Angels & Demons by: Dan Brown

Day 9 - January 9, 2009
Originally uploaded by mkvanderlofske

This has been the year of the summer movie for me. My desire to see one movie results in me seeing various trailers for another movie that causes me to want to see that movie and so on until my entire summer calendar is filled with movies that I plan on watching. One trailer that constantly bombarded me was the film adaptation of Dan Brown's Angels & Demons. After the 5th viewing of the trailer, and upon the insistence of my friends (the avid Dan Brown followers) I decided to give the novel a try.


Angels & Demons is the prequel to Brown's bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code It introduces Dr. Robert Langdon, a Harvard University professor and an renowned expert in the field of religious symbiology. Awaken at the crack of dawn but a mysterious phone call, followed by a grotesque fax featuring the amibgram logo of an ancient satanic cult, Langdon is soon on the chase of a killer working to revive a forgotten grudge. The enmity resulting in century long feuds amongst the intellectuals and the spiritualists all boils down to science versus religion and this feud has turned deadly.

Brown should be given credit where credit is due. His storyline is incredible and his ability to develop codes in symbols through European art adds to his engaging plot. However, very little can be said for his style of writing. There were moments when I was swept away by the tale, unable to do more than devour each page as I sat spellbound. Then at times I felt like it was a chore just to try to make it to the end of the line. It was almost as if, the author realized that most of the plots was revealed in the earlier chapters and yet he needed time to fill before bringing the reader to the dénouement.

One of my favorite moments in this book was the monologue given by the Carmelengo. The rhetoric used was so stirring that even I (a non-Catholic) was deeply moved.

All in all I would say this book was not bad. I would give it 3.5 out of 5 Coca Cola Bottles.

Happy Reading!

Because Everything Goes Well with A Coke

Coca-Color
Originally uploaded by Vicr of Flickr

I am instituting a new rating system when writing my book reviews. Every book will be rated on a scale of 1-5 Coke bottles. Here is the breakdown:

1 Coke Bottle: Waste of paper
2 Coke Bottles: Decent door stopper
3 Coke Bottles: Not bad. Recommended for killing time on long car trips and the like.
4 Coke Bottles: Really good. Might result in one going without sleep for a few nights.
5 Coke Bottles: Incredible.

I hope this system is easy to follow. Bear in mind, my reviews are subjective. For those wondering why I used Coke bottles as a measure of greatness, it's because everything goes well with a Coke.

Happy Reading!

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