Enjoyable enough suspense thriller. It was a high octane adventure lurching from crisis to crisis but I only occasionally found it exciting- possibly less often than I was meant to! That was certainly an eventful weekend that Robert Langdon had!
I read the Da Vinci Code years ago as a stand alone and I think my judgement for this book suffers as the second book I've read because it seems so similar and formulaic.
Maybe I will dip into the other books in this series eventually but I'm not in any hurry...

A quote from the book: "Science may have alleviated the miseries of disease and...provided an array of gagetry for our convenience...but it has left us in a world without wonder. Our sunsets have been reduced to wavelengths and frequencies... Even the technology that unites us, divides us. We are electronically connected to the globe and yet we feel utterly alone. Skepticism has become a virtue. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than at any point in human history? Does science hold anything sacred? Science looks for answers by probing our unborn fetuses, and presumes to rearrange our own DNA. It shatters God's world into smaller and smaller pieces in quest of meaning...and all it finds is more questions. The ancient war between science and religion is over. Science has won...

Mankind took thousands of years to progress from the wheel to the car and only decades from the car to space... We measure scientific progress in weeks... The rift between us grows deeper and deeper, and as religion is left behind, people find themselves in a spiritual void. WE cry out for meaning... We see UFO's, have spirit contact, and out of body experiences... They are a desperate cry of the modern soul, lonely and tormented, crippled by its own enlightenment and its inability to accept meaning in anything removed from technology..."

I KNOW! Too much, but when you can combine science and religion into a book that piques your intellect - it's a winner for me! :)

Romp
I read The Da Vinci Code and then Angels and Demons one after the other or was it the same one twice. Hmmm not sure!

The Da Vinci Code was a fast-paced thriller that was a rollicking good read and became a huge success and a movie. Angels and Demons was a fast-paced thriller that was a rollicking good read and became a huge success and a movie. Well, one had Robert Langdon and an attractive female collaborator whose father was just murdered with something branded on his chest and the other had Robert Langdon and an attractive female collaborator whose grandfather was just murdered with something drawn on his chest. Hi, I just spotted the differences. The similarities continue with the style, pace, atmosphere, symbolism, Catholic Church, clues to solve puzzles, and a race against time. I would advise leaving a bit of time between reading the 2 books.

The book is an easy read thriller, written as if for a young adult audience. The stories make good films because the plots and storylines are captivating and feed our appetite for conspiracy theories and age-old vendettas stretching back over millennia. I can understand how some people love it and some hate it. For once I much prefer the films!

I can't put it down and read it in one day. I remember my mom was mad at me because I'm like, "I don't want to eat yet, I'm reading a book!" After that I ate lunch, at our table while still reading and I'm holding the book in my other hand and holding the spoon in my other hand. That's how good this book is.

I should have read this before The Da Vinci Code, not because the two novels need to be read in any particular order (the plots are literally interchangeable; see order in which the movie versions were released for evidence), but because Angels and Demons is usually regarded as the better story. Unfortunately, by the time I read it I was already familiar with Dan Brown's "HISTORY! CONSPIRACIES! SMART CHICKS! MORE HISTORY! ORGANIZED RELIGION! DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNNN!" style of plot organization, and the thrill was a little cheapened.

One thing I really liked about this book was the captivating narrative which revolves around architecture, symbolism, mixture of science with religion, history of Christianity and Vatican City.

However having read Da Vinci Code, I found this book a bit drag. Unnecessary plot twists and lengthy storyline made me think why did I even start this book.

Robert Langdon had an immense grip on history of arts and architecture which made me want to visit Vatican City and the whole of Italy. Other than that it wasn't much intriguing.

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بدأت الرواية وأنا متحمس لقرائتها لما سمعته عنها وعن دان براون عمومًا.. لكني لم أجد هنا الكاتب العبقري الذي تحدثوا عنه، وإن كانت هذه الرواية هي أفضل ما كتب على حسب رأى الكثيرين، فهو إذاً لا يتعدى مرتبة الجيد، في نظري، وأرى أن السبب الأول في شهرة دان براون الكبيرة؛ هي الضجة الكبيرة التي أحدثها بتصادمه مع الكنيسة، لا أكثر.

الرواية بدأت بداية جيدة، ثم بدأت تأخذ مسارًا فزيائيًا مملا، وبدأت تدخل في أمور تاريخية وكنسية، ثم عادت إلى طابع الجريمة التي بدأت به الرواية، في رحلة يكتنفها الملل والملل والملل
إسهاب في الوصف بطريقة مملة إلى حد التطرق إلى مواضيع أخرى، فكانت تُخلّ بقوام السرد. وإقحام الكثير والكثير من المعلومات في الرواية بصورة مملة، فالرواية غايتها الأولى المتعة وليست المعلومات، وهو هنا ضحى بالأولى على حساب الثانية.. لا بأس أن تضيف معلومات لكن بشرط ألا تخرج عن مسار الرواية الأصلي.
كما أني لا أحب المدرسة التي تهتم بالحوار أكثر من السرد؛ وتقطع السرد بجمل حوارية؛ فترى أن الجمل الحوارية كثيرة، فتشعر بأنك تقرأ سيناريو لا رواية.

ولو أن الفيلم مختلف عن الرواية وبدلَّ وحذف الكثير من احداثها وشخصياتها، إلا أنه أفضل منها بكثير.

بالتأكيد سأعود للقراءة لدان براون قريبًا، فكاتب بهذه الشهرة، ليست هذه الرواية - بالطبع - هي أفضل ما كتب.

Have to admit a few things:
1) I didn't realize this was the first book in the series
2) This is my second attempt- I started this in college and couldn't get into it...
3) Started on audio (great narrator) when I realized it was ABRIDGED! (The horror!!) and I decided to stop listening and start all over with the physical copy of the book

I really enjoyed this book! You can still pick this book up almost 20 years later and it doesn't feel outdated. I constantly found myself wondering how Dan Brown came up with this stuff in between googling images to see these Roman statues exactly as they were described. The action never let up and the twists kept me wildly entertained, although, I did figure most of them out. I enjoyed the Religion vs Science argument and the Illuminati connections are so interesting. To think that this entire adventure takes place in 24 hours is ridiculous, and impressive. I read The Da Vinci Code first years ago, so looking forward to picking up the third book in this series to see if Brown can keep the momentum and conspiracies going. I'm also curious which city will be next??

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

The book that introduced the world to Robert Langdon, although he didn't really become a global bestseller until The Da Vinci Code exploded on the best seller lists. Yes full of inaccuracies, faux Italian and faux science... but hey.. it's F I C T I O N!

My fave Dan Brown book, this is a compelling and mindbogglingly believable mystery thriller that gets at the heart of the Vatican, its history, the Illuminati, classic art and modern science! If you read one Dan Brown this is the one! A Four Star 8 out of 12... for a rip roaring mystery thriller adventure!

2022 read; 2005 read; 2004 read

En un mundo donde la ciencia cada vez consigue mas respuestas a las interrogantes "divinas", el poder de la iglesia es cada vez menor. Sin embargo, cuando un grupo antagonista de la iglesia, que se creía extinto, reaparece para crear caos en el Vaticano la noche que comienza el cónclave, llaman a un famoso profesor de Harvard en simbología cristiana para que los ayude a encontrar el sentido a las amenazas. Pero cuando se comienzan a cumplir las amenazas, podrá Robert descubrir quien es el que esta detrás de todo esto? Como podrán detener la amenaza?

Este es una de esas series que estuvieron de moda hace muchos años, y que todo el mundo había leído, pero que yo había dejado de lado hasta ahora. Y después de leerla, entendí porque fue una sensación en su momento. Es una lectura rápida, llena de acción, emoción, pero con mucha lógica. También es fácil de leer y explica mucho de las teorías de conspiración sobre la iglesia y el gobierno del Vaticano.
Me gusto su prota, un hombre inteligente, que no es ningún héroe, pero que intenta hacer lo correcto. La prota femenina tuvo sus momentos, pero al final no resulto tan poderosa como esperaba.
Sin embargo, es una buena lectura, y pienso continuarla, sobre todo porque el próximo libro de la serie es el mas famoso de este autor y quiero ver si realmente es tan "impactante" como todos me decían.
En fin, si les gustan las teorías de conspiración, escritas en forma de novela de acción rápida y con un gran misterio, esta serie es ideal.

Oh dear God please do not read this book. You don't notice what a bad writer Dan Brown is when you read the Da Vinci Code because it is so exciting, but you read this and you want to kill yourself for ever liking Da Vinci Code. Really.