Angels & Demons

Rating:
Summary: Waste of money
Review: After I saw some reviews, I thought this might be an interesting book, but I was heavily disappointed. The comparisons by some reviewers to e.g. Umberto Eco's works are fully misplaced. This is just run-of-the-mill pulp fiction, interleaved with highly improbable would-be science and theology. Not worth while spending your money on, I am sorry to say.
The same goes for its companion The Da Vinci Code, which is not more than a clone of Angels and Demons, with creative use of "find-and-replace" word processing by the author.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great, read
Review: The author does a really good job of blending many aspects of the story line together, but in the end, I was a bit unfulfiilled. Still an excellent read, however. [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: Miles ahead
Review: So many want to compare ANGELS & DEMONS to Brown's other bestseller: THE DA VINCI CODE. While I enjoyed them both, ANGELS & DEMONS is miles ahead of "CODE." The writing in "Angels" is so much better and the pacing, plot, and characters, though having a great deal in common with "Code," seems more mature and engrossing. They're both great reads, but by far, A&D is the best. Not only that, but it's possibly the best thing Brown has yet done.

Also recommended: POMPEII, McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, and THE LAST JUROR

Rating:
Summary: different and exciting thriller
Review: This is quite a change from the mysteries that I am used to reading. I found it quite intriguing. A scientist, who has discovered antimatter, a highly volatile discovery, that has the qualities of being highly beneficial to society or extremely dangerous, if in the wrong hands, has been murdered and the antimatter stolen. When he was found, he had the word illumanati burned on his chest and one of his eyes cut out. The scientist is one of many who work at a scientific research center. While most scientists seem to be atheists, he was a christian scientist trying to prove they could all work for the same purpose.

The cannister of antimatter, which is shown by a camera, is placed in an unknown place in the Vatican and if not found within twelve hours will blow it up and everyone present. The Vatican has lost their Pope and are now in the process of electing a new one so the Vatican is full of important Cardinals, ect. Four of the cardinals who are potential candidates have been kidnapped and the kidnapper, a representative of the Illumanati, has called the media and informed them that they will be killed and where it will happen.

Robert Langdon, well known for his study of the Illumanati, has been called in to see if he can give them information to help solve the case. The daughter of the man who was killed, who was also a partner in the discovery of the antimatter, wants revenge on the perpetrator. They are summoned to the Vatican when the cannister is discovered on one of their cameras, but the location of the cannister is unknown. They are desperately trying to find the Cardinals before they are killed.

The Illumanati are seeking revenge against the Catholic Church for the vileful acts perpetrated against them centuries ago. It is a case of science versus religion. Christianity is being attacked by the scientific community. This is quite true today. It is interesting to note that, while all God had to do was say let there be this or that and there it would be, that Satan couldn't do that. He has to use magicians, etc. Scientists today still make their discoveries and cloning, etc. using material that God created. What the scientists today have developed has come so far that many of the prophesies in the Bible could be created, making it hard to for people to differentiate who is doing what.

The author seemed to demonstrate in his book the fallibility of mankind, in both the scientific and the religious field. Both had their downfalls. In the end, it was not God, but man that was imperfect through Satan's influence.

This was an exciting story that, if read as a fictional novel, will thrill the reader. There is a surprising ending for the reader. I think you will like it. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: The True Meaning of "Page Turner"
Review: I devoured this book in a few days, something I haven't done since high school. I truly could not put it down toward the end and could really feel my heart racing.

While the plot does follow a well-outlined suspense plot, there are a few unforeseen twist which I found inspired. Very inteligent without being didactic, this book was able to teach me a few things which I then spent hours researching.

I'm not usually a suspense reader, and would recommend this book to anyone, regardless of their usual fare. (I would also like to point out that I would not do the same for DaVinci Code.)

Rating:
Summary: I really liked this Dan Brown book as well
Review: Once again, I was pleasantly surprised and highly recommend this book by Dan Brown as well, just as I also recommend books from my first-love, science fiction, such as "Foundation", "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Puppet Masters", "Childhood's End", "Neuromancer", "Cryptonomicon", "Darkeye: Cyber Hunter". All are equally good in their own right.

Rating:
Summary: Glad I didn't pay for this book . . .
Review: I read this one after "The Da Vinci Code," and it's actually a better book, in the "one long scream" genre. It does read more like a conventional thriller, and less like an anti-Christian polemic; it has enough plot twists to keep the true villain's identity in doubt until nearly the end. That being said, there is a lot about this book that is just plain annoying. It may not matter to some readers, but I find some of the items that Brown's characters state as absolute facts to be shaky at best-examples: Islam is a language, not a religion (pg. 34); Holy Communion was not a Christian rite, but co-opted from the Aztecs (pg. 243-so what were Christians doing in the 1,500 or so years before contact with the Aztecs?); Henry Wallace was not only a Mason but an Illuminati. There are other statements that I haven't been able to verify that niggle. The author's note that "The brotherhood of the Illuminati is also factual" is misleading at best. The real Illuminati, a short-lived group based in Bavaria, don't really come into the picture-instead, the Illuminati are simultaneously defunct and a powerful, anti-religious, secret society born in the Renaissance who have infiltrated all levels of modern life through the Masons. You can't reconcile the supposed evidence for the Illuminati from the sources Brown cites with the plot of the book anyway. Borrow the book, don't buy it; and don't confuse Robert Langdon with Indiana Jones.

Rating:
Summary: It's no DaVinci code, but still riveting
Review: After reading "The DaVinci Code", I coudn't resist reading another Dan Brown. While this book is not as smart as DaVinci code, it is more action-packed...a real thriller instead of a brainy tour-de-force.

The main thing that disappointed me about this book was that I was consistenly one step ahead of Robert Langdon, while in "The DaVinci Code" he was always figuring out the codes and puzzles long before I did. But in this book, it is not Langdon's job to be brainy, he is instead more of an action star, an unlikely Jack Ryan.

If you thought "The DaVinci Code" stretched the limits of reality (which it did, but at zero detriment to the finished project), then you're going to be in complete disbelief of "Angels and Demons". The story is totally implausible. But really, who cares? The action is fast-paced, the history lessons intriguing...a totally enjoyable read that will have me reading another Dan Brown book before too long.

Rating:
Summary: captivating and riveting
Review: Reading The Da Vinci Code impressed me so much that I decided to write Dan Brown's previous book Angels and Demons. True enough, the novel is as riveting and captivating as The Da Vinci Code. Starting with a murder that occurred in CERN Laboratory, Robert Langdon became an unwitting pawn in the game of chess known as the Catholic Church. What followed is a series of twists and turns that will leave readers glued to their seats, waiting for the next events to unfold.

Reading Angels and Demons won't come easy for Catholic devouts. Just like The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown uses the Catholic Church as its focal point and considers it the root of all conspiracies. However, to appreciate the art of Dan Brown, one needs to separate one's spiritual beliefs to what is fiction. The death that unfolds in the latter part of the book will no doubt leave a bad taste in a reader's mouth (just like what it did to me). Readers wouldn't help but ask what is it with Dan Brown and the Catholic Church?

Overall, however, Dan Brown is a master in weaving intricate conspiracies and mysteries, making Angels and Demon a suspenseful read. Just like The Da Vinci Code, it has all the right elements that make a good book (or eventually a movie)--mysteries uncovered, lies revealed and colorful characters. The only downside to the book is the fact that Dan Brown keeps on inserting love angles between Robert Langdon and the girl character (just like in The Da Vinci Code). Otherwise, everything is perfect.

Angels and Demons is a good read for those who love suspense-thriller books. I, for one, enjoyed it. I know many of you will, too.

Rating:
Summary: OK, so I'm not a physicist...
Review: ...or looking to become one. Errors, shmerrors. I thoroughly enjoyed this book for the terrific story it was written to be.

I had the good fortune to read Angels & Demons before I got to DaVinci Code. In fact, I read all of Brown's books in the order written, and having done so actually found Code to be somewhat anticlimactic.

Having heard so much press on Code, and being so impressed with A&D, I set myself up.

I loved the characters (looking forward to the next Langdon tale!) and the suspense was delicious. A truly riveting read.