Angels And Demons ~ Dan Brown
Book #1: 05 January, 2009 to 09 January, 2009
Angels And Demons ~ Dan Brown
I've read this book before but not for quite a while, and when I had a sudden desire to read it I thought I might as well. It didn't take me very long at all, just a couple of days. I probably could have read it straight through in one sitting if I'd had the time or the inclination, but it took me longer because I was looking for all the places and artworks on Wikipedia. I actually found that quite helpful and interesting; being able to see a picture of the artwork being discussed or the location added to the reading because I was able to understand the relevance or just picture the scene better. I think a book like this which relies very heavily on knowledge or descriptions of a piece of art, a building or town needs some visuals to help the reader.
This book is the sequel of sorts to the The Da Vinci Code. It's not a complete sequel in that the story doesn't carry on or refer to previous events, it just uses the same main character of Robert Langdon. Knowledge of the previous book isn't necessary at all as Robert Langdon's credentials and background are given early on. The rest of the characters in the book are new. There is an awful lot of them and as the story switches between at least three different settings, it can be fairly tricky to remember who they all are. I know I had to refer back in the book several times to find out which was which. One of the downsides to having so many characters - apart from confusing the reader - is that it's hard to make them all seem well-rounded and solid. I think that most of the characters in this book are insubstantial and it's really hard to care about them. Considering that an awful lot of those characters end up dying, there does need to be some kind of connection to the reader. As for the main character, I've always had trouble picturing him as being in his mid-40s as described. It seems to me that someone who has accomplished as much as he has and to have become such a respected and acclaimed expert, it would seem more plausible for him to be late 50s at the very least. Then again, maybe he needs to be younger to make him more attractive and appealing to the reader.
On top of the issues with the characterisation, this book is quite simply appallingly written. The writing style seems to be dominated by a plethora of really short sentences, which may have been a deliberate attempt to express urgency and speed, but it just irritated me. It is also chock full of errors. Within the first few pages I had already picked up on several glaring ones and I found that the best way to progress through the book was just to suspend all beliefs and prior knowledge. It was really quite irritating to have to gloss over such simple mistakes such as mobile phones have dial tones, CERN invented the internet, Michaelangelo designed the uniforms of the Swiss Guard and Winston Churchill was a Catholic. All of these can be verified with a simple search on Google! I have no idea how much research Dan Brown did in this book, but it seems like he didn't do any, especially if he's making such outlandish statements such as "references to all works of art, tombs, tunnels, and architecture in Rome are entirely factual (as are their exact locations)" which is at the start of the book.
The only reason I ever read this book was because I love the idea of hidden messages and meanings as well as having to solve cryptic puzzles. This is the main plot of the book and I think it's that idea that Dan Brown can do well. His manner of executing it and the extent of his research - and wildly inaccurate claims - however, have made him and his works little more than a laughing stock. If you are able to treat this book as pure fantasy, set in a parallel universe where the signal from a wireless camera can not be found in a matter of minutes, then you may find it an enjoyable read. I would recommend getting it from a library though, don't waste your money on buying it.
Angels And Demons ~ Dan Brown
I've read this book before but not for quite a while, and when I had a sudden desire to read it I thought I might as well. It didn't take me very long at all, just a couple of days. I probably could have read it straight through in one sitting if I'd had the time or the inclination, but it took me longer because I was looking for all the places and artworks on Wikipedia. I actually found that quite helpful and interesting; being able to see a picture of the artwork being discussed or the location added to the reading because I was able to understand the relevance or just picture the scene better. I think a book like this which relies very heavily on knowledge or descriptions of a piece of art, a building or town needs some visuals to help the reader.
This book is the sequel of sorts to the The Da Vinci Code. It's not a complete sequel in that the story doesn't carry on or refer to previous events, it just uses the same main character of Robert Langdon. Knowledge of the previous book isn't necessary at all as Robert Langdon's credentials and background are given early on. The rest of the characters in the book are new. There is an awful lot of them and as the story switches between at least three different settings, it can be fairly tricky to remember who they all are. I know I had to refer back in the book several times to find out which was which. One of the downsides to having so many characters - apart from confusing the reader - is that it's hard to make them all seem well-rounded and solid. I think that most of the characters in this book are insubstantial and it's really hard to care about them. Considering that an awful lot of those characters end up dying, there does need to be some kind of connection to the reader. As for the main character, I've always had trouble picturing him as being in his mid-40s as described. It seems to me that someone who has accomplished as much as he has and to have become such a respected and acclaimed expert, it would seem more plausible for him to be late 50s at the very least. Then again, maybe he needs to be younger to make him more attractive and appealing to the reader.
On top of the issues with the characterisation, this book is quite simply appallingly written. The writing style seems to be dominated by a plethora of really short sentences, which may have been a deliberate attempt to express urgency and speed, but it just irritated me. It is also chock full of errors. Within the first few pages I had already picked up on several glaring ones and I found that the best way to progress through the book was just to suspend all beliefs and prior knowledge. It was really quite irritating to have to gloss over such simple mistakes such as mobile phones have dial tones, CERN invented the internet, Michaelangelo designed the uniforms of the Swiss Guard and Winston Churchill was a Catholic. All of these can be verified with a simple search on Google! I have no idea how much research Dan Brown did in this book, but it seems like he didn't do any, especially if he's making such outlandish statements such as "references to all works of art, tombs, tunnels, and architecture in Rome are entirely factual (as are their exact locations)" which is at the start of the book.
The only reason I ever read this book was because I love the idea of hidden messages and meanings as well as having to solve cryptic puzzles. This is the main plot of the book and I think it's that idea that Dan Brown can do well. His manner of executing it and the extent of his research - and wildly inaccurate claims - however, have made him and his works little more than a laughing stock. If you are able to treat this book as pure fantasy, set in a parallel universe where the signal from a wireless camera can not be found in a matter of minutes, then you may find it an enjoyable read. I would recommend getting it from a library though, don't waste your money on buying it.