Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

I had been told by many people that this book (Brown’s first novel to feature Robert Langdon) was better than his immensely popular The DaVinci Code. While I do not now agree with that statement, I will say that this book is just as intense and the ending(s) just as surprising as his later novel. Angels & Demons held my interest from the very beginning, and throughout the course of the novel when the mystery is unfolding before Langdon.

Almost all of the scenes described in Rome and Vatican City I could picture in my mind’s eye not just because of Brown’s wonderful descriptions, but because I had just seen them one month before. While reading, I was very surprised to realize that the main characters were heading for a church, piazza, or monument which I had very recently seen, and in many cases, taken photographs of. This book is a wonderful example of an intricately formed mystery/thriller because the main characters are just as much, if not more so, in the dark as the reader is regarding the murders, terrorism, and kidnappings that happen throughout the novel. When the true criminals are finally revealed at the climax, I felt like the proverbial rug had been pulled from under me; but not in a bad way. I enjoyed this book very much, and look forward to Brown’s next novel featuring Robert Langdon, which I understand will take place in America.

If you enjoyed this book, please consider :
Fiction Recommendation #1 : The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. This is Brown’s next novel, and if readers enjoyed A&D, I’m sure they will also enjoy Da Vinci, since it has the same premise of Langdon rushing to find treasures and save lives while deciphering ancient clues in works of art.

Fiction Recommendation #2 : The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. This novel also deals with ancient items and hidden treasures, this time involving a rare manuscript and its interpretation by four university students.

Nonfiction Recommendation #1 : The Gospel According to the Da Vinci Code: The Truth Behind the Writings of Dan Brown by Kenneth Boa. If you are very interested in the two latest novels by Dan Brown, and wonder at his sources, then this book is for you. The reader will learn about the theories Brown worked into his novels, but Boa does show his negative opinion of Brown often.