thriller aspect makes exciting reading and I enjoyed the interspersed history lessons (and they did feel as if that is what they were!) Robert Langdon, the main character, is supposedly an unassuming Havard professor, but I doubt that even Superman possesses his amazing powers to thwart death.
Rating:
Summary: An Awesomely Well Written, and Suspensful Book!
Review: Being 15, I never thought I would read anything besides Harry Potter. I read The Da Vinci Code first, and fell in love. Angels and Demons is Suspensful, and also had me sleeping with the lights on. I could see that this book might stir up some controversy with some people. I highly reccomend this book, but not to people who might be disturbed with religious cults and some "satanist" things. A very good read.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Great
Review: If you liked Da Vinci Code, you'll love the first adventure of Langone. Although the chapters are not broken down into seperate storyline paths as in Da Vinci, the read is still lightning paced.
Rating:
Summary: Suspense and Fun
Review: When Robert Langdon, one of the main characters in the story gets an odd fax one morning and follows the instructions associated with it, he has no idea how harrowing and exciting his day will be. The day takes twists and turns that some might anticipate, others might not anticipate it. Either way, the story is a good one to follow. In Angels and Demons, Dan Brown has woven modern science, ancient history, and religion to create a suspense filled thriller. His characters are well developed and are people that you come like and care about, or depending the character, not care about. There are some components of the story that are like an action film, but even these moments of letting belief go by the wayside are not enough to truly detract from the story that he has put together. I started this book and hated to put it down, even to go to bed and I couldn't wait to start reading it the next day.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the time it takes to read
Review: In the wake of popularity following The Da Vinci Code, I thought I'd read this first, taking them in order. Now, I doubt I'll waste the time to read any more by this author. This whole book is an excuse for a plot twist that couldn't be more telegraphed or less interesting. Combine that with one-dimensional characters and laughably stilted dialogue, and you have a disappointment. The main character, a professor at Harvard, has a great knack for pointing out the obvious. His sidekick, the beautiful but vengeful daughter of a murdered priest turned physicist, has gifts both for sub-atomic physics and yoga-inspired sex. And who knew the Pope had a test tube baby? As a work of fiction, this would make a great plot for a video game. Otherwise, save your time and money.
Rating:
Summary: A Review of Angels & Demons
Review: I had opportunity to finish Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons" in three days before my family and I went to visit Rome and the Vatican City. Reading about the history, sites, and people before arriving definitely made me enjoy this thriller.
Brown's latest masterpiece features the bright Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, an ancient intellectual brotherhood, the Papal Conclave, the top research center in the world (CERN), and plot twists to definitely throw you for a loop. The beginning of the book is a little slow but finally picks up when Robert arrives in Rome and the mystery begins. While traveling around Rome and the Vatican City, I continually found myself pulling out the book and checking the text against the facts. I knew the book was fiction, but a part of me wanted to believe that the dove on top of the obelisk in Piazza de Navona really did point to the building that it did in the book; this was not the case. Despite that fact, Brown's ability to manipulate the landmarks and add historical details enriches the book. This was a great read for the most part; however, there were some flaws that could have been improved. The "miraculous" ending seemed a little far fetched to the point that it alerted me to the fact that something was wrong with the situation. Seondly, Brown seems to enjoy writing about unbelievably beautiful and intelligent female heroes, as in "Angels & Demons" and "Digital Fortress" which seem to be some sort of fantasy for him because they are practically non-existent. The female hero in "Angels & Demons" would have been more believable if she was uglier. Ending on that unique opinion, "Angels & Demons" will surely knock your socks off and catch you off guard in the end. You could easily finish this book in one week.
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