Friends Don't Let Illuminati Play with Anti-Matter
Written: Jan 30 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great book which tackles the Illuminati, science, symbology and the Vatican in an amazing fashion.
Cons: You need to suspend belief a little at the main characters' knowledge and logic.
The Bottom Line: Before there was THE DA VINCE CODE, there were ANGELS & DEMONS. Definitely worth reading before you read DA VINCI CODE
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| martytdx's Full Review: Dan Brown - Angels & Demons |
Deep within a secure lab, the answer to the world’s energy needs has been solved. An experiment has produced a substance with untold power – but someone else found out about the secret. Now, a scientist lies dead and his secret has been stolen.
A long-lost society starts its move for vengeance against the Catholic Church – and noted author and symbologist Robert Langdon has been called to help decipher the riddle surrounding the theft – and find the missing research before the Vatican and thousands of innocent people are killed…
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Unless you have been living in Uzbekistan, participating in an Everest expedition or don't read, you’ve heard about Dan Brown’s blockbuster hit, The Da Vinci Code. I know I had – and wanted to read it, particularly after my sister-in-law told me about it. So, I was on my way to Atlanta for my sister’s birthday and figured I would pick up the paperback at the airport.
One problem: it isn’t out in paperback. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to haul around a large hardcover book while traveling with a daypack and an overnight bag. So I looked for an alternate read – and spied Angels and Demons. I remembered my sister-in-law mentioning this and figured I would pick it up.
I’m glad that I did. More than a good airplane read (I finished it before we landed), it was a great book for any of your favorite reading times/spots.
[ • Synopsis • ]
Robert Langdon is a famous professor and noted symbologist who teaches at Harvard University. Late at night, a strange phone call pierces the night, waking him to an incredible request. Hesitant at first, a fax from the caller brings him to his feet and starts his journey across the Atlantic. During his journey, he is asked to help solve a theft and murder, find missing antimatter and save the Vatican from a secret society’s wrath. Just your average day for a symbologist focusing on ancient religious symbols. Oh, did I forget to mention the Illuminati?
The story begins with Leonardo Vetra, a physicist at Consiel Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire (CERN), turning up dead within the secure lab. His research is amazingly secret, so of course this poses a problem to CERN’s leader, Max Kohler. But it’s the method of the murder that gets Kohler to bring in such an odd choice as Langdon.
As Langdon starts investigating, hidden clues within strange myths turn his quick advisory role into something much more intense. Teamed with Vetra’s daughter, Vittoria, Landgon must travel to Rome to track down what could be ultimate disaster for the Vatican and the Catholic Church.
[ • The Story • ]
My first comment to anyone who has NOT read Da Vinci Code yet – read this FIRST. Not only is Da Vinci Code a better story, but you’ll find some material that references events in Angels and Demons.
That being said, I enjoyed this book immensely. I liked the way that the mystery was written and the history behind all of the dark secrets of our past. Dan Brown obviously spent a LOT of time researching this material, and it pays off. The details he gives about the Vatican, the Illuminati, artwork and more are astounding – it’s a history lesson in a thrilling package. From the descriptions of CERN (I’m not sure that they could have been happy with his representation of them) to the inner workings and secret passageways of the Vatican, each detail is crafted with a passion which shines through in the writing. More than simply a setting for the book, he does a fantastic job of talking about the buildings, art and history and ties them together both for his story and in a historical sense. I went away wanting to see these treasures he described – not exactly what I’d expect from a mystery novel.
You learn about the Illuminati 'path of enlightenment', the secret methods employed by such notables as Da Vinci, Galileo and others to hide their dedication to science in the face of the church. You find out about the hidden Vatican archives and the catacombs beneath St. Peter's. All of it in extreme detail, all of it absolutely interesting.
The plot is pretty fast-paced and keeps you turning the pages in anticipation of what is going to come next – in fact, the story itself moves quickly as they characters races from destination to destination in and around the Vatican. Brown never misses a chance to throw in tidbit’s of info about a particular work of art or a location – the Vatican sounds amazing for its art alone.
His grasp of the mystery element is good – not perfect, but good. The first portion of the story doesn’t really involve too many twists, but toward the end they really start coming. Some of them are good, some of them a bit of a stretch, but they do blend into a capable mystery.
[ • The Characters • ]
If there is a major weakness in the book, it would be in the characters. I never really got the feeling that these were real people – particularly Langdon, who came off more like MacGyver than a scholar of religious symbols. While he was obviously knowledgeable about the topic, and did have some expertise to offer on many of the mysteries, some of his leaps of logic were, well a bit much. If you’ve ever watched Law and Order: Criminal Intent, you know how Detective Goren pulls out these amazing deductions:
"Well, this note has 'Ebekenboohaha' on it, which is a Swahili word for 'ATM robbery', and there is a spot of gear grease on the table which has only been produced by 1 company in East Jabip – this guy must be a oil-producing mugger!". – Simulated Goren Quote
Langdon does the same with some of his 'discoveries' during their race. Also, one of the scenes toward the end of the book is just a little bit on the other side of believable, but once you get past that, I like the character. He is a wayward, unintentional adventurer doing the best with what little he has to work with – in this case, his knowledge and little else (well, besides a plane that moves at 15,000 mph).
The character of Vittoria Vetra is the perfect foil to Brown’s fantasy self, Langdon – a writer’s fantasy of the perfect woman: intelligent, athletic, beautiful without being "too" beautiful, adventurous. Typically, the hero gets the girl at the end (oops, ignore that if you couldn’t figure it out from the genre). But I found her to be a little too simple – needy and weak when Langdon needed to be 'the man', and conveniently intelligent and forceful when the story called for it. Likewise, Max Kohler was written as the tortured genius a little too much. Granted, a twist at the end added some depth, but it was a little too late to save the character as a whole.
The one character that I thoroughly enjoyed was The Hassassin, who at least played the intelligent villian with some depth. Sure, his motives were pretty generic but at least you got a feel for who he was and he didn’t come off as the Illuminati Dick Dastardly. There was also Janus, the mastermind behind the Illuminati’s plan, but you really don’t find out much about him as a character until much later. Lastly, there is the Camerlengo - the Pope's handservant. Actually, I kind of liked his character, and it actually ends up being one of the best written in the story.
The characters were a weak element of the book but they didn’t kill it (excuse the pun). Luckily, Brown seemed to figure out characters a bit better for Da Vinci Code.
[ • Final Thoughts • ]
Angels and Demons was a good book with an intriguing plot that kept me reading from cover to cover. Although I would have liked the characters to be a little more believable, the story itself – the twists, the history, the dark secrets – was what made the book. Brown’s take on the second coming of the Illuminati and the philosophical topics he covers in the storyline are all excellent. He has a knowledge of the subject manner, and his descriptions alone are almost worth the cover price. If you are going to read – or have read - The Da Vinci Code make sure to pick up this book as well.
[ • In the Movie… • ]
The movie version of The Da Vinci Code is already optioned and being set up for production. I think this book should be done first, but since this is a money decision, they are going to do them backwards. So, I wanted to touch base on who I thought should play the parts, should this movie be cast. Anyone else have some suggestions?
Robert Langdon - Harrison Ford or Dennis Quaid
Vittoria Vetra - Angelina Jolie
Max Kohler - Ed Harris
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca -
Cardinal Mortati - Paul Sorvino
The Hassassin - I can't figure out a good one for this...
Commander Olivetti - Benicio del Toro
Reporter Gunther Glick - William Atherton (guy from Die Hard
Reporter Chinita Macri - Marsha Thompson (from Las Vegas
[ • Interesting Links • ]
http://www.danbrown.com/secrets/angels_demons/gallery.html
Recommended:
Yes
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martytdx
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Member: Marty
Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 478
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Doing what I can to try new places, restaurants, books and beers.
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