Angels and Demons, the third novel of Dan Brown, begins with a now-familiar brief Prologue, describing a violent death and setting the stage for a taut tale of suspense, science, intrigue, conspiracy, betrayal, and heroics, with architecture, art, religion and history as major elements of the breakneck plot. The device is incredibly effective, as a half page describes a horrifying and heartless murder of physicist Leonardo Vetra.

We soon learn that the killer is a descendant of a small, deadly group originally formed to defend themselves against the Crusaders by wandering the countryside, brutally killing any of the enemy they could find, then celebrating with a drug-induced stupor using hashish. They became known as hassassin---literally the followers of hashish. The word became synonymous with death in almost every language, and in English was ultimately shortened to assassin. This modern day Hassassin “—was a powerful man. Dark and potent. Deceptively agile." He has been hired and receives his instructions by phone from the mysterious and shadowy Janus who says he speaks for the ancient brotherhood of the Illuminati. The profession of the Hassassin is brutal execution, and his recreation is violent rape of young women, a pleasure with which he rewards himself after each murderous task.

Robert Langdon, professor of religious symbology at Harvard, is summoned by an early morning phone call by Maximillian Kohler, a discrete particle physicist, to take a one-hour flight to his lab, for consultation regarding an unusual murder. Evidence that the crime was perpetrated by the Illuminati is enough to motivate Robert to investigate.

It quickly develops that the “one hour flight” is on board the X-33 prototype of the HSCT---High Speed Civil Transport---for a flight at Mach 15, 15 times the speed of sound, to Geneva, Switzerland, and the world’s largest scientific research facility, called CERN: Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire, where Maximillian is the Director General.

We learn that Leonardo Vetra was an ordained Catholic priest and a brilliant scientist, who believed there was the possibility that the existence of God could be proven through science. To that end he had performed experiments using the massive underground particle accelerator at CERN, and had succeeded in producing matter from energy, seen as proof of the possibility of the creation of the material universe from pure energy. He has been assisted in his experiments by the beautiful Vittoria Vetra, adopted daughter of Leonardo and a brilliant scientist in her own right.

The experiments have led to creation of a significant quantity of antimatter, which must be stored in a special container designed by Vittoria. The antimatter must be suspended magnetically in the unique canister, in a perfect vacuum. Any contact with any normal matter will result in the extinction of the antimatter with an extreme release of energy. A quarter gram of antimatter would release the energy equivalent of a five-kiloton H-bomb. The container can be removed from its power source and be sustained by built in batteries for precisely 24 hours.

Robert is shown the mutilated body of Leonardo, with a weird ambigram of the word ILLUMINATI burned into his chest. An ambigram is a word that reads the same either right side up or upside-down. Robert is an expert on the ancient secret society of Illuminati, and his research had convinced him that the society had been defunct for at least many decades. But he sees immediately that the ambigram brand on Leonardo’s chest is the “---long lost symbol of the world’s oldest and most powerful satanic cult.” We soon learn the motive for the murder when we find that a canister containing a quarter gram of antimatter has been stolen from Leonardo’s lab.

Meanwhile, at the Vatican, a conclave of the Cardinals is about to begin selection of a new Pope. But the procedure is interrupted by a threat from the Illuminati to kill four Cardinals, one every hour, followed by the destruction of the Vatican by the antimatter canister, hidden somewhere in the Vatican. The execution of the Cardinals is to be carried out in a symbolic manner at four locations that are the legendary Path To Illumination, leading to the ancient central meeting place of the Illuminati. It soon develops that four of the 160 Cardinals at the Vatican for the conclave are indeed missing. And the four are the preferiti---the four leading contenders to become the next Pope!

The underlying conflict is centered around the age-old struggle between science and religion, taken to the ultimate extreme. Along the way Brown provides an extensive education, through the character Robert Langdon, as he explains the Illuminati and their age-old conflict with Catholicism, and their ancient determination to destroy the Vatican in retribution for abuse of scientists going back to the time of Galileo and Copernicus. I’ll say no more about the plot, except to urge you to explore it for yourself!

Part of the history of the Illuminati is their rumored infiltration of the Freemasons as well as other organizations worldwide. An interesting detail is the assertion by Robert that “—U.S. currency is covered with Illuminati symbology.” He shows Vittoria a one-dollar bill and calls her attention to the Great Seal on the left side, and the words Novus Ordo Seculorum, which he translates to mean New Secular Order. Langdon ominously explains that “The pyramid is an occult symbol representing a convergence upward, toward the ultimate source of illumination,” while the eye in a triangle is the Illuminati symbol calling for enlightened change. “Some would call it The New World Order.”

So how is it that Illuminati symbology is seen on the most powerful currency in the world? According to Langdon:

“Most academics believe it was through Vice President Henry Wallace. He was an upper echelon Mason with ties to the Illuminati.”

Vittoria: “Why would the president have agreed to---?”

Langdon: “The president was Franklin D. Roosevelt. Wallace simply told him that Novus Ordo Seclorum meant New Deal.”

My curiosity was aroused enough to look up a little information on the design of the Great Seal of the United States. It was designed by Charles Thomson in 1782. Above the pyramid symbol are the words, “Annuit Coeptis,” which Thomson translated to mean, ”God has favored our undertakings.”

Thomson described the symbology as follows:

“The pyramid signifies Strength and Duration: The Eye over it and the Motto allude to the many signal interpositions of providence in favour of the American cause. The date underneath (in Roman numerals) is that of the Declaration of Independence and the words under it (Novus Ordo Seclorum) signify the beginning of the new American Æra, which commences from that date.”

His translation of Novus Ordo Seclorum is “A New Order for the Ages”

An incidental note in the Great Seal web site says the following:

“Novus ordo seclorum cannot be translated into "new world order." Seclorum refers to ages, centuries, generations. Sometimes at the end of prayers in Latin Bibles is the phrase: secula seculorum – "forever and ever" (literally, "ages of ages").” Seclorum is a genitive plural form of seculorum, saeculorum, saeclorum that could not properly be translated as "of the worlds." In Classical Latin, "world" – in the sense that it is used in the phrase "new world order" – would be orbis terrarum/terrae (or sometimes terra alone), or mundus, or maybe tellus.”

It gives the impression that there may be some long-standing sensitivity among historians about the translation of that phrase!

The novel races to an amazing finish, with a grand tour of the chapels, churches, and castles of Rome, the detailed elements of the Vatican, and the conclave process, leaving us impressed with the heroics and abilities of Robert Langdon as well as the beauty, brilliance and courage of Vittoria, and the unspeakable evil of the Hassassin and his leader, Janus. It remains for the reader to decide whether the greater good is science or religion! Which are the demons and which the angels?

It’s a novel for the curious and intelligent reader, a terrific warm-up for the phenomenal The Da Vinci Code, where Mr. Langdon is even more impressive!!

Also highly recommend Dan Brown's earlier novels, "Digital Fortress" and "Deception Point."


Recommended: Yes