Rating: 
Summary: Faaaar-fetched melodrama. But thanks for trying, Dan.
Review: Kudos to Dan Brown for the supreme intelligence he's brought to the international intrigue genre. The info on the Vatican, the various Italian artists discussed and the Illuminati is unbelievably fascinating (to me, at least), and Brown is an expert puzzle-maker. But the plotting is ridiculously convoluted and, by the end, completely without plausability. (Are we actually supposed to believe that all this happens in one day? And most of it in four hours? Come on!!) Too bad. Brown is a good writer (the reader is never bored; far from it), but he's bitten off far more than he can chew here. And truth to tell, for all his intelligence, the hero's a real dud. What the voluptuous Italian heroine sees in him is a mystery.
Rating: 
Summary: Fast and furious!
Review: It's just entertaining. The reviews below praise this book better.All I can add is that this writer seems to be very good at keeping a lot of different sub-plots going at the same time and yet tying them together at the end. I know nothing of Catholic theology, the Vatican, Rome or anti-matter: but this book sure makes it interesting. A thriller with a brain...praise the lord.
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Summary: A pope, a map, a cross, a city & a few conCERNs...
Review: I concur with reviewers who felt this was a somewhat flawed book but fun to read. His "Da Vinci Code" and "Digital Fortress" are also entertaining. Rather than cover other reviewers' complaints about "bent" language and strange science, my interest is in the layout of Rome as pivotal to the plot. As a lover of science/fiction, I am prepared to allow "imaginary science," including CERN-designed batteries strong enough to contain a chaotically oscillating plasma, in order to set up a story line. My conCERN is that the Map of Rome at the beginning of the book is significantly "bent," a feature recognized by Brown as he has his protagonist Langdon try to rescue deductions about a verse of clues by Galileo Galilei. Langdon decides that the axes of the resulting asymmetric diamond/kite are what he wants, rather than the oddly shaped "kite" formed by the sites named in the story. But on the actual layout of Rome, these axes do not match the needed orientation, so the map artist drew them so they did match (this did some really odd things to the roads around Piazza Navona). Mr. Brown gives the idea that his books are carefully researched, in part because Robert Langdon is a Harvard art historian of international standing and in part because the stories are rich in detail. I would have given this book 4 stars, but the map of its central premise "bends" the structure of Rome to match the story. Disappointing, because it would have been fun to go to Rome with the book in hand as a "tour guide." Without revealing more plot details than is necessary, let me say that there is a symmetrical Illuminatus-like "diamond" in Rome, just not the one Brown describes as "deduced" by the character Langdon. The Illuminatus "Diamond" I describe below has axes oriented parallel to those of St. Peter's Basilica: map it out for yourself, if you are interested. This "diamond" is consistent with Brown's/Galileo's (conveniently washed away) clues. I give the clue line numbers only here: if you want the exact clues with their significance to the plot, buy the book. Line One (EARTH):
An earthly chapel at Santa Maria d. Popolo with a "death in flight" motif whose designer was an Illuminatus.
Line Two (WATER):
Santa Maria d. Angeli: redesigned from Roman baths by Michaelangelo with a floor plan that includes an equal armed cross and a holy water font by a Bernini student. It also has a meridian (path of light) that was used to regulate time in Rome.
Line Three (AIR):
Along the Meridian (path of light) to St. Peter's Square and a certain sculpture.
Line Four (FIRE):
There is an angel on a panel of the cypress door at Santa Sabina. Ancient Santa Sabina is a station church on Ash Wednesday, when ashes are distributed. The Earth-Air-Fire-Water sequence (Santa Maria d. Popolo to Saint Peter's to Santa Sabina to Santa Maria d. Angeli)) takes you around the "diamond" to the left, ending at the Lair of the Illuminati along the meridian (path of light). Check this out on a map: the orientation of this "diamond" fits with Brown's final brand of the Illuminatus, has two of his locations and requires no distortion of the map of Rome. And the garden around a certain "castle" is an incomplete 5 pointed star on the "real" map of Rome, not as pentagonal as drawn on Brown's map. However, the significance of "5" is the same. One could also play some math games with the "diamond I have suggested. By the way, there is a compass in Saint Peter's square... And if historical novels with careful scholarly footnotes are to your taste, I recommend "Gospel" by Barnhart.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun and Clever Plot
Review: This book's premise is imaginative and clever--the Illuminati seem to have been resurrected and have the Vatican in their sights! The main character is charmingly human and vulnerable. And the plot keeps turning and twisting enough to keep you guessing. Also, if you have been to Rome, you will enjoy how the author works all the main sight-seeing landmarks into the plot. Although some of the dialog seems a little clunky to me, and perhaps some of the plot twists have holes if you look too closely, my advice is to suspend disbelief and go along for the ride! You'll find it a fun, quick read.
Rating:
Summary: Exploding Page Turner
Review: I never read a Dan Brown book until I read his best selling thriller "The Da Vinci Code". The can't-put-it-down page turner captivated my literary senses, and played with intriguing, fun themes. Naturally, I went to the first book in which the character of Robert Langdon appeared, and found it to be equally compelling, if somewhat over-the-top in some parts. Robert Langdon is introduced as a symbologist, who's awakened early in the morning by a phone call and subsequently, a very disturbing fax. His adventures thus begin, and literally do not stop until the next day.
What lies between those two points provides an enjoyable, challenging story that is compelling, imaginative, and thrilling. Brown's style is rich with philosophical bantering, provided by his characters at prime moments in the action when they are given "breathers" to discuss certain developments. This allows the reader to feel as if he's learning something as the story spins around him. However, Brown's style is also somewhat shallow and lacking a true depth into his characters. He basically sets up the characters very quickly, and away they go. But this lack of depth didn't bother me. I didn't read this book to get inspired by insightful characters. I read this book to get involved with a mind blowing thriller that I couldn't put down, and Brown delivers on every page. However, unlike "The Da Vinci Code", there were times that the events in this book seemed somewhat incredibly fantastical and unbelievable. Fortunately, it wasn't too often, so I let them go. Angels and Demons provides many pages of good reading fun, with a few incredible devious twists thrown in. You won't want it to end.
Rating:
Summary: Factual, Fast, and Fun
Review: I was introduced to the books of author Dan Brown only three weeks ago, but have quickly absorbed all four of his published works. It is easy to see why some are comparing the work of Dan Brown and James BeauSeigneur (THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY). Both Brown and BeauSeigneur deal masterfully with the more mysterious features of religion, politics, and science. Both bring to light amazing bits of information, which they weave into the intricate patterns of their stories. Both are highly imaginative and write with a ring of authenticity that makes for a compelling read. While Brown compresses labyrinthine plots into brief time periods to provide page-turning suspense, BeauSeigneur trilogy is of epic proportion, covering several decades. While Brown applies the mysteries of history to the drama of "today," BeauSeigneur uses both history and prophecy (from perhaps a dozen major world religions) to transport the reader from the world of today, to the very dawning of a new age in a story reminiscent of the scope of Asimov's classic, FOUNDATION. One other difference is that BeauSeigneur has taken the novel (pun intended and forgiveness is asked) approach of including footnotes in his books of fiction. By doing so, he all but eliminates the necessity of suspending disbelief. Few authors employ such strong factual grounding as to make footnotes useful, but I believe Brown's work (and his readers) would benefit from BeauSeigneur's innovation.
Rating:
Summary: I liked this book, but...
Review: I read this book because I enjoy palace intrigue, thrillers, mysteries, and grand conspiracy theories. On that level this novel worked and was a ripping good read. I also enjoy reading novels because I learn about things along the way. But... There are more than a few plot holes to drive a truck through. This is one of those novels where, the bad guy has planned things so carefully that if one thing slips up, it won't work. That's bad enough, but when it also seems to involve the actions of the good guys, their being smart enough to pick up the clues, or dumb enough to miss something, as the case may be, then I give up, set my need for coherence aside and just enjoy a good read. I also know enough about the Catholic church, the particle physics community (I live near Fermilab, have studied the topic and have good friends who work there), and a few other things to believe that Mr. Brown seriously bent reality to make this novel work. While I'd like to think I picked up a lot of knowledge along the way, I'm afraid I can believe nothing he's said. Simply because I know he got more than a few things wrong. Back on the plus side, I enjoyed Mr. Brown's frequent discussions about science vs. religion. I've been ruminating about some of these very issues recently, and his book helped me organize my thoughts and come up with some new perspectives. I wasn't expecting that and it was a nice surprise. So enjoy the book and the philosophic discussions, but don't expect an education or a solid plot.
Rating: 
Summary: I've read worse
Review: It's not that bad, really; just phony. And very manipulative. Also, makes one think Vatican City and Rome exist for [weak] literature's sake. It features an American hero only our Harrison Ford can immortalize for the US collective psyche. One more thing: the author should urgently hire an Italian editor, because most of the Italian quoted in the book is ridiculously wrong, and occasionally plain Spanish. Kind of embarrassing for a book that wants to appear well researched in Italian culture.
Rating:
Summary: Brims!
Review: Apart from being such a terrific thriller, it is the way in which Dan Brown creates and allows the reader to enter the thought process of Robert Langdon, and lets the reader think along with him, as he uses all his skill and historical knowledge to try to outwit this assassin. To save the lives of the cardinals from such a deadly fate. ...
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic page turner
Review: I have never written a review here, but this book is so good that I felt I should say something about it. After reading "The Da Vinci Code" I ran out and bought "Angels & Demons". The action is fast and you feel the need to keep turning the pages. I find that all of the historical data makes the book even more exciting and I loved the peek inside the Vatican. Make sure that when you start reading this book you have the time to keep reading, because you won't want to put it down.
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