Rating: 
Summary: More Enticing than Da Vinci Code...
Review: This book is phenominal. I read Da Vinci Code by Mr. Brown a few months before I read this. I picked up this book because I was expecting the same type of story. I was partially correct, with this being at a more break-neck pace. This story mainly takes place in the Vatican, with the same Robert Langdon that was in Da Vinci. Mr. Langdon is called in when a man who discovered the powerful "antimatter" has been killed with the Illuminati logo seared on his back. The antimatter can blow stuff up, and that is the problem: It is somewhere under the Vatican in the midst of the election of a new Pope. By just reading this enticing bit, you can tell this book is terrific. I could not put this book down, and I read it in 2 days, foregoing all my schoolwork; It's that good. Maybe the fact that I'm a conspiracy and ancient civilization/secret organizations buff held me to this book as the Da Vinci Code did. But regardless, this is an amazing book with a great plot and an ever greater story complementing the plot.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT The DaVinci Code!!!
Review: After I read The DaVinci Code, I was thirsty for more books like it; with its depth and intrigue, it was one of the most readable and fascinating books I have read in a long time. However, I found that Angels & Demons stretched the limits of credibility beyond the breaking point. Super humans and super demons were abundant, and the lines were crossed far too many times. I am willing to go with a writer and to suspend disbelief with the best of them, but this one made me feel jerked around. Though I stuck with it and read through to the disappointing end, I did not feel good about my efforts. I was expecting another DaVinci, but was sorely disappointed. Had I read this one first, I would have skipped the far superior product.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad Science, Good Yarn
Review: While waiting to borrow the DaVinci Code from a friend, I decided to get started with the author by reading Angels & Demons. I was initially quite turned off by the book: The whole breathless, gee-wiz depiction of CERN and the scientists there was just goofy. The idea that a particle physicist at CERN could order up a hypersonic airplane at will, obtain an audience with the pope on a whim, etc. was just too contrived and non-realistic. Particle physicists get their time on the accelerator - if they are lucky - along with a salary, status, and perqs equivalent to that of a school nurse. Also, the whole "girl genius creates antimatter, while at the same time storing it in a canister that only she can recharge, but why would that be considered dangerous ?" storyline reminds me of the kiddie science fiction books I read as a lad. The standards now are much higher, and only a little bit of research and editing from some real scientists would have helped a great deal.Having thus jammed the necessary elements into the story, things then get VERY interesting. The plot, the history, the realtime dash through the city of Rome . . . it was all very compelling - I could not put it down. The ending of the book somewhat disappointed me. I won't ruin it for the reader, but I would prefer to have been left with a little bit of the fear and awe I felt in the middle of the book. However, others like their stories wrapped up in an ending, and I would not say the ending was not done well - I just did not prefer it! All in all, a good read from an interesting mind.
Rating:
Summary: fun thriller with an interesting premise
Review: Harvard professor Robert Langdon is awakened by a mysterious phone call and has the most thrilling, outrageous and frightening day of his life when he is called upon to use his knowledge of religious symbology to stop a powerful cult from destroying the Catholic Church. Author Dan Brown writes well. The book is a page-turner from start to finish, and along the way you learn a lot and want to stay up late reading. What's not to love? My only complaint is that otherwise intelligent characters are often extremely uninformed about matters of common knowledge -- this is an awkward way of allowing the author to explain things to the readers -- but otherwise I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable thriller. Violence is not dwelled upon, though people are killed in bizarre circumstances, and the material may be offensive to some Catholics but not most. The book would benefit from a page or two telling the reader what is fictional and what is not. Lots of fun.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting Page Turner!
Review: This was my first Brown novel. I was looking for a copy of The Da Vinci Code when I bought this one. 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 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! I enjoyed this book SO MUCH that I felt compelled to write a review. I could not put this one down. It had me from the start. I will read many more of his books in the future. It was a terrific read from the first chapter to the last. I looked at the first 100 reviews and just couldn't understand the negative reviews. I read two or three bokks a week and have for three decades. This week I also read 'Alien Rapture' by Brad Steiger and was wowed by it. I listened to his co-author on the Discovery Channel and just had to read it. Also just finished 'Crossfire' by Jim Marrs which is the all time best selling non-fiction book about the Kennedy assassination. Check them out and buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: What an AMAZING book
Review: I expected this book to end one way, but then it completely changed and then changed again. The pace is fast and you'll actually learn something by reading it. A great book!!
Rating: 
Summary: Almost Unreadable
Review: I picked this up because I had enjoyed the 'Da Vinci Code.' While I found the writing style of the Da Vinci Code pompous and insipid, it was a great story, and that more than made up for it. Sadly, this early work is unreadable, at least for me. The characters are so unidimensional, and the dialogue so stilted and contrived, that the reader is too distracted to suspend the disbelief necessary to submerge into the plot.
Rating:
Summary: The one that started it all...
Review: From Dan Brown comes the story that started it all - introducing us to his main character Robert Langdon who will appear again in each of his next two books "The Da Vinci Code" and a new one to be released early next year. A fast-paced fun read in which Langdon must figure out a mystery surrounding a new scientific discovery and how it has the potential to prove the existence of God. The truth could change religion (most notably the Catholic Church) forever. The story begins with the assassination of a scientist at one of the greatest think-tanks in Europe where an incredible discovery rocks the very foundations of religion and science. Langdon is called in due to his immense knowledge of symbology - the calling card of the assassins. From there the reader is taken on a non-stop thrill ride as the men behind the assassination go after key leaders in the Catholic Church who are next in line to possibly become Pope. Langdon becomes a target himself while attempting to solve the symbology behind the killings. It is not difficult to see why this book has remained on Amazon's Top 100 best-seller list for months now. It is a fun read that makes you really think while you are being entertained. I can't wait for the next installment in the Langdon series. Enjoy this great read for yourself!
Rating:
Summary: Can't believe this guy was published
Review: I just finished Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. A colossal waste of time. Book marked by cascading cliches, amateurish prose and characters that would not even fit in a comic book. This is perhaps the worst book I have read in forty years! I cannot believe this guy got published! The writing style would cause a high school sophomore in his first creative writing class to blush in embarrassment!
Rating:
Summary: Good quick suspense - get a European proof-reader next time!
Review: This book has the same structure as the later Da Vinci Code (which I read first), to a remarkable extent: we've got a devious inside source leading an idealistic brutish assassin to do his bidding, the brilliant Langdon, beautiful European woman, family ties revealed at the end, dashes across countries, secret societies, hidden symbols placed by a great master, etc. But that's okay. Nobody expects Dan Brown novels to be Pulitzer-standard, and assuming you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code you'll like this one too. It's an unbelievable story requiring more than a little suspension of belief, but is an exciting, fast moving page-turner (I read it in 3 days flat). Brown obviously did his research (the acknowledgements at the end include an artists who designed the 'brands', and somebody who got him an audience with the pope!) and captures his locations well. Those of us who have actually visited Vatican City and Rome can appreciate the wonder he instills in Langdon for the art and architecture. And secret societies and fine art are fascinating things - similarly to Da Vinci Code's Leonardo and Priory of Sion references, I found that there is enormous value added in that the book led me to read more about the Illuminati and Swiss Guard, and revisit images of the chapels and sculptures he mentions. Overall a good, light, read with a higher IQ than most popular thrillers (except the last line, a real groaner of a bad smutty joke). Perfect for a long wet weekend or for train commute reading. Recommended. One minor complaint from this European though - all those experts Brown consulted and he couldn't get a native to check the dialogue? Europeans don't refer to "city blocks", american sports or use american slang. They don't know who Peter Jennings or Dan Rather are. They wouldn't turn to MSNBC for breaking news (ahead of BBC or local Italian television? Yeah, right!). And BBC producers/reporters referring to MSNBC and US networks as their superiors? Would never happen in a million years. Sorry Dan!
| 
