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Title: Inferno
Author: Dan Brown
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 480
Publishing Company: Doubleday
Synopsis:
In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.
Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.
Review
I’m a big fan of Dan Brown’s writing. I really enjoyed The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol. He has a way of intertwining all of my favorite things into one novel. I’m an artist who loves art history. The best part about his series is the fact that he effortlessly weaves art and architecture into the mystery, action, and romance.
His newest novel, Inferno, Brown starts off on a different foot. Robert Langdon (his man character for the majority of his previous books) has lost his memory. This poses a huge issue because he is currently being hunt down by several different factions and the only thing that he knowns for sure is that a plague is on the very of destroying the lives of billions of people.
He is saved by a blonde beauty by the name of Sienna Brooks whose background is a bit murky. She’s a doctor who is a bit of a prodigy, but there is a lot more to the story. Langdon and Brown navigate the streets of Florence by following clues left by the madman, Zobrist Bertrand. I could actually see the art, the architecture, the path they took.
The theme of this particular novel focuses around Dante Aligheri’s Inferno and the world’s overpopulation issue. It brings up the moral issue of saving the many over the few and what really is the best way to go about solving this very pressing issue. Through this book, I questioned what my choice would be and the concept of denial. That tells a lot about an author. It calls what we believe into question.
In addition to forcing us to question our own moral code, Brown threw in a little bit of the process Langdon took in order to figure out the things that he did. For example, Langdon is a Dante enthusiast who has spoken about him in quite length. Brown referenced a lecture Langdon used for some of the symbols that were found (The Seven P’s are the Seven Sins).
The story was over the course of a day which made it a little bit fast pace, but it wasn’t overly so. It started on my birthday which made me really happy. I couldn’t help but want to add it to my collection. I did think that the romance between the two characters was a little bit forced. They didn’t really do anything, but the feelings that developed over the course of a day was a bit much. I get that when people go through traumatic experiences that it can bring people closer, but at the same time it was only a day.
I liked that the majority of this book is not what it seems. The end left me quite satisfied although the last few chapters had me at the edge of my seat. Things did not work out how everyone expected, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
I would say it is a great read and I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 8.75/10
Later,
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
