Background:
A few months ago I read 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown and really enjoyed it. I mentioned this to a friend at work who the very next day brought me this book to try. Telling me if I liked the other book then I was bound to like this one too. I was keen to try it and see how ... Read review
When a world renowned scientist is found brutally murdered, a Harvard professor, Robert ... more
Langdon, is summoned to identify the mysterious symbol seared onto the dead man’s chest. His conclusion: it is the work of the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood pres...
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When a world renowned scientist is found brutally murdered, a Harvard professor, Robert ... more
Langdon, is summoned to identify the mysterious symbol seared onto the dead man’s chest. His conclusion: it is the work of the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood presumed extinct for nearly four hundred years - now reborn to continue their bitter vendetta against their sworn enemy, the Catholic church.
Postage & Packaging:refer to website Availability:in stock
Offers a behind-the-scenes look at the production design and process of filming the famous ... more
locations featured in the movie - "Angels & Demons". This book includes: storyboards and drawings used to plan the film's scenes; contributions from key participants of the movie; in-progress shots of the re-creation of the Sistine Chapel and its artifacts.
When a world renowned scientist is found brutally murdered in a Swiss research facility, a ... more
Harvard professor, Robert Langdon, is summoned to identify the mysterious symbol seared onto the dead man's chest. His baffling conclusion: that it is the work of the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood presumed extinct for nearly four hundred years.
CERN Institute, Switzerland: a world-renowned scientist is found brutally murdered with a ... more
mysterious symbol seared onto his chest. The Vatican, Rome: the College of Cardinals assembles to elect a new pope. Somewhere beneath them, an unstoppable bomb of terrifying power relentlessly counts down to oblivion.
When a scientist is found brutally murdered, Harvard professor Robert Langdon is asked to ... more
identify the mysterious symbol seared onto the dead man's chest. Realising it must be the work of the Illuminati - an ancient secret brotherhood sworn against Catholicism - the race is on to prevent a tragedy.
It takes guts to write a novel that combines an ancient secret brotherhood, the Swiss ... more
Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, a papal conclave, mysterious ambigrams, a plot against the Vatican, a mad scientist in a wheelchair, particles of anti-matter, jets that can travel 15,000 miles per hour, crafty assassins, a beautiful Italian physicist and a Harvard professor of religious iconology. It takes talent to make that novel anything but ridiculous. Kudos to Dan Brown (Digital Fortress) for achieving the nearly impossible. Angels and Demons is a no-holds-barred, pull-out-all-the-stops, breathless tangle of a thriller--think Katherine Neville's The Eight (but cleverer) or Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum (but more accessible). Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is shocked to find proof that the legendary secret society, the Illuminati--dedicated since the time of Galileo to promoting the interests of science and condemning the blind faith of Catholicism--is alive, well, and murderously active. Brilliant physicist Leonardo Vetra has been murdered, his eyes plucked out and the society's ancient symbol branded upon his chest. His final discovery, anti-matter, the most powerful and dangerous energy source known to man, has disappeared--only to be hidden somewhere beneath Vatican City on the eve of the election of a new pope. Langdon and Vittoria, Vetra's daughter and colleague, embark on a frantic hunt through the streets, churches and catacombs of Rome, following a 400-year-old trail to the lair of the Illuminati, to prevent the incineration of civilisation. Brown seems as much juggler as author--there are lots and lots of balls in the air in this novel, yet Brown manages to hurl the reader headlong into an almost surreal suspension of disbelief. While the reader might wish for a little more sardonic humour from Langdon and a little less bombastic philosophising on the eternal conflict between religion and science, these are less fatal flaws than niggling annoyances--readers should have no trouble skimming past them and immersing themselves in a heck of a good read. "Brain candy" it may be, but it's tasty. --Kelly Flynn, Amazon.com
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Advantages: Well written, thrilling story Disadvantages: Similar ideas as the Da Vinci Code
Background:
A few months ago I read 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown and really enjoyed it. I mentioned this to a friend at work who the very next day brought me this book to try. Telling me if I liked the other book then I was bound to like this one too. I was keen to try it and see how it measured up to The Da Vinci Code.
About the author:
Dan Brown was born in America in 1964. He grew up with ... ...and enjoyed studying them. These two themes have made a critical influence on his best selling novels. His first book 'Digital Fortress' was written in 1998,followed two years later by the book I am about to review.
My synopsis of the book:
Robert Langdon is rudely awoken by an urgent telephone call. As an influential scientist has been brutally murdered in his lab. He has been requested to help because he is ... more
Background:
A few months ago I read 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown and really enjoyed it. I mentioned this to a friend at work who the very next day brought me this book to try. Telling me if I liked the other book then I was bound to like this one too. I was keen to try it and see how it measured up to The Da Vinci Code.
About the author:
Dan Brown was born in America in 1964. He grew up with the paradoxical philosophies of religion and science close at hand and enjoyed studying them. These two themes have made a critical influence on his best selling novels. His first book 'Digital Fortress' was written in 1998,followed two years later by the book I am about to review.
My synopsis of the book:
Robert Langdon is rudely awoken by an urgent telephone call. As an influential scientist has been brutally murdered in his lab. He has been requested to help because he is a professor of Symbolism and has a massive knowledge of the Church and Cults. The dead man has a symbol of the Illuminati written on his chest, this brotherhood was thought to be extinct for decades.
He was brought to the CERN headquarters in Switzerland to see these markings. Where the man had been working on a secret on anti-matter, which when realised into the atmosphere explodes with massive strength and power. He has been working with his daughter Vittoria Vetra who is distraught by his murder.
On examination one of the Anti-Matter tubes is missing. And a call is quickly received from the Vatican who have seen a similar tube on one their security camera's marked with CERN on its side. Langdon and Vetra must find this tube and return to its charger before it explodes taking the Vatican City with it.
My thoughts on the book:
My overall view of the novel was it was a well written and basically enjoyable read. It took me no time at all to get into the story and once there I found more than enough to keep me entertained. It was a story full of action and excitement and one that was different in style, detail and content from most other authors.
By this I mean Dan Brown is a very intelligent and knowledgeable man. He uses his considerable of expertise in knowing about science and religion and makes a completely plausible and absorbing story.
The story was quite long, typical for a Dan Brown novel. It contained many twists and turns that any good suspense book should have. I liked his initial concept of science and religion competing for centuries against each other for supremacy. The idea of this secret, thought to be extinct Brotherhood rising up to threaten the power of the Catholic Church appealed to me.
I always felt the story was leading somewhere, generally at a breath taking pace, which gave you little chance to ponder what was happening. At times reading it I felt out of breath just by what action I was reading about. This pace continued throughout the book as a result the pages flew past and in no time I had read it.
I liked the idea of this conflict between the Illuminati supporting Science and the Catholic Church supporting Religion. The fact this had been going on for centuries and the way the author made me think differently about what the Church had done to its adversary over the years.
The general story was very good, but I did find it similar in so many important ways to the Da Vinci Code. For a start both novels were about Robert Langdon and his bereaved female sidekick trying to use his knowledge and skill to solve a puzzle set for them. Both stories involved the history of the Catholic Church and were battles against time and a Cult to save mankind.
While the first time I found this refreshing and very interesting, this time I was less interested in it and wondered if the author could have tried to make it different. It's easy to understand why they are so similar as he obviously had a successful formula and replicated it in order to sell book. (Cynical I know!!). I just hope his other novels so not follow this same theme.
I did again struggle with the Historical Data that explained the current adventure. It was both complex and quite detailed; as a result I struggled to understand exactly what was happening. So when clues where given I just had to except their logic and I could not work it out for myself. I don't know how the author could have made it easier as he talked about a time I had very little knowledge about.
It was a classic adventure story with lots of action and murder to keep the reader interested. However I did find it frustrating the way John Langdon kept cheating death, the man seemed to have at least nine lives. After a while this can become boring, but because it was skilfully written I stuck with it and accepted it.
The main characters were John Langdon and Vittoria Vetra, who were both described superbly. They were the type of characters I found easy to relate to as they appeared to be human and vulnerable to their predicament. The only thing I found frustrating was their attraction to each other, I like it when people work together do not like each other.
For me apart from the writing the best feature of the book was the support Characters. I found these rich in personalities and written in such a way I could understand and except their motives, even if they were not necessarily right or correct. There were several I thought that could literally have taken over the book given more licence.
I do enjoy Dan Brown's style of writing. The fact that there are many mysteries to solve within impossible deadlines. But for me what makes this author special is they way he makes us look at history in a totally different light. Making you question things you had always taken for granted.
The book was full of suspense and I liked the way everything was explained to the reader so that you could understand the truth. And the way at critical times the author employed humour when you least expected it.
The book was broken up into very short chapters. They were at logical times and all were usually depicting different scenes. I just felt they were too regular 134 chapters in the book seemed excessive.
I went to a car boot sale last week and saw a few of this book on sale for just 25p on several different stalls. A bargain if ever I saw one!!
Conclusion:
An enjoyable, exciting suspense novel that oozed action and adventure. I would recommend it to all those that liked the Da Vinci Code as for me it is very similar and still has a very high standard of writing. For me I may well try another Dan Brown book as long as it is a completely different style as I think this author is good enough to do something else.
Pages: 620 Publisher: Corgi Books Price: £5.44 New at Amazon ISBN: 0-552-15073-8 Year: 2000 About the author: www.danbrown.com
Advantages: A cracking good read. Disadvantages: tainted by allegations of an "anti-Christian" agenda
...picked a better novel, as Angels and Demons is a thriller all about the Catholic Church, and its relationship with the scientific community down through the generations.
~ ~ It introduces us to Harvard professor Robert Langdon, an expert on ancient symbology, and the hero of his later novel and worldwide bestseller the Da Vinci Code. In the same vein as the later Da Vinci Code, the villains of the piece are once again an ultra-secret society, in ... ...some of his assertions, in Angels and Demons is also very flawed. Brown often employs the technique of using dialogue between his characters to put across a point he wants to make. An example of this in Angels and Demons would be where his hero, Professor Langdon, is talking to the head of CERN, Max Kohler. They’re discussing the ongoing problems between science and religion, and Langdon starts a sentence with “Outspoken scientists like Copernicus….” ...
the_mad_cabbie 31.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
Advantages: Entertaining, fascinating, clever Disadvantages: A ridiculous ending
...sections of dialogue. As such, Angels and Demons is heavy on drama, excitement and who's-the-bad-guy style mysteries, but light on extensive character development. That said, Langdon is a reasonably interesting, if not terribly in-depth, figure, and Vittoria is entertaining enough, albeit something of a feisty-Italian stereotype. The supporting cast is rather better than some of his other books, but occasionally feels excessively contrived, designed ... ...negative note. However, Angels and Demons is still a great read. If you accept some bits will get a fraction silly, and simply enjoy the tale Brown spins, you are likely to enjoy it immensely. As with The Da Vinci Code, this benefits from being set in and around a city that people can freely visit, making it that bit more believable for the most part. The puzzles and tricks are fun to try and decipher, the trail is well-constructed and the structure ...
Puggers 02.05.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
Advantages: Starts off with so much promise, fast pace etc Disadvantages: It swiftly jumps from scene to scene in places that can leave the reader confused and have to wade backwards just to refresh themselves as to what's going on and also loses some of the rhythmn and momentum the beginning promises
...on Dan Brown's first thriller Angels and Demons (which he wrote before the Da Vinci Code) and we can see why it was such a success and most talked about thriller of the decade.
*Overview*
This book is about a middle aged Harvard University professor named Robert Langdon who has been brought in by the director of the European Council of Nuclear Research Maximilian Kohler, on the quest of finding not just a killer but answers to an ancient brotherhood ... ...would recommend reading Secrets of Angels and Demons by Daniel Burnstein priced at £3.99 on Amazon (excluding postage and packaging). Try to read Dan Brown's version first thou if you can because I do feel Mr Burnstein rips it apart and does spoil the original story.
This is only intended for those who enjoy real detective thrillers. If comedy and romance is more your thing I'd stay clear of this book as can be pretty gruesome in places. I'll confess ...
promotions_lass 17.05.2006 (16.06.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
Advantages: Keeps you turning pages, great pace, interesting plot, fantastic details. Disadvantages: Has alot of religious debate, can be slightly confusing and long in parts.
...is at it again with Angels and Demons. I became a Brown fan when I read Deception Point. I like his style of writing - it's action packed, crosses the world over and keeps you on the edge of your seat with excitement. There are out of this world plots that he makes seem completely possible. In this book - you find yourself traveling around in a jet that travels 15,000 miles per hour around the globe. Talk about a cool ride, this book seems to travel ... ...specialist in religious symbols, Robert Langdon, receives a strange phone call asking about the Illuminati. The Illuminati were a group of Renaissance scientists, including Galileo and other famous men, who met secretly in Rome to discuss new ideas in safety from papal threat. During that time the church was against science in general and scientists were executed or prosecuted as enemies of the church. However, the group was supposedly gone long ...
Shadowtwinchaos 23.04.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
Advantages: a great thriller, with so much more Disadvantages: a long book
...a copy of Browns earlier Angels and Demons and immersed myself, again, in the mysterious world of Robert Langdon. This is the book that first gave the world Harvard professor Robert Langdon, and with the popularity of Browns more recent work, this book is being revisited by the growing horde of his fans. Langdon's ordered world is thrown into chaos when he is asked to attend the scene of a murder. An eminent scientist has been killed violently and ... ...in religious iconography Langdon's conclusion is that they are the work of the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood long thought vanished, but apparently resurfaced to continue its fight against the Catholic Church. The age-old war between science and religion has been rekindled and through the course of the few days that the book covers is played out amongst the history and grandeur of the Eternal City, Rome. Against the backdrop of the choosing of ...
steerpyke 18.11.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
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Advantages: Good story, Rome, mystery Disadvantages: None
When the Da Vinci Code Book by DanBrown was released it caused a storm. The book was a worldwide bestseller that has sold 80 million copies as of 2009 and that has been translated into 44 language. Most people, I know me included always thought this was his first novel. However, his first novel was actually Angels and Demons which was released in 2000. The Da Vinci code was released in 2003.
The Angels and Demons was made into a movie in 2009. However, the film differs quite a bit from the book in that the film is a sequel to the Da Vinci Code whereas the book is the first in the story.
The story really focuses on the age old discussion of science versus the church and which is right and the scandals surrounding that quest for truth. A vial on antimatter is stolen from a Nuclear Research facility. At the same time, the world is ...
Advantages: A super suspenseful thriller Disadvantages: Very violent and graphic
DanBrown is the author of the super successful fiction ' The Da Vinci Code ', which was later made into an equally successful film.
DanBrown is an American novelist. His fictions feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols and codes, and have been translated into 51 languages world wide.
Angels and Demons is the prequel to The Da Vinci Code telling us the story of Symbologist Robert Langdon's adventures in the Vatican city one year before his fateful visit to the Louvre in Paris ( in Da Vinci Code )
In DanBrown's words ' Angels and Demons is the novel in which i first created the character of Robert Langdon and indulged his passion for Art, Symbology, Codes, Secret Societies and the gray area between the Good and the Evil. the riddles in angels and Demons are just as visually arresting as those in Da Vinci 's ...
Advantages: fast paced, factual Disadvantages: no great literary masterpiece
DanBrown is a household name. His fame came quickly, after the release of his novel 'The Da Vinci code'. You would be mistaken, however, if you thought that it was his first work.In fact, 'Angels', was completed a full three years before 'code', in the year 2000. It only became popular as people searched through his older works having read 'The Da Vinci code'.
The book is a prequel to 'code', and is similar in style and direction. Both feature the same, age old fight between the belief in science, and the belief in God. Both are researched incredibaly well, to give plausible explanations to events from long ago. Both are written in a simple, easy to follow style. Both are good, but not great.
In 'angels', we follow how Robert Langdon is called in to help the vatican police find and stop a potential spate of murders from ...
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