Rating: Summary: Twists, Turns, Action - and a truly Unique Story Review: Robert Langdon - the Harvard symbologist best known for his role in the _The DaVinci Code_ - makes his first appearance in this work. Langdon is called to CERN - the world-famous laboratory in Switzerland - to help investigate the bizarre murder of a leading physicist. The scientist's chest has been branded - with the unmistakable symbol of the mysterious group called 'The Illuminati'. Worse, the scientist's most recent discovery - antimatter secured in a magnetic container - has been stolen. The antimatter is a dangerous explosive, akin to a nuclear weapon, co-developed by the scientist's attractive daughter. She accompanies Langdon in the fast-paced search for the weapon, which leads to the Vatican.Thought to have perished years ago, the Illuminati are a shadowy lot -- founded by scientists like Galileo --and have battled the Catholic Church for centuries. The hunt for the murderous thieves -- and the Illuminati -- all point to a devastating plot to destroy the Vatican and, with it, the Catholic Church. Using ancient and modern clues, Rome's landmarks, and fascinating historical documents from Vatican archives, Langdon tracks the killers like a bloodhound. Complicating matters is a Papal Conclave, with hundreds of Cardinals sealed into the Vatican while electing a new Pope... and sitting on a time-bomb. _Angels & Demons_ is a roller-coaster ride. Just when you've got a handle on the culprits and their motives, a whip-saw 90-degree turn flings you in a completely different direction. With plenty of fascinating detail, an exciting plot, and unique characters, this novel will grip you and not let go.
Rating: Summary: exploring the vatican's inner sanctum Review: generally compelling read, except the ending was a little forced. the best part was the ambigrams: illuminati and earth air water fire. pretty cool. brown's not nearly as good a writer as his compeer-in-compelling, patricia cornwell. his characters tend to be writ too simply, too.
Rating: Summary: More Anti-Catholic/Anti-Religion from Dan Brown Review: The book is very well written and very suspenseful. Make sure, however, that you understand "well written" in the preceding sentence as including only sentence structure and flow and not historical or theological accuracy. In those areas, the book is downright scandalous. I don't use those words lightly. The only Catholics that Brown seems to understand are those liberal theologians whose secular stands most likely fit with Brown's. Notice in the book that the conservative Catholics are the nuts, the crackpots, those standing in the way of science. He simply cannot convey their arguments well. Instead, he resorts to the most unfortunate simplifications or demonizations of their positions. The anti-science position can indeed be made quite plausibly and in fact has, I believe, the better philosophical arguments in its corner (See Gadamer, Jonas, Arendt, Heidegger, Charles Taylor.) There are also scenes in the book that are downright offensive to serious Catholics. For instance, there is a nun impregnated by artifical insemination by a priest, something that Humanae Vitae in 1968 and Evangelium Vitae in 1995 specifically consider antithetical to any sustainable human dignity. The very use of artificial insemination is a serious sin and Brown has those in Holy Orders partake of this in order to preserve their sanctity. No serious Catholic could ever entertain such fallacious reasoning--preserving personaly chastity and thus pleasing God by using serious sin as a means. If Brown doesn't know this, he is ignorant; if he does know it, he is being offensive. "Exitus acta probat" is not sustainable Catholic reasoning. As I also mentioned, this book, like Da Vinci Code, has serious historical problems. One of the worst I noted was when it was stated that Churchill was Catholic. Good luck trying to find substantiation for that one! All told, it is a fun read, but if you want a substantial read on Catholicism and demonic brotherhoods, pick up Malachi Martin's Windswept House. Unlike Brown, Martin, a former Jesuit, knows Catholicism well.
Rating: Summary: Don't want to put it down --- but it is irritating. Review: A fast moving story that keeps you going, but the frequent scientific laspses like using an ohmic field detector to find a video signal instead of a directional radio finder. Another irritating thing is the recycling of the characters in the DaVinci Code. Brown changes the names to protect the innocent but keep the personalities the same.
Rating: Summary: Angels and Demons- A highly recommended book Review: A friend first introduced me to "The Da Vinci Code". After reading the book, I was captivated by the suspense and the fast pace of the novel, and was soon off finding books that are also written by Dan Brown. I was a fan of Dan Brown's and his collection of books by the end of my reading of "Angels and Demons". This will be a book that will set the readers off into their thoughts of solving the mysteries themselves, while reading rapidly to quickly catch the next dilemma in line. Dan Brown writes about a main character in the two books, Robert Langdon, as the code breaker of the many mysteries that lay in his path. The Harvard Symbology professor is a well-known symbologist that many government agencies or polices would pick to take part of the crimes that needs a code breaker. In this book, the story started out with a midnight waking call, a mysterious voice that requests for his help in a murder crime. Langdon soon started off his crime-solving adventure to try to find the truth behind the resurfaced secret brotherhood, the Illuminati, which tried to take control over the entire Catholic Church. He then joined hands with the daughter of the murdered scientist in search of the assassin responsible for the act. "Angels and Demons" and "The Da Vinci Code" are both similar books with the murder crimes needed to solve, the mysterious midnight phone call, along with the many codes broken by Robert Langdon. The high suspense of this novel left me with my heart hanging in the air. By reading this book, I reached the information that I never would know about even in my wildest dreams. If you enjoy a fast-paced novel that includes murder, adventures, or secrets, this book will definitely satisfy your requirements.
Rating: Summary: Watch out world Dan Brown has unleashed Robert Langdon Review: The prequel to the Da Vinci Code, is a masterpiece as well. Dan Brown not only puts his readers in a car chasing never stopping thriller he also educates them at the same time. Dan Brown is a remarkable author who writes remarkable work. This book deserves a full five stars, because even though I had school work to do, I spent the entire day finishing the book. That's how I know when a book is good, when I have important assignments that I need to take care of, but oh no, I've got to finish this book. Once again Brown introduces historical content to us, and some of us may not be able to handle the content, but we should try at least. Some religious fanatics might not be able to handle it, but hey isn't that what makes up the world, a bunch of people trying to get along. Enjoy spending hours reading this one, you'll never want to put it down
Rating: Summary: REVIEW: ANGELS AND DEMONS Review: I read Angels and Demons after finishing the Da Vinci Code. It was such an interesting and fast book that I decided to look up other books by Dan Brown, this was how I stumbled upon Angels and Demons. This book is highly recommended to people looking for a suspenseful and quick mystery. But after reading both books I decided that if you have read one, you¡¦ve read them all. Before Harvard Symbologist Robert Langdon solved the Da Vinci Code, he had to crack the mystery of the resurrected Illuminati clan, a secret brotherhood that supposedly disappeared and now resurfaces to take control. Angels and Demons the enthralling prelude of the number one bestseller Da Vinci Code written by Dan Brown is an even better read than the best selling sequel. Angels and Demons kicks off with a midnight phone call to Robert Langdon following a murder of a high leveled scientist. Langdon then goes on and joins Vittora Vetra, the daughter of the murdered scientist, in search of the killer. Angels and Demons is very similar to the Da Vinci Code, both books start with a murder and a midnight phone call, then Langdon goes on a chase after the murderer with the victims daughter. The page-turning suspense that builds up early in the book quickly dies after the object of desire is revealed. When the readers find out what the Langdon is searching for, the book stops becoming a rush of information. Towards the end the book becomes very predictable, almost as if it were a movie in words. This thriller is a great book in general and is good for a fast suspenseful read.
Rating: Summary: Spellbinding and Hypnotic -- A must read ! Review: From an ancient secret brotherhood to the Swiss Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, Brown's writing is very entrancing and revealing. You will find it hard to put this novel down. I gave this tale 5 stars because it is very lucid, exceptionally fast-paced and filled with style. From cover to cover it's a religious thriller. I highly recommend it. Here's another novel you should check out: Dragon Man The Adventures Of Luke Starr ... It's a fast-paced fantasy and a real page-turner ... a must-read. You can check it out and read an excerpt at: http://www.dragonman.tv
Rating: Summary: Great characters! Review: With "Angels and Demons," Dan Brown does a nice job of creating characters that drive the story, rather than vice-versa. If you're tired of plot-driven novels with thin, and often cliché, characters, then you're likely to dig this one. If you're into writers like Brown, Michael Baigent, Yann Martel, etc., then there's a new writer you should check out: GREG IPPOLITO. His most recent novel, "Zero Station," is a politically charged page-turner that pits its main Gen X character (John Saylor) against his Baby Boomer parents, teachers, etc., during the winter of 1991 -- in the heart of the Persian Gulf War. Right now, Ippolito is still a relative unknown (a friend turned me onto his work)...but this is a must-read. You can check him out and read an excerpt at: http://www.zero-station.net Don't miss it.
Rating: Summary: Now this book's a little better, still... Review: I let my curiosity guide me from "The Da Vinci Code" to this earlier book by Dan Brown and had to admit I liked it a little better, even if, as I stated in my review of "The Da Vinci Code" it was not a high-tech science-fiction or cyberpunk, my favorite type books, such as "Neuromancer", "Cryptonomicon", "Darkeye: Cyber Hunter", "Mona Lisa Overdrive", or "Snow Crash". Once again, this book is worth buying.
|