Rating: 
Summary: Written for the fourth grade
Review: Okay, I want to say that I started reading this book because a friend highly recommended it to me. While the overall synopsis of the plot has merit and could no doubt be turned into a great story - the writing is absolutely abysmal.The characters are shallow, and the reader is dragged through each paragraph like a slack-jawed mouth breather with no sense of deductive reasoning to draw on. Despite the nice plot, I could not finish the book.
Save your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Some other Vatican?
Review: The suspense is compelling but Brown can't know much about the modern Roman Catholic church. He asks us to believe the Vatican is worried about having to defend Creationism when the 350-year-old Vatican Observatory is a leading institution of astronomical and cosmological research. For more see http://clavius.as.arizona.edu/vo/ He also asks us to believe reasonably intelligent, educated people know nothing of anti-matter, that ambigrams are mysterious and shocking, and a few other groaners. Of course, I'm going to get right back to reading as soon as I send this.
Rating: 
Summary: Suspenseful and Thrilling
Review: The beginning of the book started to fly at first, but then it slowed down so that the reader can set a base of understanding for future reference. The book flows quite well and is surprisingly intense at times. All in all, it was a satisfying book that seemed to be credible for the imaginative minds. Robert Langdon, Harvard University professor and symbologist, is called on the phone by a mysterious man known as Maximillian Kohler. Kohler is the director of a huge scientifc facility called CERN, where only the brightest and most intelligent scientists, young and old, attend. After one of Kohler's top scientists gets murdered, he provides Langdon with a startling picture through a fax. It's an ambrigram symbol of the famed anti-Catholoc cult known as the Illumanati! The ambrigram was burned into the chest of the murdered scientist, saying Illumanati. (An ambrigram is a word where if you look at it regularly, then turn it upsidedown, it looked exactly the same) This particular group was well known to have existed over a century ago, but has now resurfaced. Why? Perhaps to avenge the Catholic church and what it has done to discredit science in past times. THe Illumanati are also infamous to infiltration. Could Galilio been Illumatatus? Gianlorenzo Bernini? Renowned Poet John Milton? The Illumanati has recovered a dangerous new breakthrough in science known as antimatter. Antimatter is more explosive than a nuclear bomb! Somewhere in Rome, they have placed a canister of this antimatter which will explode at midnight!
Robert Langdon, accompanied by Vittoria Vetra, the daughter of the scientist who was murdered and co-inventor of antimatter, must work with Rome's highest officials and the Swiss Guard to find this antimatter. The Illumanati make it even more difficult as they kidnap 4 cardinals who were suppose to be attending conclave due to the recent death of the Pope! What will they do to these men of God? Will they find these cardinals and save them AND retrieve the dangerous canister of antimatter all before 12 am? Neg.--There was not much that I really disliked about this book. The main reason I took a star off was because of the character Vittoria Vetra and how she developed. In the beginning, she seems to be presented as a strong-willed woman with high moral values. She started off more known as a woman with wits. Her wit seemed to fade slowly as the book progressed and that is what I was slightly confused by. Pos.--I loved this book overall. It was a fantastic book full of suspense. And of course, it related to a controversial topic based around Science vs Religion. Dan Brown put together a brilliant novel I would strongly recommend to readers who love suspense and thrill rides. It was obvious that there was heavy thought and research put into this book in order to further the reality concept it brought to it, although obviously a fictional book. I would not mind reading this book over again, either. I could see it as a great film, too!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable novel but historical hooey
Review: "Angels and Demons" is a recent entry into the secret society/ancient conspiracy genre. With seemingly great erudition, Brown mixes facts and fiction to create a genuine page-turner. All the standards are here--religion in the form of the Catholic Church, hidden secrets, modern science and gadgetry, arcane facts, and lots of twists and turns in the plot. Taken as a novel, these ingredients make for a fun read and a true page turner. The characters are a bit wooden, but that's par for the genre. It's the story that matters, not the characters. My major problem with this novel lies in its presentation of wide-eyed paranoic conspiracy theory as "historical fact." In an "Author's Note" preceding the novel, Brown claims that his description of Roman landmarks and art are accurate (really? other reviewers disagree) and then adds that "the Brotherhood of the Illuminati is also factual." This statement is deceptively incomplete, since it implies that what he says about the group's history is true and that there actually is a secret, world-wide elite whose nefarious doings control our lives. The truth about the Illuminati, however, is far different. Yes, there was a secret society of Illuminati and yes, the eye within the pyramid on the American dollar bill is taken from Masonic imagery (reputable historians have written about this for years). But the Illuminati were founded in the 18th century and are long-extinct. They have no connection with Gallileo or Bernini. Check the net--if you do a google on Bernini and the Illuminati, for instance, you get discussions of this book. The sites that come up for Illuminati themselves are mostly fringe sites and wide-eyed reviews of this book, with an occasional historical and/or skeptic site thrown in. I find it ironic that Robert Langdon, the symbologist and hero of "Angels and Demons" was chosen by Max Kohler because on a web search, his "credentials seemed authentic." Kohler adds that, "as a scientist," he has "come to learn that information is only as valuable as its source." (p. 30 of the paperback edition) Considering Brown's likely sources, I wouldn't bet the farm on the accuracy of his conspiracy theorizintg. That said, the book is an enjoyable read if you don't mind an occasional over-the-top or teetering-on-the-edge-of-the-top scene. But beware of any claims by the author to historical accuracy.
Rating:
Summary: Damn Good Book
Review: I have to admit, until the DaVinci Code, I have never heard of Dan Brown. Since I only buy my books in paperback, I decided to give Angles and Demons a try. Now, after having finished, I am glad I did! Angles and Demons gets off on a good pace. There is a mysterious murder, in which the body has an unsual symbol branded upon the chest. A Havard Symboligist is called in to investigate the situation. After the first couple of chapters, Angles and Demons slows down a little and I senced I was getting a little bored. However, Dan Brown quickly picks up pace and were off on a thrilling roller coaster ride. Shortly, I was unable to put the book down and was rivited through the end. Generally, I find most authors now days are unable to really complete their books with good endings and I often finish feeling cheated. However, Dan Brown throws in a unique twist and keeps the action going. When I finished the book my first thought was, "wow this was damn good" and my second thought was, "I need more". This of course is the sign of a good book! Dan Brown does an excellent job in describing the details of Rome, the papacy and keeps the story alive with stunning details and entertaining dialog. He is quite capable of stretching reality, but not far enough that it loses touch with reality either. I was deeply impressed and seeing how long the Da Vinci Code has been on the best sellers lists, I cannot wait to read it as well. But, my next book for now will be Deception Point by Dan Brown. If your looking for a good book which will keep you on your toes, this is the book for you!
Rating:
Summary: Exciting story, edge of your seat action, flawed theology.
Review: This book is actually the prequel to the Da Vinci Code, his recent bestseller. The writing is wonderful, and the action comes at you in a blur. Brown is very adept at writing stories that move at an incredible pace. This entire book takes place essentially in 24 hours. The action is from the perspective of a Harvard symbol scholar named Robert Langdon. This is a book that is hard to put down. The hook comes in the first few pages when Robert is called in the middle of the night about a murder of a scientist at a top secret Swiss thinktank. This places him in the middle of terrorism and a plot by a once thought extinct group called the Illuminati who are out to destroy Vatican City and the Catholic Church. The action is great, reminiscent of Indiana Jones, and the plot keeps you on the edge throughout. The only flaw is the theology used. The way Brown weaves into the story a one-sided view of religion, Christianity in particular, mares an otherwise excellent effort. One excellent point that was made within the story was that science cannot really answer any of the important questions about purpose and meaning. To be fair, his not so subtle jabs at faith are mostly up front in the story and reflect the views of the lead character. That said, Brown seems to get all of his information on religion from atheists, conspiracy theorists, and pseudo-scholars. Other than the absurd and very flawed theological constructs he tries to weave into the story this is a well-written book and a blast to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Great ending
Review: Like most readers, I came to this after reading The DaVinci Code. The parallels with DaVinci Code are obvious: the two are cut from the same cloth. Coming to this earlier work later, however, it did seem to pale slightly by comparison: DaVinci Code has perhaps more purely intellectual nuggets, and is even more thought provoking. Though dealing with weighty thematic topics, it is none the less more of a straightforward action story: think Michael Chricton plotboiler, with familiar themes of technology run amok found in some of Chricton's work. The last 80 or so pages featured one plot twist after another. I will not spoil them for you by going on. But if you loved DaVinci you will also enjoy Angels & Demons; if you thought DaVinci was stilted & pretentious (as a handful of people with whom I have discussed it felt), you still might like this one.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping, Thought-Provoking and Highly Entertaining
Review: Like many people I missed this when it was first published and read it after enjoying "The Da Vinci Code". Obviously when writing that later book, Dan Brown didn't want to waste a good formula because there are a number of similarities between the two books. Both of them involve puzzles, clues, riddles; both have a mysterious figure lurking in the background; both of them have love interests for our hero, Robert Langdon, who have just suffered the loss of a father-figure. However, while some of the framework is the same for the books, that didn't take away any of the interest. "Angels and Demons" is really a more spiritually challenging book than "The Da Vinci Code" which was a more intellectual puzzle. It focuses on the battle between religion and science - specifically the Vatican versus CERN - for the hearts and minds of the people. It's always difficult to review these kinds of books without giving away the plot since that is the major attraction here! However, I think it's fairly safe to give an outline (stop here if you don't want to know anything!): A scientist who has been working on anti-matter at CERN has been killed and branded with a mysterious mark implicating a group who were thought to have died out years ago. Robert Langdon, famed for his work on religious symbology, is brought in to help and quickly finds himself in Rome on the track of this ancient group. Meanwhile the Pope has died and the cardinals have gathered to elect a new one. Strangely the favorite four candidates have gone missing and a warning about a bomb planted in the vatican is creating problems for the Swiss Guards. Obviously it's up to our hero to get to the bottom of all of this and try to prevent the destruction. Dan Brown manages to throw red herrings, gotchas and clues up in the air like nobody else. Just when you think you have it solved there's another twist which, though sudden, is totally expected once you've seen it. Magical! This is a great thriller for anyone interested in mysteries of any kind.
Rating:
Summary: Non Stop Action!
Review: Pick a cozy spot to read and get ready to go on an adventure! Dan Brown takes you on an incredible journey to another fascinating country (like Paris in the DaVinci Code) where mystery and horror are combined to make a non-stop action thriller! Just when you think you figured out the twist Dan Brown brings it to another level...boggling the mind. This is a definite must read and keep for your personal library! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: could not put the book down!!
Review: Wow.. what can I say. This was my first Dan Brown book and it was awesome! He uses alot of history and facts in his books and it was all very accurate. It reminds me of my trip to Italy.. anyways this book is super fast paced and I had to read it until I finished it. Took me all of 3 days reading it at night after work. I look forward to reading his other books!
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