Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Fabulous
Review: This is the best book that I've read to date! And in reading several of reviews of this book by many other readers I have to firmly agree with the masses, this book is a non-stop thrill ride from start to finish. I was absolutely thrilled with the fact that this incredible story is taking place in the time-line of 24 hours. In making the story travel at such a frantic pace it keeps you glued to the edge of your seat in anticipation of each and every page. I am a very big fan of the FOX series "24" (the story of a government agent's frantic search for his kidnapped family, while trying to save the life of a political candidate slated for assasination - played out in real time of just 24 hours), but I actually think reading at this pace is much more exciting and feverish.The story is well told and it will keep you guessing to the very end, and speaking of the ending - WOW!! What a ride!I was just a little familiar with the group known as the Illuminati, but not like this. Originally I chose to buy this book strickly because of browsing a few pages and seeing the word "Illuminati". I must explain that for the past few years I have been engrossed in the Vampire genre style of books and several of them hint at the inclusion of a group known as the Illuminati, in the world of vampires. So I was very intersted, thinking I had found another wonderful vampire read - but to my great surprise this story went in a completely different direction, and I'm thankful everyday since this chance purchase, that through my casual glance at the book stand at my local grocery store, I've now been turned on to a wonderful author who's writing and story telling capabilities rival any 2 hours at the movies. I look foward to reading his other two books. He is truly gifted.I would highly recommend this book to anyone has become the least bit complacent with their usual reads - because this book is anything but usual!! Some great additional"Iluminati"(vampire) reads include, I, Vampire by Michael Romkey and Dark Lost by Mick Farren.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastically Eclectic Thriller
Review: Having read the utterly TRASHY blurb on the back of this book, I was in some sort of doubt as to the crediblility of the book itself. Fortunately I took a chance on it and it has been one of the most entertaining reads of my year. It is an unnerving thriller combining such themes as an ancient Italian brotherhood, anti-matter theory and the science and religion debate. It offers both interesing perspectives on these, and stands alone as a story well, with a fantastic twist which isn't the one that seems obvious to be coming.My one quibble with the book is the author's insistence on using Italian words where it is obvious what there translation is, so the readers can translate. It is annoying and he tries to write in explanations like 'Langdon knew from his small knowledge of Italian that this meant a bad situation'. It is annoying and transparent, and highlights the fact that much of the dialogue ought to be actually in Italian. Otherwise, brilliant. 5 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Great fun... until the preposterous ending
Review: Aaarrgh. Would that Dan Brown could hire the Hassassin--the villian/henchman in A&D-- to pay a courtesy call to his editor. Oy. Hundreds of pages of entertaining and informative fiction that spins out of control with an ending that is simply ridiculous. What a shame. Suffice it to say that Mr. Brown spends an inordinate amount of (largely successful) effort cobbling together a truly wonderful nemesis-- the Illuminati-- and then burns his creation to the ground with an ending that refuses to leave well enough alone. And how stupid. The Illuminati could have, and frankly should have, been a recurring shadow-character in scores of subsequent Dan Brown novels. Even if we never heard from either of A&D's heros again, and even if the Illuminati never again were the featured villian in a subsequent novel, they could have been such a useful wild-card. Imagine, for example, a scientist-protagonist in a future work running completely out of options. The kind of situation where novelists tend to rely on silly, nick-of-time coiincidences that strain suspension of disbelief and annoy readers. Enter the Illuminati as set up in A&D. They know everything, they're unimaginably powerful, they're hidden in plain sight and they've infiltrated everything and everybody. If this well-crafted (and exhaustively researched) shadow-character is your agent of serendipity, well.. habitual Dan Brown readers would totally have bought the plot contrivance and non-habitual Dan Brown readers would have had their interest piqued in A&D. From a marketing perspective, all I can do is shake my head. But with specific reference to A&D, unfortunately Mr. Brown's triple-lindy plot twist after the climax effectively cripples this novel and dooms it to thriller mediocrity. Anyway, do yourself a favor-- skip the last 50 pages and pretend Mr. Brown had an editor with a clue.
Rating: 
Summary: What a roller-coaster ride!!!!!
Review: I love the "suspension of disbelief" books ONLY if they are well researched and based in some sort of reality. Angels & Demons is just that kind of book - WOW!!! Hats off to Dan Brown for what seems like an incredible amount of research and time and planning, cause he's created an amazing non-stop thrill ride!
I loved reading about all the secrets of the Vatican and how people like Galileo and Bernini played a part in the famous Illuminati!! I now wish I had access to the Vatican libraries and secret vaults!!
Lots of twists and turns, great action scenes and credible main characters made this book a joy to read. Once I started I couldn't put it down. Granted, some of the things that happen to our main character (drownings, non-parachute jumpings, buried alive, etc..) stretched the credibility line a bit, but it was all part of the fun and I loved it. I look forward to spending many more long nights with Mr. Brown and his well researched novels - THANKS!!!
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book
Review: I don't read many books, but when one of my volleyball teammates had me read the first page of this book I was hooked instantly. I read more than half of the book on the drive home from our tournament and purchased it online (...) as soon as I arrived home. As soon as it came in the mail I couldn't put it down. Brown does an excellent job of intertwining science and religion, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, wanting to learn more. Simply a great book.
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC!!
Review: Ditto!! Can't say enough about this book! I can't wait to read all of his works!! I read alot of thrillers and mystery(about 1 every 2 weeks). This is the best in the last 6 months!! Before that I read Roses Are Red by James Patterson, and this blew it away!! Trust me, you want to read this!!
Rating:
Summary: The best
Review: I am an avid reader of fiction and, without a doubt, Angels & Demons is the best book I have read in this genre. It was action-packed, historically accurate and the plot was anything but "canned". I highly recommend this book. In fact, I recommend Digital Fortress as well. I am in the middle of Deception Point, and I can't put it down. Do yourself a favoror and get hooked on this author.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining stuff.
Review: After reading Angels & Demons, I could pick out many details about the book I didn't particularly like. It isn't a book that will change many lives, but then I realized how fast I read this book. I simply could not put it down. It doesn't accomplish much, but it sure entertains you for a short while. One exception is a speech in the book, I won't give it away, but its a glimpse of a great writer trapped in a simple book. I highly recommend this book, it was a good break for me from all the heavy reading I was doing. Read this book if you want to be entertained.
Rating:
Summary: Not to be confused with great literature, but fun anyway!
Review: After reading many of the reviews here, I wonder how many people who gave the book a bad review actually FINISHED THE BOOK before writing their review! They complain the bad guys run around with BAD GUY written on their chests and that you never find out much about the motives of the Illuminati ... well, not true and not true. And though I cannot claim intimate familiarity with Rome and Vatican City, Mr. Brown certainly thanks enough people at the end to convince me he did the necessary research. While my reading in the mystery-thriller genre is limited--and I don't think I am particularly dense--I keep changing my mind about who Janus actually was. I agree that the plot at times is pretty thinnly stretched and I felt the writing was not "great-Amercian-novel" quality, but, then, is that what anyone was really expecting? I know I wasn't. And, yes, the books tends to get a little preachy at the end, but why thrash a 500+ page page-turner for about 2 pages worth of sanctimonious drivel. For what it is worth, I didn't agree that the characters were "bumbling" or "stupid" or portrayed in an "anti-Catholic" manner. They seemed to me, above all else, human rather than super-human--I liked that the hero, who does ultimately save the day, made some mistakes along the way.
Rating: 
Summary: I hope it's printed on recycled paper.
Review: This is the kind of novel which should only be read on a dare. It is poorly written at almost all levels. The plot is ridiculous, with characters who are supposed to make mensa look like a room full of morons but can't make the most obvious deductions even when directly related to their field. The author seems to be manipulative, creating unbelievable actions in order to simply maintain or acheive some plot device. Worst of all for me is the overbearing anti-catholic ignorance and preaching. It would seem that Mr. Brown doesn't have any public libraries near him. His mistakes in this area are so unbelievable that I will not try to list them. It would seem that this book was conceived as some sort of soapbox in which he could preach about how the Church needs to change. Unfortunately, we cannot even take this seriously, as his knowledge on the Catholic Church is so poor that he is preaching against a fiction. Silly plot, unbelievable characters, overbearingly biased and preachy narrative voice. All in all, a very poor book.
| 
