Review: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
Ashna
Dan Brown    Book title:  Angels and Demons (Robert Langdon #1)   Author: Dan Brown   Published: 2000 by Corgi Books   Pages:  620   Fi...
http://bookwormreviews9.blogspot.com/favicon.ico
Dan Brown

Book title: Angels and Demons (Robert Langdon #1)

Author: Dan Brown

Published: 2000 by Corgi Books

Pages: 620

Find it at: Amazon / Flipkart

My Rating: 4/5

Angels and Demons is the first Robert Langdon thriller in the amazing series by Dan Brown. I feel silly not having read this before despite having a copy since ages! Brown's DaVinci Code and The Lost Symbol had been immensely satisfying reads, and Angels and Demons was just as enthralling. I love books that demand all your thoughts, emotions and intellect to be concentrated on it at all times. I've been guilty of reading Angels and Demons while at work and way past my bedtime. It is a book that engages one's intellectual curiosity and provides for thrills, adventure, mystery with scenes that can leave one breathless.

What's inside?

Robert Langdon is an art historian teaching at Harvard. He finds himself at CERN, the biggest scientific research organization located in Switzerland, after the Director shows him an image of a brutally-murdered CERN scientist. He had been "branded" with a mysterious symbol. Robert Langdon finds the situation impossible: he had done some research on the Illuminati and the symbol indicated their resurgence.

Religion and science have always been at loggerheads with each other. The fabled intellectual group that called themselves the Illuminati have resurfaced after decades of hiding, thought to have been extinct by the world. And they have their target in sight--Vatican City, the holiest church. Langdon and Vittoria, the murdered scientist's daughter, leave for Rome to locate the canister of antimatter--that which was stolen after the scientist's death--to prevent it from vaporizing Vatican City!

One of the book covers

How is the book?

Fantastic. The one thing I love about Dan Brown's books is how the stories are set in such short time spans. Angels and Demons covers Langdon's day beginning at 5.30 am till a little after midnight--packed with historical information, action, suspense and a symbologist's quest towards an impossible answer that could save the world. Readers will inevitably be drawn to Rome's culture and rich art history apart from the marvellous secrets buried within the Vatican.

The story, a race against time as the antimatter countdown nears zero, is intense and quick-paced, Brown's writing style adding to the effect. No words are wasted. The words are chosen carefully. The chapters ending with cliffhangers are the best! I tried to guess the ultimate villain and failed thrice. The book isn't a literary star, but it is totally absorbing. There were some things that seemed a bit unbelievable to me, like how so much could happen within minutes, but I'm not complaining. I was hooked onto the story and felt as much in Vatican as Robert Langdon, decoding answers in popular churches and artwork, trying to stay a step ahead of the enemy and using all possible knowledge to find answers to save the Vatican from being evaporated.

The short chapters moving from one scene to the next, in different areas and different POVs add to the quick-paced nature of the book. It has also been done seamlessly with no scope for reader disorientation. I liked the background stories for all characters--they brought about more depth in the characters. Robert Langdon is a unique character, one of those whose image you can affix in your mind with just a brief introduction. He's intelligent, witty and a little bit wacky. He gets into tough situations because of his curiosity and a sense of responsibility, and it is fun to watch him deal with the new people and circumstances as they arise.

Coming to facts, I've seen a lot of readers criticising the book because it does not include proper facts and is "anti-Christian". I'm not much aware about those facts, but I do know that it is a fictional story that uses some pre-existing facts to base itself upon. Reaching the end, I did feel that it threw a somewhat negative light on the Catholic Church, but that was because of one of the characters. The book ended with a clear message (according to the author anyway) of what religion/Church stands for and how it is to be seen as separate from blind faith or belief on the basis of fear. This is something I feel a lot of religions deal with.

Nevertheless, I would recommend Angels and Demons to fans of thrillers and to those who enjoyed DaVinci Code. Some language, scenes and gory descriptions/killings might not be suitable for younger readers. Here are a few quotes from the book:

“Nothing captures human interest more than human tragedy.”

“Faith is universal. Our specific methods for understanding it are arbitrary. Some of us pray to Jesus, some of us go to Mecca, some of us study subatomic particles. In the end we are all just searching for truth, that which is greater than ourselves.”

“Science tells me God must exist. My mind tells me I will never understand God. And my heart tells me I am not meant to.”

“Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than they have at any point in human history? ” (This comes from a long speech delivered at the Vatican in the story.)

What do you think? Have you read the book or watched the movie?