Product Description
An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target. World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization -- the Illuminati. Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra. Together they embark on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and the most secretive vault on earth . . . the long-forgotten Illuminati lair. BEFORE THE DA VINCI CODE WAS BROKEN, THE WORLD LAY AT THE MERCY OF ANGELS & DEMONS
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Amazon.com
It takes guts to write a novel that combines an ancient secret brotherhood, the Swiss Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, a papal conclave, mysterious ambigrams, a plot against the Vatican, a mad scientist in a wheelchair, particles of antimatter, 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 & 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, antimatter, 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 civilization. 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 humor from Langdon, and a little less bombastic philosophizing 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 my! It's tasty. --Kelly Flynn
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 Excellent, Plot-twisting Thriller
An incredibly entertaining read. Thought provoking, fast-paced action. I had read The Davinci Code first, and was not sure that it would be as good as that book, but it definitely surpassed my expectations. I think this was even more enjoyable than The Davinci Code. I would highly recommend buying the Illustrated Editions. I have bought both of these Dan Brown titles in the Illustrated Editions, and have found them to be even better, since you can actually see the paintings, statues, and buildings that they are referring to in the book. Overall, very satisfied with the title.
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Great book with very good story line
Awesome book read by someone with a great voice. Very very enjoyable. Some parts had more gruesome details then I would have preferred, but nothing over the top or senseless. Very good overall.
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 A great (despite its flaws) page turner for the beach... ( jrboeke )
Unlike a lot of readers, I read Angels and Demons before reading The Da Vinci Code, so I can't really compare the two books directly (although I've been told they are pretty similar).
Angels & Demons introduces the reader to Brown's protagonist, Robert Langdon, professor of religious iconology and art history at Harvard University. A&D begins with Langdon being awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call from the director of CERN, the world's largest scientific research facility in Geneva, Switzerland. One of their top physicists had been murdered, with his chest branded with the word "Illuminati." Langdon, being an expert on the ancient secret society known as the Illuminati, is called upon to help solve the murder.
The murder victim is Leonardo Vetra. One of the world's leading physicists and a Catholic priest who has adopted a daughter, Vittoria (who ends up being Langdon's foil for this story). She is also a scientist at CERN. Vetra and his daughter created the antimatter to simulate the Big Bang. In his mind, this would show proof that God exists, being able to create new matter and antimatter in the same way God created the universe. Vetra's murder, though, allows one of the canisters to be stolen. The question of who stole the canister and what they planned to do with it is soon answered. The canister is quickly found on a security camera in Vatican City, with its LEDs counting down the time until the batteries run out. The security camera, however, is nowhere to be found, leaving the canister's whereabouts a mystery too (this is one of those plot holes that Brown gets a lot of heat for -- it would be easy for someone to triangulate the signal from a wireless video camera and locate it quickly, but I digress). Langdon and Vittoria quickly set off on a chase through Rome and Vatican City, to help find the canister and return it to CERN before it explodes at midnight.
The story takes a while to get going, with a lot of introduction and history and exposition about science and religion at the start. But once Brown gets down to business (around page 75) I found the plot engaging and pretty good. So much stuff is happening at once, and so much of it is amazingly involved and cool. I literally didn't want to stop reading to take a short bathroom break on a couple of occasions. This is the sign of a good story (that I was to read more of it) in my estimation. So I have to say that A&D is one of the most effective page-turners I've read in quite some time. You can argue with me all you want about the religious iconography and historical interpretation of the story, but in the end, it is just that, a story. An easy to read, fun story -- not great and meaningful literature (I try not too look for meaning in things where there doesn't have to be meaning).
As Langdon and Vittoria set off on their investigation, they follow a trail of multiple ritualistic murders, the threatened obliteration of an entire country, the potential death of a major world religion, secret societies that go back 500 years, new scientific discoveries that will change the world, and much more. Besides the cult murders taking place and two mysteries to try and unravel, Brown's plot takes us on a frantic chase through the churches of an ancient city following secret symbols left behind during the Italian Renaissance, a countdown to the destruction of an entire nation, and much, much more. It was easy to stay up and finish reading this book over the long 4th of July weekend.
The plot is the strength of the book, it's is easy to get lost in the involved (some say convoluted) intricacies of Brown's story... from about page 50-500. Unfortunately the last 50 pages are over the top melodrama and enclose multiple endings, conveniently wrapping up lots of loose ends in a rather perfunctory manner. These last 50 pages should have been sent for re-writes by Brown's editors, but as a fan of the SF genre I am used to reading books that require a reader to suspend their disbelief for periods of time so these last 50 pages were not bad enough to ruin the very enjoyable bulk of the story (but I am hoping that he's fixed that short coming in The Da Vinci Code).
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Way better than The DaVinci Code!
If you liked The DaVinci Code then I guarantee that you like this one better. I highly recommend this book.
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awesome can't wait to read it
I'm excited to get going on this book.. I know it's going to be great..
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