I enjoyed "The Da Vinci Code" as a trashy good time, but then read this one and just couldn't stop rolling my eyes. Not only was it silly and formulaic, it made the silly formula underlying "The Da Vinci Code" all too clear. Really? Another middle-aged yet strangely attractive/brilliant male protagonist -- oh wait, the same one from the other book? Another grisly murder of an old dude kicking things off? Another hot foreign chick, related to the dead dude, helping solve the mystery? Another secret society intertwined with the Vatican? Really? Really? I can enjoy a trashy book, sure, but not when you're rubbing my nose in the stink...

Ésta es la insuperable primera entrega de las aventuras de Robert Langdon, simbólogo de Harvard, a la vez que el fundamental debut de Dan Brown, uno de los más provocadores novelistas de las últimas décadas. Privilegiando el arte del buen contar por encima de todo, Brown es, sin embargo y de manera especialmente conspicua, un escritor de historias enraizadas en los materiales de la alta cultura. Ya en Angels & Demons el renacimiento y la cristiandad son los sendos marcos a través de los cuales se desenvuelve la trama. Sería pertinente recordar que cuando leí The Da Vinci Code, su libro mejor conocido, Brown me pareció un autor de best sellers con un talento decididamente extraordinario para encontrar e inventar sus asuntos y los recovecos que los componen, pero cuyo estilo o prosa "funcional" se me antojaba reprochable. Lejos ahora de aquellos reparos contradictorios, he vuelto a devorar --o a ser devorado por, la sensación que uno siempre tiene con las novelas magistralmente narradas, sean de la naturaleza que sean-- un thriller como pocos.

Angels & Demons es a un tiempo similar y muy distinta del sumamente polémico texto que esgrime al Opus Dei como entidad antagónica. Aunque creo preferir aún ese episodio posterior, el libro al que dedico estas breves líneas no es ni mejor ni peor, y se puede decir antes de nada que ambas novelas son igualmente excelentes en sus respectivas ejecuciones sobre sus propias preocupaciones. En The Da Vinci Code, Langdon es ciertamente un héroe más inteligente aun, y Brown desarrolla todo un tratado ficticio acerca del arte clásico y de sus relaciones con las sociedades secretas que, en un sentido claro, supera a su ocasionalmente redundante temple expositivo, y (en otras ocasiones) acaso titubeante en comparación, en la primera salida del profesor.

No obstante, así como aquélla es un fascinante y perfecto ejercicio narrativo, Angels & Demons se halla a la misma altura, si no en lo que atañe a combinar arte y religión e insertarlos diestramente en el flujo ficticio --que lo hace, pero no con la misma solvencia--, sí en arrastrar la atención del lector en su intriga, atrapándolo para no soltarlo hasta haberle revelado las preguntas y/o respuestas que le ha prometido tan hábilmente. Y los temas de ciencia versus fe terminan convirtiéndose en algo (formidable, conmovedor) que trasciende cualquier límite del libro. Personajes memorables, como la bella Vittoria Vetra, el director del CERN Maximilian Kohler, el camarlengo Carlo Ventresca, el comandante Olivetti, los periodistas de la BBC Gunther Glick y Chinita Macri, y el invencible y perverso asesino contratado por los Illuminati, así como el ambiente del Vaticano en plena elección papal, la geografía romana, los pasadizos recónditos y secretos, los peligros imposibles (de los que Langdon llega a salir inerme, sobrehumano cual James Bond), las intrigas y las traiciones, Bernini y el Sendero de la Iluminación..., son, entre otros, elementos que Brown --quien había publicado sólo un título previo, The Digital Fortress, en 1998-- maneja y despliega con la sabiduría del creador experimentado. Sin duda, una de las mejores muestras de la literatura popular, y otra de las pruebas de que el incandescente género de aventuras puede contener más cosas que las soñadas por los filósofos.

There's this argument you sometimes see, that Richard Dawkins spends a bit of time discussing in The God Delusion. Perhaps religion is all nonsense, it goes; but, when you consider how much great art it has inspired, surely that, on its own, is justification enough. Dawkins, you won't be surprised to hear, doesn't buy this, and thinks that people like Dante, Michelangelo and Hesse would have done great stuff even if they hadn't been inspired by the Church. He goes so far as to say that maybe they did in spite of the Church. I can see both sides of this, and I don't feel completely convinced either way. But let's get to the actual point.

So, a couple of days ago, I was watching the movie of Angels and Demons. (The waterboarding hadn't worked out, and my interrogators were becoming a little desperate). Now, most likely it was aftereffects from the electric shocks and the attack dogs, but I couldn't help thinking that some parts of this film were rather good. The art direction and cinematography seemed well done; there were some excellent shots, which I'm still seeing clearly in front of me. I was particularly impressed by the beautifully composed scene in which Tom Hanks runs up a huge spiral staircase, overtaking a stately procession of red-robed cardinals; the anti-matter explosion at the end, with its Blake-like echoes of God speaking from the heavens, was also impressive. And Hanks, who just seemed to be thinking about his paycheck in The Da Vinci Code, had perhaps been stung by the negative reviews. This time, I thought he did a fine job. To my surprise, I actually started finding his interpretation of Professor Langdon interesting.

Then it hit me. What a clever trick, and what an insidious post in that ongoing debate about Art and Religion! Here you had some people who, in fact, were quite gifted artists, and who could have done all kinds of things. What they were doing, though, was working on a film based on a mediocre religious book with a creaky treasure-hunt plot and wooden dialogue. Despite the problems they were faced with, they'd found some interesting and worthwhile angles. Maybe Dan Brown wasn't all bad. And, similarly... well, he'd really got me. Compared to this vicious, under-the-belt attach, Dawkins's comments seemed extremely moderate.

No wonder Catholics don't much like Mr. Brown. I can't say I'm capable of enjoying his prose style; but, as a piece of conceptual art, I was forced to admire the passion and ingenuity. Three stars!

أفضل ما كتب دان براون من وجهة نظري الشخصية .. تجربة سينمائية فريدة على الورق ..
و تفوق إثارة كلماتها مشاهدَ الفيلم الذي تم انتاجه في 2009 ..
يُرجى ربط الأحزمة فور قراءتك الصفحة الأولى منها .. و تمتع بـ رحلة "تاريخية - مليئة بـ الرموز"..

it is a real page turner and beautifully written.
kudos to dan brown!!

This Dan Brown thriller kept my attention from the very first chapter. I read Brown's Code and thoroughly enjoyed. After enjoying TDC and seeing the movie trailer for Angels and Demons, I decided to read the book while on my honeymoon - 710 pages in five and a half days. Throughout the read, I often wondered when the story would become dull - and it simply never did. Chapter after chapter, Dan's style of writing (intelligent, visual, and well-researched) kept the pages turning. The intriguing combination of religion, science, secret brotherhoods and politics is keeping me a Dan Brown fan.

If I reach far enough to present a Con, it would be inadequate character development for Ms. Vetra. Ms. Vetra's lack of development coupled with verbosity issues in certain chapters would be my two critiques.

In summary, Angels and Demons did not disappoint after reading the Code (and watching the movie). I'm looking forward to watching the A&D's movie in May - and wishing the release of The Solomon's Key would arrive sooner than later! JP

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown was one of the best page-turners I have ever read. From the very beginning I couldn’t put it down. I did not know where Dan Brown would take the story next. Following the main character Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist on his first great adventure was breathtaking. I wanted to learn more, to know the secrets of the Illuminati and the only way to do it was to let the story naturally unfold as I read. I can usually guess what is going to happen in thrillers, but Dan Brown did a wonderful job keeping everything a mystery until absolutely necessary to reveal the secrets.
I first read the book on a flight from Seattle to Rome, with a few places in between. Never having read the Da Vinci Code before hand I didn’t have as high of expectations as most people do when going to read Angels and Demons. I have often heard that the Da Vinci Code is much better than Angels and Demons but I disagree. Angels and Demons is Dan Brown at his best. I love how he took historical events, places, art and turned them upside down into a thriller that left me wanting more.
Dan Brown not only wrote a good novel but he also brought up the old argument of Science vs. Religion. Both sides of the argument are thoughtfully brought up in Angels and Demons and in the end it is up to the reader to decide which side they believe is the right path for them. I love that he didn’t try and persuade the reader of his view on the subject but instead put the evidence and arguments out there for us to make up our own minds.
Having traveled to Rome and seeing the places talked about in the novel Dan Brown did a wonderful job putting the readers in the places talked about. As I walked the path of Robert Langdon it seemed even more real to me that events as radical as the illuminati pulled off in the book could have actually happened, giving more power to the fast paced adventure.

لو فقط يظهر أمامي ذاك القائل أن الروايات مجرد مضيعة للوقت وأنها لا تحوي اي فائدة

عمل تستمتع به أدبيا وعلميا وتاريخيا وجغرافيا وحتى دينيا ...رائع

This book is a thrilling and thought-provoking journey into a world of mystery and intrigue. The story’s intricate web of art, science, and ancient symbols adds depth and excitement to the plot. The characters are well-crafted, and the pacing is expertly done, keeping you hooked from beginning to end. While it may not be a literary masterpiece, it’s a suspenseful adventure that effortlessly blends history, enigma, and excitement. If you appreciate a well-crafted thriller, this is a compelling read.

All of the trilogy is in my possession but I'm not sure I can continue with Book 2 after sentences in this one like:

A crisp breeze rustled the lapels of his tweed jacket.

He had always had a fond love of architecture.

Glick gave his guest a riveted look.

This one is so terrible I can barely type it: "Have both he and his camerawoman..."

It's ruffled, not rustled - rustled implies a noise. A crisp breeze will rustle fallen leaves. No tweed lapels have ever made a noise, no matter how crisp the breeze. But nor would a crisp breeze ruffle tweed lapels, since tweed is heavy wool, not chiffon.

Everyone in the book seemed to be hard of hearing.

"His name was Galileo Galilei," Langdon said.
Kohler looked up. "Galileo?"
"...even under torture."
"Torture?"
"The Vatican denounced the brotherhood as Shaitan."
"Shaitan?"
"...wealthy Bavarian store craftsmen called the Freemasons."
Kohler looked startled. "The Masons?"
"He considered himself a theo-physicist."
"Theo-physicist?"
"An item was stolen from Vetra by his murderer."
"An item?"
"Look at his face," Kohler said.
"Look at his face?"
"The Illuminati have always been more deliberate."
"Deliberate?"
"CERN's resident guru of Hatha yoga."
Hatha yoga? Langdon mused.
"A particle accelerator."
Particle accelerator?
"We see an annihilation."
Langdon's ears pricked up. "Annihilation?" He didn't like the sound of it.
"The group claiming responsibility calls themselves the Illuminati."
"The Illuminati?"
"Rome."
"Rome?"
"You're bluffing."
"Bluffing?"
"One of the four elements of science."
"Four elements?"
"The booklet has a low permanence rating."
"Permanence rating?"
"It is believed that only one copy survived the 18th century."
"One?"
"Raphael's buried in the Pantheon."
"The Pantheon?"

At no point was this thriller captivating, but the last 100 or so pages ramped up the idiocy as two people somehow survived a helicopter explosion thousands of feet in the air, coming down gently in Vatican City, and a priest and nun fell deeply in love and desired a baby, but determined not to break their vows of celibacy, went for artificial insemination instead. At many points during the novel I prayed for it to end, and finally......

f i n a l l y

........ my prayers were answered.

All right, a few suggestions. DO NOT START THIS BOOK IF YOU HAVE TO GET UP THE NEXT MORNING. Forget it, you WILL NOT be able to put it down. I suggest a long weekend, an early morning start and unplugging the telephone.

Brown has successfully created a character driven suspense tale (an unusual achievement in and of itself). The people here are as arresting as the ephemeral strands of history that tie the tale together with continually tantalizing possibilities - Add edge-of-your-seat suspense and I defy anyone to put it down before each puzzle is unravelled, every villain identified and our heroes crowned. The best part is you THINK you know how each of those things will be managed. Forget it, you don't have a clue.

The battle between Science and religion is a fascinating topic to read. The danger with this topic is that it might affect the religious sentiments of a few readers.

The author succeeds in getting us glued to the story, which is pretty interesting to read. But there are a lot of twists in it, and the last few are more cinematic than realistic to convince those believing in Science. It should have been written in a better way.

n  My favorite three lines from this book. n
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“Fear cripples faster than any implement of war.”

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“Science and religion are not at odds. Science is simply too young to understand.”

n

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“Genius accepts genius unconditionally”

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Robert Langdon still is a character that always fascinates us, and he doesn’t disappoint us in this book.


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