Rating: 
Summary: ILLUMINATING !
Review: I have taken the time to type out an excerpt from this amazing book. I hope the author-Dan Brown doesn't mind as I am mearly trying to show people how "deep" this story really is. "Science may have alleviated the miseries of disease and drudgery and provided an array of gadgetry for our entertainment and convenience, but it has left us in a world without wonder. Our sunsets have been reduced to wavelengths and frequencies. The complexities of the universe have been shredded into mathematical equations. Even our self-worth as human beings has been destroyed. Science proclaims that Planet Earth and its inhabitants are a meaningless speck in the grand scheme. A cosmic 'accident'. Even the technology that promises to unite us, divids us. Each of us is now electronically connected to the globe, and yet we feel utterly alone. We are bombarded with violence, division, fracture, and betrayal. Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than they have at any point in human history? Does science hold ANYTHING sacred? Science looks for answers by probing our unborn fetuses. Science even presumes to rearrange our own DNA. It shatters GOD's world into smaller and smaller pieces in quest of meaning... and all it finds is more questions.
The ancient war between science and religion is over. Science has won. But not fairly. Not by providing answers, but by so radically reorienting our society that the truths we once saw as signposts now seem inapplicable. Religion cannot keep up. Scientific growth is exponential. It feeds on itself like a virus. Every new breakthrough opens doors for new breakthroughs. Mankind took thousands of years to progress from the wheel to the car. Yet only decades from the car into space. Now we measure progress in weeks. We are spinning out of control. The rift between us grows deeper and deeper, and as religion is left behind, people find themselves in a spiritual VOID. We cry out for meaning. There is a growing trend of people who profess to believe in UFO's, engage in chanelling, spirit contact, and out-of-body experiences- all these eccentric ideas have a scientific veneer, but they are unashamedly irrational. They are the desperate cry of the modern soul, lonely and tormented, crippled by its own enlightenment and its inability to accept meaning in anything removed from technology.
Science, the 'illuminati' say, will save us. Science, I say, has destroyed us. Since the days of Galileo, the church has tried to slow the relentless march of science, sometimes with misguided means, but always with benevolent intention. Even so, the temptations are too great for man to resist. I warn you, look around yourselves. The promises of science have not been kept. Promises of efficiency and simplicity have bred nothing but pollution and chaos. We are a fractured and frantic species... moving down a path of desruction.
To science, I say this. The church is tired. We are exhausted from trying to be your signposts. Our resources are drying up from our campain to be the voice of balance as you plow blindly on in your quest for smaller chips and larger profits. You even murder unborn children in the name of research that will save lives. But it is the church that points out the fallacy of this reasoning. And all the while, you proclaim that the church is ignorant. But who is MORE ignorant? The man who cannot define lightning, or the man who does not respect its awesome power?
Show me proof that there is a God, you say. I say use your telescopes to look to the heavens, and tell me how there could not be a God. Do you not see God in your science? Have we become so spiritually bankrupt that we would rather believe in mathematical impossibility than in a power greather than us?
Whether or not you believe in God, you must admit that when people abandon their trust in a greather power, they abandon their sense of accountability. Faith, all Faiths are adomitions that there is something we cannot understand, something to which we are accountable... With faith we are accountable to ourselves, to each other, and to a higher truth. Religion is flawed, but only because MAN is flawed. Simply put, we people of faith belong to a brotherhood of imperfect simple souls wanting only to be a voice of compassion in a world rapidly spinning out of control."
~ From Angels & Demons
Rating: 
Summary: A Plot-Twisting Page Turner
Review: This was my first Dan Brown experience and I have to say I was not disappointed. Angels & Demons is next to impossible to put down. With his research and history of Rome and Vatican City as an added plus - I would definately receommend this to any other readers. The main character in the book, Robert Langdon is brought to life by Brown and is the epic hero of old throughout his adventures. The plot is thick with murder, occult, chases, secrecy, and mysteries all unfolding rapidly page after page. Just when you think the mystery is solved and everything wraps up the end mounts to yet another shocking twist. If you've read this far I can promise you won't be sorry for buying this treasure. I look forward to The DaVinci Code....
Rating: 
Summary: The same "M.O>"
Review: I read the Da Vinci code first, and completely devoured it in two days, so I figured I'd rewind and read Dan Brown's earlier work. Although I thoroughly enjoy his style of writing, the premise/plot is curiously similar to the Da Vinci Code. It is a good book, worthy of reading, but give yourself ample time between these two books so it doesn't feel like you're reading a prequel and sequel.
Rating:
Summary: BROWN'S BEST: BETTER THAN DAVINCI CODE
Review: This has to be Dan Brown's best novel to date. I've read THE DAVINCI CODE and DECEPTION POINT. A&D takes the prize. What a book! Have you ever read anything that blends murder mystery, symbology, Catholicism, science, a secret society, and that Vatican? Of course not. This book is a first. Even if Brown made this up and made errors in his descriptions of the inner workings of the papal process, this is still a masterful book blending a secret society of science called the Illuminati with the intrigue of Catholicism at the highest level. A very interesting description of the process by which the Pope is elected. I found the background workings of the popes office to be enlightening and entertaining. This is Robert Langdon's first adventure, even before the DC. All the characters are vividly described. Though some have criticized this book as anti-Catholic, I was left with a great respect and appreciation of the religion. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for an above-average read. My only criticism is that some of the murders are graphically described. Not for the weak of stomach.
Rating: 
Summary: Very disapponted. I do want my money back!
Review: This book is very disappointing. Almost all the quotations in Italian are misspelled and sometimes written in a very poor dialect. Even the names of the most important locations inside the Vatican are ridiculously misspelled. It seems like the author did not spend much time in checking names and quotations. I found this offensive! The author is not aware of the fact the Swiss Guards are only one of the two 'armies' of the Vatican. He is also not aware of the titles of the hierarchy of the 'Curia Romana'. And I have only read 130 pages... I'll keep you posted. Mr. Brown, how is it possible to contact you?
Rating:
Summary: A Great Work of FICTION
Review: I read Dan Brown's Angels and Demons about six months ago and decided to re-read it recently. It's still a good read through but I feel that there are a few things I should mention so that potential readers don't get taken for a ride. While Dan Brown has done extensive research on the pieces of art in this book, this is by NO means a work of NON-FICTION. I've already noticed people praising the extensive research undertaken by Brown but as he is an author and not historian, he is not bound by the same rules. For example, Brown writes that the statue The Ecstasy of St. Teresa was originaly intended for display in the Vatican but Pope Urban VIII ordered its removal due to its pornographic content thus 'allowing' Bernini to move the statue to its present location. This is incorrect. The Statue was comissioned specifically for the Cornaro chapel within the Discalced Carmelite Church Santa Maria Della Vittoria. It was comissioned by Federico Cornaro of Venice with the permission of the monks. St. Teresa was chosen not because she was pierced by a 'flaming' arrow but because she was the founder of the Discalced Order. And I'm sorry but I don't buy the idea that Bernini was some how an illuminati. He loved the Catholic Church too much and anyone who does any research into his life will see his devotion to the Church in not only his work but his own words. So remember that when you read this book that it is indeed a wonderful work of say it with me now! FICTION!
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as Davinci code
Review: I have to say I liked this book, and even though I know it came before the Davinci code I read it afterwards. I can see the author's improvement in style ... he is better the second time around. if you are going to read both of these books, read this one first. You will enjoy this one I promise, and then Davinci will seem even better. If you do it the other way around, this will seem like a let down. Trust me about it!
Rating:
Summary: Better than DaVinci
Review: I picked this book up a few years ago in one of those "grab everything that looks interesting" episodes while in a book store. I finally read it about a year ago and after finishing it I was upset with myself for making the book sit so long. Luckily, by then the Divinci Code was out so I was able to slide right into that book. What I think made this book most enjoyable was the pace at which it jumped from one subplot to the next. Hoping from one short "chapter" to the next really kept book moving. The writing is very good and the plot is exciting and intelligient. The characters are varied and most are developed very well so you have a pretty good idea of what is motivating them. I, however, did think the head of the Swiss Guard was a little to closed minded...I doubt someone would rise to such position by ignoring threats but he was still a good character. The book by itself is outstanding but I think it looks even better when compared to "DaVinci". While I like DaVinci, I thought this book was much more exciting and didn't "dumb down" like the DaVinci Code did at times (in what seemed like attempts to let the ready "solve" some codes themselves). Both are great books - but Angels & Demons was much better. I would recommend putting a little time between your reads of each book because there are a lot of similarities between characters in the 2 books which was slightly distracting at times.
Rating:
Summary: Impredecible
Review: Just when you thought you had all figured out, it takes a turn to the most unexpected end. Fantastic!
Rating:
Summary: Not his unsual stuff
Review: I did not enjoy this like I have most of his earlier works. The plot wasnt all that gripping.
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