Call it a conspiracy theory, but

How did secret societies, associations, cults, and shadow cabinets influence human history, and how evolved the first stone age groups of chief, medicine man, dealer, and strongest soldier until today and will develop in the future?

An all time problem until enlightenment kicks in in a faraway utopia
It´s not just the realm of religion that has had its fake news problem since the first primitive cults and sects tens of thousands of years or even longer ago. It´s each field and area of human activity that was, can, and will be influenced by the dark forces in the background, the puppet masters controlling the fate of both tribes of thousands in the past or states and space colonies of billions in the future.

Faith vs science, subjectivity vs objectivity, emotionality vs rationality,
Call it as you like, I can´t objectively say much about the epic, endless science vs faith battle, because I am biased as heck and it would go against the obligation of a responsible reviewer to add too much subjective... Go science, show who is the boss, yes, keep using that chokehold,…

A subjective interpretation: I am reading nonfiction for over 20 years and must say that much that has once been deemed impossible, wrong, or lies, became true and influenced the lives of everyone in massive ways. So the truth seems to be pretty flexible. And the lucky ones of us living in so called enlightened democracies could reverse engineer big and progressive history and guess how much of, well, everything could be wrong, lies, and pure fiction. That it´s the opposite of official history in some cases, that many of the weirdo theories about the present and future are the truth, and much of what is written in history books are lies.

Monetarizing this concept was an ingenious idea by Brown (and his not so well known predecessors?)
And I don´t understand the Brown bashing of some people, many authors don´t really care much about the rules of writing or create average quality of consistency, logic, dialogues, and stuff and don´t get criticized for it. It might be possible that it´s more the inconvenient topics Browns is using that are activating the bite reflexes and reactionary mental programs of pissed people preferring proselytizing priests. The fast paced writing style with many different settings, fine infodumps, cliffhangers, and everything similar to a well written Hollywood blockbusters, techno- and psychothrillers is nothing people are ranting about as long as it´s not controversial.

At least the lectors tried to pimp the real science
It´s possible that the new editions of the book have been edited and corrected ( I don´t know), as there are some errors regarding the possibility of the involved physics and technology and wrong descriptions. But as I know publishing houses, they probably still haven´t invested the money to fix the bugs, even in a multi million copies world bestseller, that uses the intentionally produced good old catholic church and JC controversies like no series before.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real life outside books:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspir...

The Illuminati-vs-the Vatican. Religion battles science. Creationism meets Big Bang theory.
An adventurous Murder/Mystery/Thriller
Delightfully filled with artful descriptions of the Vatican/Rome/Italy.
"Man's morality is not advancing as fast as man's science"

n  n    Reviewn  n
4+ out of 5 stars to Dan Brown's Angels & Demons, the first book in his "Robert Langdon" thriller series. When I saw the movie trailer for The Da Vinci Code, I was hooked and immediately bought the book so I could read it first. When I got home, I realized it was not the first in the series...



I refused to read it... and then I went to the store and got the first one, Angels & Demons, so I could read them in order. And while it's not really necessary, I always follow the order (unless I have an ARC with a due date on a newer book and no time to get to the whole series). So I started Angels & Demons, and I was was simply blown away.



Not everyone loves Dan Brown, and people aren't always kind, but man... I LOVE HIS BOOKS! And I'm not afraid to say it... so if you don't like them... don't be hating on this review because I will



On a more serious note, the climax with each of the murders, the deep connections to so many Catholic rituals and ceremonies, the brilliance of the chase... it just left me unable to stop reading it. It's exactly the kind of book I like to read:

1. Has some connection to me -- I'm Catholic and knew most of the stuff they were talking about

2. I love reading about murder -- since I won't do it in real life, I have to get my thrills somehow

3. Secrets are the best thing in the world -- I have so many about others, but I never let anyone have one about me

4. Classic battle of good versus evil -- This is my life. Should I be good or bad today? Ugh... Sophie's catch #22...

5. It's non-stop thought-provoking messages and themes -- How much control and time do we really have right now?

Oh, that's the spot baby!

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And with that said... if you want a real review with details about the story, go find someone else's! Today was all about just being excited to think about the book again. Now that said, I thought Da Vinci Code was a slight bit better, hence the 4 here.

Ciao! I've got some branding to do...



n  n    About Men  n
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.

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When a physicist/priest is murdered, the word Illuminati branded into his chest, and a quarter-gram of antimatter stolen, it's up to renowned symbologist Robert Langdon to find the goods and the murderer. But can he stop someone from using the antimatter as a weapon, even with hot physicist Vittoria Vetra in tow?

After all the hype, I managed to dodge this bullet for over a decade but when my girlfriend caught me in a vulnerable moment between books, I knew the time had come.

Overall, it was a fun read. It reminded me of a high tech Indiana Jones a lot of the time. However, at the end of the day, it was pretty much a by the numbers thriller, complete with forced sexual tension.

Like I said, it's pretty Indiana Jones-ish, except instead of an archaeologist who has crazy globe-trotting adventures, Langdon is a symbologist who has crazy globe-trotting adventures.

As much as I want to hate on this book, it's a page turner; Short chapters, nearly all of them ending on a cliffhanger. However, even for a thriller of this type, the plot seems a little overly complicated. A centuries old secret society is going to use some stolen antimatter to blow up the Vatican? Wouldn't it be easier to get a surplus nuke from the former Soviet Union?

The writing is so cheesy and over-dramatic I can't help but be amused. It's really pulpy but not in the good Raymond Chandler way. More like an early Doc Savage. Seriously, Langdon could have said "I'll be super-amalgamated" and it wouldn't have felt that out of place. It almost feels like Brown was trying to do a Black Dynamite-style commentary/spoof on conspiracy thrillers.

One thing I didn't enjoy is that the book suffers from "I did a bit of research so I'm going to cram it all in the dialogue" syndrome. There are infodumps galore and lots of redundant information, mostly about symbology. I'm not going to touch on the things that weren't researched and are erroneous since most movies have equally shitty fact checking.

I guess I'll rate it 3 stars. It's not well written or to any degree believable but it's a fun and exciting read, like a pack of Skittles for your brain. Not good but definitely entertaining. Not only that, Dan Brown's milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. Any book that gets so many non-readers reading gets a little slack from me.

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.


The first time I read Angels and Demons was 4 years ago, and it completely blew me away. This was my fourth time reading it, and it still is one of my favorite books of all time, and I'm sure it will always remain on that position.

In this review, I won't go into the plot, since I think that everyone has either read it, seen the movie, or just heard of what it's about. I will stick to my feelings about this book, and why it has impacted my life this much.

Firstly, the character of Robert Langdon will always be (at least in my opinion) one of the best characters ever created. And Brown's writing style goes perfectly with his character. He is a kind of a professor I would give anything to at least attend one of his lectures. I like his way of thinking, and he knows how to perfectly describe a place or a building, so that you would love to visit and explore every single one of them.

And when it comes to the book as a whole, it impacted my beliefs quite a bit. I remember when I first read it, and how it changed my viewpoints on religion, science, Church, and even God as well. Not necessarily in a good or a bad way, it just opened my mind, and ever since then I have tried to not have a closed mind when it comes to both religion and science. They are not the opposite things, and just like Brown said in this book:

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

And to conclude, I get who so many people dislike or even hate Dan Brown's books, but he was one of those writers who got me into reading. Until now, not a single one of his books disappointed me (and I've read every single one of them) and I'm pretty sure none of them, yet to be written, will.

One of CERN's top physicists has been murdered. His chest was branded with an ambigram of the word "Illuminati." This is the name and symbol of a supposedly extinct ancient anti-religious organization. Professor Robert Langdon, an expert on symbology and religious history, is brought in to help with the investigation. And when they realize that a canister of antimatter has been stolen from the physicist’s lab, the race is on. Professor Robert Langdon has 24 hours to find the truth and the canister. Because the canister will explode after the battery runs out.

Meanwhile, the college of cardinals assembles to elect a new pope. And all roads of Langdon’s investigation lead to Rome.


It’s an interesting science Vs religion theme that lurks beneath the surface of this treasure hunt thriller. And I appreciate the characters of Vittoria Vetra and her father who try to bridge the gap between the two, as they firmly believe that the two are not mutually exclusive.


Thanks to my friend Rosh for recommending me to read this book. I already watched and liked the Tom Hanks movie. But I have to agree with her by saying the original book does it just a little bit better. Mostly because it’s a bit more detailed. It’s a fun fast-paced thriller with some interesting science and history anecdotes woven into the plot. It’s sometimes a bit too over the top but, it does make for a very entertaining treasure hunt for the ages.

In the first, I don't know, 30 pages or so a character is "overwhelmed" by the smell of frozen urine. Frozen things don't smell, let alone overwhelmingly. Shortly thereafter an expert in religion (or whatever he is, I've tried to block it out) is shocked to see a study containing both scientific and religious items. I should have put the book down then, but then I would have missed unbelievable characters, hackneyed descriptions and spitting in the face of the laws of physics and physiology. Use the book to balance your wobbly kitchen table and read the back of your cereal box instead.

n  "Listen carefully. I'm about to change your life."n

Not really

I actually prefered Angels and Demons over The DaVinci Code.

sure, it's no da vinci code, which is in turn no paragon of great literature...

and okay, the only thing i remember about it distinctly is the corny and endless insertion of descriptions of robert langdon's dashing good looks...

and yes, apparently it took me almost 3 months to finish it...

but...

actually i forget where i was going with this. i don't think i actually have anything nice to say.

part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago

I remember the first time I watched "The Da Vinci Code" and how much it scared me. I seriously hated it but after 2006 things changed for me. What I found interesting before changed. I become kind of obsessed with cults, religions, believes, signs and many other things. So I watched the movie on TV and I loved it, and now I'm a fan and can't wait for the other movies to come.



I bought "Angels and Demons" and I'm moving quickly in it. The information are interesting but not all are correct regarding Islam. But it's fiction so I'm eating it up. But I find that I don't like Robert Langdon in the book, I prefer Tom Hanks portrayal in the movies, and I liked the changes made in the movies. I prefer the thriller without the romance, and I prefer them without mentioning us or linking us to Illuminati and I like the changes made to the other characters and events.



I read this book about several times because I keep researching the terms, locations, and everything I don't know, that sometimes I lose touch with the actual story. I really HATE how much the author keep insulting and demeaning Arabs, Arabic language and Muslims, but I think the author is anti religion in general now. He seems to despise Christianity and thinks Islam is Inferior. The main character is supposed to be a scholar but the information about us is wrong most of the time even the way Arabic is described and written is rubbish.



What's so interesting to me right now, is the science mentioned in the book, it's what interested me most. I'm enchanted by the jet that took an hour from USA to Switzerland, I'm intrigued by the center in Switzerland, it made me wish that I was into science, or that I was a scientist... I love the idea of that place, I'm currently following them on Twitter. CERN is the one that invented the internet we are all obsessed with, the idea that they think it's not their "best" work makes me so curious about what else they invent and do. I would like to read a book about their work and what they are working on.



I think Vittoria Vetra's father was such an amazing guy. Also, is there a full list of the books in the Vatican library? It seems they are wasting away in there.



The differences between the movie and book are varied, many things in the book is omitted from the movie like the Shia assassin, he called Hassassin (Order of Assassins), and he made him speak Arabic when in fact he must be Persian and they were against Muslims (read your history). Mr. Kohler was also a character in the book that didn't make it to the screen, his story is sad, he was raised by religious parents who didn't give him medicine as a child so he became crippled. He hates religion and values science, and is the head boss of CERN. The camerlengo didn't say my favorite line in the movie but Vittoria did in the book (do you believe in God? I did not ask you if you believe what man says about God. I asked you if you believe in God. There is a difference.) Vittoria wasn't in CERN when the murder of her father happened, that was also changed. They made her just another co-worker who was working on this antimatter project (no Big Bang Theory was mentioned in the movie) she was in shorts all through the book, while Robert was in a bloodied wet cardigan, no one gave him a change of clothes (which I'm glad they changed in the movie, he changed in the end from clothes from the hospital), the church and the residence were very harsh in the book but not in the movie. The four guys who were kidnapped all died, there are reporters as secondary characters in the book as well. The camerlengo's was raised by the pope he poisoned who took him in as an orphan to a religious mother who insisted that her boy was a messenger of God. He also was in the army was a pilot and he was good at skydiving (it was all planned). In the book Robert is so into himself, not in the book. The saddest part that Vittoria's father was was also a priest wasn't in the movie. He is my favorite. And Robert keeps saying "Godspeed" what does it mean? Oh and Robert was with the camerlengo on the helicopter and antimatter. I don't know if anyone who can jump from a chopper into a running river and survive... that was a James Bond moment. Of course, the ending is different, Robert didn't score Vittoria.



One last thing, as much as I love libraries I would never want to visit the Vatican library because of the oxygen thing... omg! What are they thinking? Reprint people, don't kill yourselves.



Do you remember Emma Watson's speech? In page 580 the camerlengo says: "If not me, then who? If not now, then when?"
I'm speechless.



"Galileo was an Illuminatus. And he was also a devout Catholic. He tried to soften the church's position on science by proclaiming that science did not undermine the existence of God, but rather reinforced it. He wrote once that when he looked through his telescope at the spinning plants, he could hear God's voice in the music of the spheres. He held that science and religion were not enemies, but rather allies - two different languages telling the same story, a story of symmetry and balance, heaven and hell, night and day, hot and cold, God and satan. Both science and religion rejoiced in God's symmetry, the endless contest of light and dark."

When I read this, my eyes filled with tears, because this is Islam. Every human knows God.

& I was left... STUNNED! Just, just, stunned. Incredibly, this one is the one to top when it comes to adventure & history and pace & ingenuity.

I've recently noticed how much history is revered (rightfully) by the modern authors. This is a different type of historical immersion. This is about bringing it to the forefront... something in the past is incredibly relevant, vital, to the present.

Everyone but me had read this, & after Da Vinci Code--that bitch of an overrated heathen--I thought Brown was a phony (in company of Nicholas Sparks, among others). Not so. This is a MASTERPIECE indeed.

I read this in like two sittings. All 710 pages of oversized print.

I was soooo hooked I recalled many other lesser books that have riveted me. This one is so incredibly put together, it is no wonder Brown has been heralded by the general readership, ingrained in the zeitgeist.

The awesomeness of this work lies in the battle between science and religion, perhaps one of the most seminal works about that topic. It explores this duality literally, symbolically... every which way. That they are married, both science and religion, is the thesis. Brown proves this with the precision of a skilled scientist. & with the heart of a devout... historian.