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Angels & Demons (Paperback)
by Dan Brown
| Category:
Fiction, Mystery and Suspense |
| Market price: ¥ 118.00
MSL price:
¥ 108.00
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| MSL Pointer Review:
Angels and Demons is one suspense packed thrillers that you just can't put down! |
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Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Pocket; Reissue edition
Pub. in: March, 2006
ISBN: 1416524797
Pages: 736
Measurements: 7.6 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00773
Other information: ISBN-13: 978-1416524793
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- Awards & Credential -
One of the top recommendations for Dan Brown fans. |
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- MSL Picks -
My first introduction to Dan Brown was through his incredible thriller, The Da Vinci Code and figured that I had missed out on his previous works, so I picked up Angels & Demons the day after I finished TDVC. This is in every way it's equal. Every bit as compelling. Every bit as entertaining. Every bit as FUN. If you enjoy solving puzzles - especially real ones, than Dan Brown is an author you need to get to know and fast.
One of the things which made this book so instantly enjoyable was one of the main characters I already knew, Robert Langdon, world famous Symbologist from The Da Vinci Code. Set aside some time to completely absorb this amazing tale, because once you start it, you will instantly be captured up in this highly addictive story. Robert is suddenly awakened early in the morning by the Director of the worlds leading science center, CERN located in Switzerland asking for advice. Robert is less than interested and hangs up when his fax machine spits out a picture which makes his blood run cold. Within a few hours, he is on a quick trip to Europe (heavy emphasis on the word Quick). A murder has been committed. The victim, one of the most gifted scientist in the world has been brutally killed and the mysterious brand of the secret brotherhood of the Illuminati is left on his chest. Not just any brand either, an Ambigram, a word which can be read the same right-side-up as well as upside-down. But Robert is convinced that the Illuminati have been disbanded for the better part of a century. Even so, his curiosity leads him on a quest which will take up the rest of the day and open up secrets long forgotten and better left buried.
Somehow Dan Brown has introduced the element of Antimatter into the story in such a way as to be totally believable. The substance in actuality has been manufactured in microscopic quantities. It's a power source if harnessed could benefit mankind in untold ways - however with most things the opposite is also true. In this case Antimatter can also be a weapon of catastrophic proportions. Just a tiny half-a-gram of Antimatter if it came in contact with literally anything, even air, would create an annhialation equal to a 5 kiloton nuclear explosion. When some of this material is stolen from a lab in Geneva and turns up hidden somewhere inside the walls of the Vatican, the chase is on to find it before it decimates the headquaters of the worlds largest Christian Religion. Oh, and to throw a little curve ball to the plot, the Pope has recently died and the worlds senior Cardinals have gathered for Conclave, to decide who will be elected Pontiff. Along the way, we find out the Illuminati's ultimate goal of destroying the Catholic Church, and suddenly it all seems possible - frighteningly possible. When 4 of the Senior Cardinals are kidnapped and threatened to be murdered one-by-one until the Antimatter goes critical, the stakes suddenly are as serious as the Church has ever faced.
Let me tell you this: Nothing is as it seems, and Nobody is safe from suspicion. I was absolutely convinced that one character was involved in the conspiracy and Boy was I Wrong. The surprises are fast and many, and the trip was one well worth taking. Catholics take note: You may be a little unsettled at how the Church is portrayed in Angels & Demons but ultimately I believe the basic idea the author conveys is one of hope, and the Church provides that in many ways. I will be recommending this book (as well as The Da Vinci Code) to all my friends. Highly recommended, and absolutely incredibly fun.
(From quoting Jeff Edwards, USA)
Target readers:
General readers.
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Dan Brown is the bestselling author of Digital Fortress, Angels & Demons, Deception Point, and The Da Vinci Code. He lives in New England with his wife. Visit the author's website at www.danbrown.com
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From Publishers Weekly
Pitting scientific terrorists against the cardinals of Vatican City, this well-plotted if over-the-top thriller is crammed with Vatican intrigue and high-tech drama. Robert Langdon, a Harvard specialist on religious symbolism, is called in by a Swiss research lab when Dr. Vetra, the scientist who discovered antimatter, is found murdered with the cryptic word "Illuminati" branded on his chest. These Iluminati were a group of Renaissance scientists, including Galileo, who met secretly in Rome to discuss new ideas in safety from papal threat; what the long-defunct association has to do with Dr. Vetra's death is far from clear. Vetra's daughter, Vittoria, makes a frightening discovery: a lethal amount of antimatter, sealed in a vacuum flask that will explode in six hours unless its batteries are recharged, is missing. Almost immediately, the Swiss Guard discover that the flask is hidden beneath Vatican City, where the conclave to elect a new pope has just begun. Vittoria and Langdon rush to recover the canister, but they aren't allowed into the Vatican until it is discovered that the four principal papal candidates are missing. The terrorists who are holding the cardinals call in regarding their pending murders, offering clues tied to ancient Illuminati meeting sites and runes. Meanwhile, it becomes clear that a sinister Vatican entity with messianic delusions is in league with the terrorists. Packing the novel with sinister figures worthy of a Medici, Brown (Digital Fortress) sets an explosive pace as Langdon and Vittoria race through a Michelin-perfect Rome to try to save the cardinals and find the antimatter before it explodes. Though its premises strain credulity, Brown's tale is laced with twists and shocks that keep the reader wired right up to the last revelation.
(MSL quote)
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Chapter 2
Do I have your attention now?" the man's voice said when Langdon finally answered the line.
"Yes, sir, you damn well do. You want to explain yourself?"
"I tried to tell you before." The voice was rigid, mechanical. "I'm a physicist. I run a research facility. We've had a murder. You saw the body."
"How did you find me?" Langdon could barely focus. His mind was racing from the image on the fax.
"I already told you. The Worldwide Web. The site for your book, The Art of the Illuminati."
Langdon tried to gather his thoughts. His book was virtually unknown in mainstream literary circles, but it had developed quite a following on-line. Nonetheless, the caller's claim still made no sense. "That page has no contact information," Langdon challenged. "I'm certain of it."
"I have people here at the lab very adept at extracting user information from the Web."
Langdon was skeptical. "Sounds like your lab knows a lot about the Web."
"We should," the man fired back. "We invented it."
Something in the man's voice told Langdon he was not joking.
"I must see you," the caller insisted. "This is not a matter we can discuss on the phone. My lab is only an hour's flight from Boston."
Langdon stood in the dim light of his study and analyzed the fax in his hand. The image was overpowering, possibly representing the epigraphical find of the century, a decade of his research confirmed in a single symbol.
"It's urgent," the voice pressured.
Langdon's eyes were locked on the brand. Illuminati, he read over and over. His work had always been based on the symbolic equivalent of fossils -- ancient documents and historical hearsay -- but this image before him was today. Present tense. He felt like a paleontologist coming face to face with a living dinosaur.
"I've taken the liberty of sending a plane for you," the voice said. "It will be in Boston in twenty minutes."
Langdon felt his mouth go dry. An hour's flight . . .
"Please forgive my presumption," the voice said. "I need you here."
Langdon looked again at the fax - an ancient myth confirmed in black and white. The implications were frightening. He gazed absently through the bay window. The first hint of dawn was sifting through the birch trees in his backyard, but the view looked somehow different this morning. As an odd combination of fear and exhilaration settled over him, Langdon knew he had no choice.
"You win," he said. "Tell me where to meet the plane."
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| View all 15 comments |
Alex (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
I was introduced to the books of author Dan Brown only three weeks ago, but have quickly absorbed all four of his published works. It is easy to see why some are comparing the work of Dan Brown and James BeauSeigneur (THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY). Both Brown and BeauSeigneur deal masterfully with the more mysterious features of religion, politics, and science. Both bring to light amazing bits of information, which they weave into the intricate patterns of their stories. Both are highly imaginative and write with a ring of authenticity that makes for a compelling read. While Brown compresses labyrinthine plots into brief time periods to provide page-turning suspense, BeauSeigneur trilogy is of epic proportion, covering several decades. While Brown applies the mysteries of history to the drama of "today," BeauSeigneur uses both history and prophecy (from perhaps a dozen major world religions) to transport the reader from the world of today, to the very dawning of a new age in a story reminiscent of the scope of Asimov's classic, Foundation.
One other difference is that BeauSeigneur has taken the novel (pun intended and forgiveness is asked) approach of including footnotes in his books of fiction. By doing so, he all but eliminates the necessity of suspending disbelief. Few authors employ such strong factual grounding as to make footnotes useful, but I believe Brown's work (and his readers) would benefit from BeauSeigneur's innovation.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
Next to Britt Gillette's "Conquest of Paradise", this is the best book I've read in a long time. I'm a first time Dan Brown reader but I'm hooked! I stayed up all night and didn't quit until I finished, blurry eyed and sleepy. I found myself believing every word and had to stop and remember that it's just fiction! I was amazed at the inside information about the Vatican (especially the library), and I finally got out a map and books from my trip to Rome to see if I could find all the churches. Anti-matter, illuminati, choosing a pope - all of it was fascinating. When I finished, I had to laugh thinking about the fact they never ate, slept or made comfort stops and neither could I. The ending was a total surprise! Anyone who enjoys non-stop action and information shouldn't miss this one.
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Kona (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
Dan Brown's Angels and Demons is a fast-paced detective drama that combines science, art, religion, and murder.
Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon is the protagonist who finds himself at a Swiss nuclear research facility. It seems a scientist has been murdered and the infamous Illuminati society is somehow involved. Some antimatter has been taken, and Langdon joins the scientist's daughter, Vittoria, on a mad dash through some of Rome's most famous landmarks, in an effort to find it before the Vatican is leveled.
I liked the plot of Angels and Demons and found much of middle section wonderfully absorbing and tense, as Robert and Vittoria decipher ancient clues and race from place to place in Rome, fast on the heels of a murderer. The beginning of the book, which discusses antimatter, was slow-going for me and the conclusion is way over the top in terms of realism. The timeline was a major stumbling block: Being able to travel great distances across Rome in minutes (even seconds) took away some credibility for me.
In spite of the weaknesses, Angels and Demons is very exciting and at times, even spine-tingling. If you have been to Rome, you will enjoy revisiting the city in this book. You'll also learn about the inner workings of the Vatican, and about the Illuminati, which I found fascinating.
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Francis Mcinerney , USA
<2007-02-05 00:00>
When I first saw the book and the clever cover I thought it was a gimmick, and generally books with a hologram or in this case an ambigram or other device to get your attention I tend to find disappointing. In this case that feeling could not be further from the truth.
If you really enjoy reading a book that is a meticulously assembled puzzle, or perhaps an enigma that is at once high-tech and 500 years old, this book is for you. If you enjoy the misdirection that a Charles Palliser novel offers you will enjoy this. As I read this Author for the first time I was reminded of the first Robert Ludlum book I read "The Matarese Circle". And like that reading experience I now will go back and read the Author's previous work "Digital Fortress."
Religion versus Science, Galileo versus The Vatican, or perhaps The Illuminati versus Catholicism, or is it religion? Interested in how you can learn the truth of the tale? How about your wallet, have a dollar bill?, good place to start. A book on Bernini's work will help; one of the main characters in the book needed one. Perhaps a map of Rome, or of the smallest Country in the world, actually you need none of these as the Author provides all you could want. A dollar bill as a bookmark will add to the fun.
This is an extremely well researched work that relies on facts, turns its back on cheap literary sleight of hand, and will deliver to the reader a great experience. Do you know from where the word Assassin is derived from? I do, and I have seen other Authors botch this, Mr. Brown gets it correct. There are other details like that that I was familiar with and he nailed them all accurately. This inspires confidence as a reader when he introduces a topic you are unfamiliar with. I chose to check on several of those, and again the information in the story was dead on accurate.
I normally don't check the details of a book this closely, as this book was suggested to me I felt I needed to do so in light of how highly I was to rate the work. I had no obligation to read or comment upon the work.
If you enjoy a great literary ride for pure pleasure think of the better books by Ludlum, Clancy, Dale Brown, Forsythe, LeCarre, and their peers in the genre and you will enjoy this book.
And when the book is finished the experience can and should be extended. The book also has an associated website. I won't say what is there, as it will spoil the book. However when reviewed after the reading is complete it makes the whole "Angels And Demons" experience even better. Doubt a detail in the book; the site will probably lay it to rest. But again, book first, site second. I am sure others will copy this bundling of the web with a book, I only hope it as well done as in this case.
I recommend the book without reservation. As I said "Digital Fortress" has been added to my reading list.
Very well done, enjoy!
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