Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good, pretty annoying
Review: I read this book because a bunch of people told me I should read "The Da Vinci Code", and I learned that this was an earlier book in the same "series". I felt i should read this one first, especially since I could get it in paperback. I am not usually a thriller fan (I've only read two thrillers previously that I really liked, despite occasionally trying others). Anyway, I got the book and started reading it with some trepidation. The extremely gruesome beginning nearly put me off the book, and certainly made me think it was going to be a lot more viscerally gross than it turned out to be. However, I kept with it, and finally made it to the end. It's a pretty good book, but a couple times, I nearly threw it across the room. Other reviewers here have donee a good job of explaining what is good about the book (lots of interesting puzzles, a fast-paced twisty plot, decent pacing, the concatanation of myriad random things into a rational pattern, and some interesting philosophical issues to wrestle with), so I won't belabor them. it was a fun book to read, and at the end, I did not feel I had wasted my time, as I so often do when I read thrillers. That having been said, I found lots of things annoying about the book, and sometimes, it was hard to keep myself from flinging it out the window. The heavy-handed foreshadowing (starting with the comment on page 23 -- paperback edition -- about how some random fact he had just learned was going to save his life later tonight in another country) drove me nuts. I don't mind cardboard characters in a plot-driven novel like this, but I think that cardboard characters should refrain from changing their fundamental natures with no explanation. When the final plot twist depends on someone being other than who the reader thinks that person was, there should have been subtle signs of that earlier, which the reader can review in her mind and say, "Aha! I missed that!" Plus, the entire plot depends on Langdon's intuition being very very shrewd, so the occasional failures of his intuition were very noticeable. (like when he climbed onto the helicopter so he could make use of the random fact he had learned on page 23). Finally, the notion that a bunch of Renaissance scientists would have chosen English as their "pure language", while explained cleverly in the plot, is just too convenient, and broke my suspension of disbelief. I had to put the book down for a day or two after that happened before I could resume the roller coaster ride. I've heard that many of the heavy-handed writing problems are gone in the sequel, so I will probably read it. In the end, this book was not a waste of my time, but it did not make it onto my list of "thrillers for the ages". Oh, and comparisons to Umberto Eco simply serve to underline the deficiencies of this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't plan to do anything else
Review: Don't plan to do anything else but read, when you start Dan Brown's Angels & Demons. If I could give it more than five stars I would. I usually read for a half hour or hour at bedtime, but this book was so intriguing that I devoured it in a day and a long night - literally could not come up for air. (sorry about the cliches, but they really fit this book!) The loss of sleep was worth it. Brown's research into the Vatican, physics, the science-religion debate, churches and architecture and statues in Rome, and the Illuminati was really intricate, and made the book seem very realistic. I do not like books with a religious theme or sub-theme, as they tend to be preachy. However, here Brown raised various sides of issues that really got my mind engaged. The science-religion issues were essential to the book and seamlessly interwoven with the thrilling chase through the Vatican and Rome to find the killer and stop the anti-matter explosion. Brown put lots of twists in the book - some were easy to anticipate, but the obvious isn't always correct. Each time I thought the book had reached its climax something new happened and it kept going. If you don't like too much violence (I don't), you may be turned off by the first chapter - but stick it out - there are only a few graphic parts, and Brown doesn't stretch them out too much. The book was full of tension, and I was delighted at the end to crack up laughing out loud at a line that was totally unexpected and helped bring me back to reality. Be sure to allow yourself plenty of uninterrupted time for this one, because you may find it hard to put down!
Rating:
Summary: a fun fast read--bring it to the beach
Review: Brown has written a fun and interesting thriller-one which combines science fiction, history and religion. This is the kind of book you should bring to the beach or on a plane-it's a quick read and will keep your interest until the end. When a scientist/priest is murdered under strange circumstances, Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor of iconography, is called in to explain the mysterious symbols carved on the dead man's body. Langdon notes that the symbols referred to the Illuminati-a heretical group which has battled the Catholic Church...but the Illuminati have long since disappeared...or have they?! Langdon sets out to discover if the Illuminati are still active and if they are behind the murder. You won't be sorry you read this-my only complaint was a minor one (as an historian of science, I have to point out that science and religion are not and have not always been in diametric opposition to one another
Rating: 
Summary: The Pot Boils Over
Review: At 569 paperback pages, "Demons and Angels," tells a clever story that would have been twice as clever at half the length. Religious potboilers come with particular devices attached. Primary, of course, is the battle between good and evil, with both usually embedded within the Catholic Church. The good are generally comprised of conservative clerics tinged with liberal/humanist streaks; and the bad are either ultra-conservatives working through an obscure cult to bring the church back to some medieval purity, or out-and-out Satanists suckered by the Prince of Lies, and intent on destruction. Satan, himself, has been known to make a personal appearance. "Demons and Angels," remains true to form but adds enough, shall we say, "Devilishly clever," twists and turns to refresh the genre. The ritual murder of a priest/physicist who has captured anti-matter in the labs of a Swiss Scientific Foundation provides the device that gets this page-turner ripping along. We're quickly set up with an ever-resourceful he-man scholar, his gorgeous and ever-resourceful counterpart - who happens to be the priest/physicists adopted daughter; a slightly demonic lab director; an impossibly dull chief of Vatican security; and a "camerlengo" who may or may not be the second coming. Author Dan Brown then throws in the cult of the Illuminati; the skullduggery of a Papal Conclave; art history; religious and scientific arcana; and enough Perils of Pauline cliff-hangers for two books. This huge pot is Mr. Brown's undoing. There's so much here that we have characters discussing art history, and religious lore as they're, literally, running between murders and acts of daring-do. And there are so many such acts crammed into a twenty-four hour period that it becomes impossible to suspend disbelief -a fatal flaw for a thriller. Had Mr. Brown managed to cut about 200 pages "Demons and Angels" would have been one hell of a book. As it is, it's interesting, and exciting, but ultimately a failure. Perhaps he does better with the "The Da Vinci Code" which on first look appears to be a second chance. We'll see.
Rating: 
Summary: Assault on the Vatican
Review: Leonardo Vetra, physicist at CERN, the world's largest scientific research facility based in Switzerland has been found bizarrely and ritualistically murdered. Vetra had been branded across the chest with the word Illuminati. Max Kohler, head of CERN, immediately contacted Harvard religious iconology professor and art historian Robert Langdon. Kohler hoped to summon Langdon, one of the world's foremost authorities on the secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati. The Illuminati was a secret society conceived by Italy's most enlightened men in the 1500's in response the church's censure of scientific truth. The society was comprised of scientists, artists and mathematicians who were at odds with the church and lead by Galileo. Some radical members advocated violence against the church. Meetings were clandestine as the church had subjected some members to torture and death. As Langdon examined the murdered scientist who was also a cleric, Vetra's daughter Vittoria burst into the complex. Also a renowned physicist she had been involved in a project outside the facility and was alerted to her father's death. It was soon learned that Vetra had been working on a means to simulate Genesis in the laboratory. He had suceeded in creating matter from nothing using huge particle accelerators. Also created as a by product was anti matter which was determined to be a force far more powerful than nuclear energy. To contain the created anti matter Vittoria had invented a receptacle which by using powerful magnets suspended the anti matter in a vacuum. It seems that if anti matter comes in contact with any matter including air it annihilates or devastatingly explodes. Upon investigating Vetra's lab it is detemined that a large droplet of anti matter has been stolen and will detonate within 24 hours. The anti matter which can vaporize an area with a half mile radius eventually turns up in the Vatican. Langdon and Vittoria Vetra rush to the Vatican and soon learn that a plot hatched by the long thought dead Illuminati is threatening this very holy ground. The Vatican is in the midst of the Conclave, an assemblage of 165 cardinals, to elect a new pope as the pope has just passed away. The Vatican is being temporarily lead by trusted camerlengo (chamberlain) of the pope Carlo Ventresca. Langdon, Vittoria and the Vatican Swiss Guard using an obscure Galileo manuscript must decipher the secrets of the Illuminati to thwart the plot to destroy the Vatican. Dan Brown in a prequel to the Da Vinci Code uses a very similar formula to construct a plot which highlights his impressive knowledge of religion and art. The story proceeds intriguingly but gets bogged down in a utterly fantastic and implausible conclusion. Brown learns his lessons well as the Da Vinci Code is a more polished work.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, frustrating, fascinating, annoying...what a read!
Review: I had never read any Dan Brown before I picked this one up at a yard sale. Reading it in bursts over the next few days was a mix of "can't-put-it-down" and "throw-it-across-the-room". THE FUN: With a fast-paced plot that successfully mixes elements of religion, particle physics, assassins, art history, etymology, ancient manuscripts, Illuminati, puzzle-solving and more, 'Angels & Demons' is kind of a modern day Indiana Jones script written by Umberto Eco. This is definitely a plot-driven novel, so don't expect to be bogged down in deep character studies, though the characters are at least interesting enough to keep you caring what happens to them. Once we get into the meat of the plot, things move along at a fast pace as the characters dash around the city, racing the clock, following one clue after another. Just the right amount of humor mixed keeps it all from getting too serious (and contrary to another reviewer's comment, they *do* stop to eat and, in one memorable scene, get some "relief"). With so many elements involved, it would be understandable if things got confusing, but Brown keeps everything on track and manages to wrap the whole thing up in a very satisfying way, with no loose-ends. THE FRUSTRATING: Brown seems to have trouble keeping his characterizations consistent, even with the main characters. He'll spend most of a chapter showing how brilliant and educated they are, only to have them say or do something absolutely stupid. For example, in a scene involving a threat to a secure facility, the security guard says something about "beginning the sweep". Would a world-traveling, highly educated, nuclear physicist really think the guard meant sweeping the floor? Brown seems to think so. While many people may not know what CERN is, is there anyone who hasn't at least heard of anti-matter? In Brown's world, there are lots. And while ambigrams may not be common, they're not unusual (Scott Kim was publishing ambigrams, or "inversions" over twenty years ago in "Games" magazine). But as Brown explains it, the most powerful computers of our time have been unable to create the ones his characters come across. (Yeah, I know, it's only a novel, but there should be some grounding in reality!) THE FASCINATING: Brown does a good job of throwing in a mind-boggling number of details on myriad subjects without making it read like a lecture. You're sure to learn a thing or two reading this one. He provides some very intriguing views on the conflict between science and religion, and more interestingly, the similarities between them. There's some nuclear science thrown in, which is a nice counter to the quasi-historical background on the Illuminati (*always* a fascinating subject, even though they don't really exists'or do they? [fnord]). For me, the best part was the background on the city and sculptures. Never having really wanted to go there before, I found myself cruising the 'net looking up the various building and art works featured in the story. It's now on my list of places I'm looking forward to visiting. THE ANNOYING: Brown tends to telegraph almost everything. Rather that subtly dropping hints, foreshadowing his plot developments, he seems determined to say to the reader, "This is important! Remember this part!" The worst example is very early on, in Chapter 7, where he writes: "He never suspected that later that night...the information would save his life." The character may not have suspected, but now we do. When the pay-off scene finally arrived almost 500 pages later, I should have been thinking, "Wow! That's why there was that scene back in Chapter 7!" Instead, it was just one more item to check off on the "wrapping-up-loose-ends" list. That being said, there are still a few real surprises. Just when I thought I had his plotting all figured out, he managed to throw in a twist I didn't expect. I'd like to think this was intentional, but it doesn't read that way. He also seems to have a limited range of character reactions. They're frequently either totally ignorant of what's right in front of them, or they're "stunned", "mind reeling", "jaw agape", "horrified by the implication" etc. Reviews of his later books have said that his writing style has matured, and I hope these are two areas where it shows. WHAT A READ: Overall, 'Angels & Demons' was a highly entertaining read. Brown shows a real talent for mixing diverse elements into a compelling story. His pacing for this kind of novel is just right, though his characterization and dialogue skills could use some work (at least that was the case when this book was written). Even with my complaints, I'd recommend this book, and I'm looking forward to reading more from Dan Brown. If the next one I read is as entertaining as this, he'll definately be on my short list of must-read authors. (And how ironic is it that 'The Da Vinci Code' just popped up on my Amazon.com recommendations list? Coincidence? Or maybe the Illuminati'?)
Rating:
Summary: Extremely enjoyable
Review: This book was a great read, from the begining pages I knew that this book was going to be fast-paced and a page turner. This was the first book of Dan Brown's that I have read, but it was a good place to start. I would recommend this book to anyone, but some say that the facts in this book are a little sketchy, but aside from the point that so called "facts" are a little away from the truth, this was a good book.
The ending of this book was also a WOW factor. So many unsuspected turns; first I had an idea who did it all, but once my idea was confirmed, a twist in the story proved that I was wrong.
This book also made me think on a different level then I have before about the subjects of Christianity and Science. The facts in the book were shocking and amazing to me, and I would proudly confess to anyone seeking a fast paced, mystery/thriller, with many twists and turns, history facts, and intrest in science or religion, that this again was a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Internet access a must!!!
Review: Once again, Dan Brown has sent me scurrying to my computer to look up information on the internet...illuminati, ambigrams,
papal elections, Vatican library, Bernini sculptures, etc. I am having so much fun reading his novels! The fact that he bases so much of his works on actual historical data is giving me a jolt of knowledge I never knew before. This time, Robert Langdon is called into service to study the death of a scientist who has etched in his chest an ambigram...a sign that can be read the same both right way and up-side down. Whisked to the Vatican, Langdon finds himself in the middle of a papal conclave...choosing a new pope. With a destructive bit of anti-matter being secreted in the Vatican, and time ticking down, Robert must unravel the mystery. Bernini sculptures are important!
Several years ago a custodian on the staff at my school kept talking about the Illuminati and how dangerous they were.
He convinced me to read a book about them. It seemed so preposterous that I felt I would never hear of them again. Boy,
was I wrong! Now I want to find out more about anti-matter!
Rating:
Summary: A Hardy Boy's novel for an older generation
Review: This novel attempts to breath life back into the ancient struggle of science vs. religion. Along the way, it introduces the average person to some startling facts about European history and modern science. However, this book shows a surprising lack of thought and depth when wading through an otherwise interesting plot line. Robert Langdon is a Harvard "symboligist", which the author never lets us forget, through numerous flashbacks to Harvard and numerous references to Harvard life. As I read through this book, I began to wonder if attaching Harvard to Langdon's name was intended to make us believe he was more intelligent than he came off as. This story revolves around Langdon's impressive knowledge of "symboligy" and the Illuminati, which might have made for a stunning novel if the author had bothered to do more than Internet research on both. One of the most disappointing aspects of this novel are the puzzles, which are often so quickly solved by the reader, that one will find themselves tapping their foot for two chapters as the characters laboriously trudge through these simple clues. Furthermore, despite being an English major, Brown completely missed the fact that modern English is spelled differently than olde English, something that all of the clues in this book hinge upon. Another issue I have with this novel is Brown's puerile writing style. For a best selling author, and he being an English major to boot, I was expecting better structure. His chapters almost fall into a formulamatic sequence with awful foreshadowing such as "...if he had only realized the trouble he would be in, he wouldn't have boarded that helicopter." (sic) While not a direct quote from the novel, I recall something very similar. Additionally, he attempts to complicate the plot by giving the reader insight into the mind of several characters, however looking at the case of the novel's ultimate villain, he changes the character's personality 180 degrees in order to explain the ending, which really soured me to the novel. Despite glaring mistakes on the author's part, this book is entertaining to read. However, like his book "The DaVinci Codec" this book offers very little in substance for the smart reader, but is a very enjoyable novel to pass the time with nonetheless. I realize that I somewhat trashed this novel, but I do feel that this novel is entertaining, much like a Hardy Boy's novel. It should not be compared Umberto Eco, who is the real version of Robert Langdon, a true philologist.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Work of Conspiracy
Review: Angels and Demons is a very interesting work -- say what you will about Dan Brown's rather cardboard characters, but he certainly knows good subject matter when he comes across it. This book touches on a lot of interesting ground -- CERN and nuclear physics, a papal conclave, the Illuminati, space planes, the works of Galileo and Bernini, and a race against time. A book about any of these things would be interesting; Brown serves up a mystery involving all of these things. His protagonist, a Harvard professor named Robert Langdon, is called to CERN to help solve a rather bizarre murder. He soon finds that his life is turned upside down and he has less than a day to save the Vatican from destruction by the Illuminati. To do so, he has to solve clues that lead him and his friend Vittoria -- a beautiful CERN physicist -- through a scavenger hunt of Rome's churches, looking for clues left for them by the Illuminati's founders. The book is always entertaining, and is well worth reading. Brown has hit on a very novel formula for a his works -- an age old mystery, a smart and beuatiful woman, word games and puzzles, and a tour through Europe. The formula works very well both here and in the Da Vinci code. One sometimes wishes that Brown had the skill and humor of Umberto Eco in developing places and characters, but perhaps this will come in time. I recommend the book. It is very entertaining.
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