Angels and Demons Book Review
I love a fun read. We decided on this book because of so many fellow readers voicing their opinion that if you liked The Da Vinci Code, you will love his first book in the Robert Langdon series:
Angels and Demons. Most people who have read both have told me that they much prefer
Angels and Demons to The Da Vinci Code. Well, I loved The Da Vinci Code so much that I decided we had to give
Angels and Demons a try. And it really was just as tantalizing as The Da Vinci Code. I am now hearing reports that his latest book in the series, Digital Fortress, is the best yet. I can't wait to pick it up!
Angels and Demons is the first book in the Robert Langdon series. Mr. Langdon is called to the scene of a crime at a high tech scientific lab in Europe because of the suspicious nature of the crime. A reference had been made to the Illuminati, a secret society against Catholicism, and Professor Robert Langdon was the top expert on the subject. While at the lab, they discovered that the murdered scientist had stumbled onto something which could prove the existence of God. However, the Illuminati had somehow found out about it and planned to use the same evidence to destroy God. The murderer managed to steal a highly volatile explosive from the lab and hide it somewhere in the Vatican. Now Mr. Langdon and the murdered scientist's daughter, Vittoria Vetra, were off to the Vatican during Conclave (the choosing of the new Pope), to find the bomb and the murderer, and to prevent the decimation of the Catholic belief.
I think there are two types of book lovers in the world today. The Da Vinci Code fans and Angels and Demons fans. Now that I have read both, I would still have to say that I am partial to The Da Vinci Code. I found Angels and Demons to be just as much fun, exciting and packed with quite a learning experience along the way, but I wasn't as fascinated with Angels and Demons as I was with The Da Vinci Code.
Perhaps it was because The Da Vinci Code appealed to my womanly self-indulgent ego with discussions of the sacred feminine. It caught my fancy just as it did for scores of women everywhere. But as far as literary content goes, I much preferred the character development of Sophie Neveu in The Da Vinci Code as opposed to the leading female role of Vittoria Vetra in Angels and Demons. In the latter, Vittoria's father was savagely murdered, and she was trying to save the world from the permanent destruction of Catholicism with a 24 hour time period, yet she still found time to be attracted to our hero, Robert Langdon. It just wasn't the time nor place for any amount of romanticism. What woman would be able to think about such things during an emotionally and physically exhausting experience? I couldn't connect with her character.
The other problem I had was envisioning Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon during this movie if one was ever made. You have a lot more action, in my opinion, in Angels and Demons than with The Da Vinci Code. But the end scene, the climax, is a little over the top (although still absolutely captivating!). It made Die Hard look like a cake walk. Can you imagine Tom Hanks grabbing a tarp....MacGyver style...and jumping out of a helicopter, praying to survive his death-defying free fall all while avoiding a giant megaton bomb explosion? It made for a great mental scene while reading, it truly was a heart pounder. But it was too wild and far fetched compared to any action scene in The Da Vinci Code, and I feel compelled because of this to say I prefer The Da Vinci Code. Angels and Demons was just too unbelievable. I think The Da Vinci Code put our nation under a spell because it seemed so powerfully believable. And we wanted to believe it!
If you liked The Da Vinci Code, you will still adore Angels and Demons. You might even like it better! The author Dan Brown is truly a creative genius. This time I was sure I would be able to figure out who the "bad guy" really was. And once again I was duped. The ending threw me for a loop. I was completely flabbergasted when I discovered the truth but it all came together quite nicely in the end. And as always, Dan Brown was ingenious with his puzzles and mysteries which you solved together with our hero, Robert Langdon. This is another great appeal for his work. There is something so satisfying and appealing to the novel reader when we are able to follow in the same path with a gifted professor as he ingeniously puts together clues and solves puzzles. As always, Mr. Brown was brilliant!
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Hi, I'm Chase Oliver and I'm 32 years old.
