Review: Inferno by Dan Brown

Inferno (Robert Langdon #4)
by Dan Brown

Genre: Adult, Adventure, Crime & Thriller, Mystery
Publication: May 2013
Format: Hardcover, 480 pages
Source: Own
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In his international blockbusters The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown masterfully fused history, art, codes, and symbols. In this riveting new thriller, Brown returns to his element and has crafted his highest-stakes novel to date.

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.

Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.

Inferno was exciting right from the beginning with Robert Langdon finds himself in Italy with no recollection of what is he doing in there. He had memory lost and someone wants him dead. I was definitely hooked! I wanted to know what was going on. It was exciting to see Robert trying to figure out what he was doing in Italy, figure out who he was dealing with while escape from the authorities as well as the people who wanted him dead.

It was definitely thrilling to follow Robert Landon in his new adventure with Dante’s Inferno. I love the mystery surrounding the provost and deducing who the bad guy was. But after a few more episodes of Robert running away from people who he was not sure he could trust, I got bored. I was stupefied when Robert found out why he lost his mind. 

Inferno, in my opinion was an okay book. It was definitely better than the lost symbol, but not as good as Da Vinci Code or Angel and Demon. I enjoyed the first ¾ of the book, but not the other ¼. I thought that the ending was a bit bland. But still, I’m looking forward to read more works from Dan Brown. 

#40 Teaser Tuesday: Inferno

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

Langdon braced himself. A single shot rang out, ricocheting off the Trike's back fender, barely missing the base of Langdon's spine. - page 71, Inferno (Robert Langdon #4) by Dan Brown

I'm reading Dan Brown's Inferno this week. I still didn't know what I feel about this one. I hope this one is going to be better than the last one.

What's your Teaser Tuesday?

Book Review: The Lost Symbol

Title: The Lost Symbol

Author: Dan Brown

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Publication: 2009

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.

When Langdon’s beloved mentor, Peter Solomon--a prominent Mason and philanthropist--is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations--all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.

The book follows the same formula as Dan Brown previous novels—the hero was forced to solve some puzzles in order to save something or someone. And in this book, Robert Langdon was forced to hop into an adventure to and solve some puzzles, symbols, code or his friend, Peter Solomon will die. In this adventure, Langdon was joined by Peter's younger sister, Katherine Solomon to save Peter.

As I finished the book, I found out that I got one major problem with this book.

Once I start reading, I just can’t put it down. With the chapters ended with cliffhangers and suspense, it makes me unable to stop myself from pausing from my read. I found myself wanting to continue to read and find out what happen next. In the end, I can’t believe that I finished this book within less than a week!

Overall, I'm impressed by Dan Brown work. I have no interest in Masonic, symbols or anything like it… (thus, I can't comment much on the story line, facts, or whatsoever). But, I still found this book thrilling and entertaining—a great read to enjoy myself. Dan Brown descriptive writing is great. It almost makes me feel that I was there to witness things. Although after reading his previous reading, I found this book a bit predictable to me. But it's a great fiction!

Rating: 4/5