Escape reality with Dan Brown
A book review on his famous Langdon series
Dan Brown is known for writing well-researched novels centring on secret organisations with intricate plots and is best known for his Robert Langdon series. All of Dan Brown’s thrillers have extremely gripping stories which won’t let you keep the book down for even a second. The protagonist, world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon from the series goes on 24 hour treasure hunts from the ancient cathedrals of Rome to the museums in Paris while he’s pursued by creepy tattooed giants to secretive teams of soldiers. Apart from the engrossing plot, he presents beautiful detailing of the architecture observed by the characters. The vivid descriptions and the exquisite surroundings faced by Langdon add very descriptive visuals, thereby transforming the reading experience. Langdon visits(and takes us along) his visits to the greatest museums of Paris in The DaVinci Code, the oldest churches and cultural buildings of the Vatican in Angels and Demons.
At the end of the day, Brown sets out to write a fast paced thriller, but it is so much more than just uncovering a masked killer. The observations, history behind every place and event and stories of obscure rituals wrap you in a journey that is just as delightful as the climax.The other amazing thing about his novels is that he presents astonishing facts about architecture, art, literature that we are familiar with and makes us notice glaringly obvious observations that we missed.
Take the Da Vinci code; his observations about the significance and Last Supper are sure to blow your mind. At the risk of revealing spoilers, I can’t say more but it’ll definitely have you Googling for a week!
Angels and Demons is about conflict between science and religion, it contains unpopular astonishing facts about the very well known scientists of olden times, secret rituals and history. It has the most wonderful ending which is impossible for the readers to have seen coming.
What makes Dan Brown so special is that his books are so much more than a story. Prof. Langdon’s in-depth expertise about history, secret societies and art…you name it, (there are few subjects the man doesn’t know about), is so interesting that the reader awaits the next fascinating historical tidbit as much as the whodunnit. The pieces between the stories are beautiful; it talks about communities that existed in historic times which I, for one, never thought possible. Some of Langdon’s accounts like real literature pointing to the proof of Jesus Christ having a wife and family are so bizarre, it changes your perception entirely.
Despite the fantastic tales, I find that the theories are often exaggerated, although the author claims they are true. For one, the “antimatter” technology by CERN talked about in Angels and Demons claims to solve the energy crisis. The book created so much curiosity amongst the readers that CERN had to officially put together an FAQ on their website addressing their questions.
In the current situation with all of us working from home, locked in our houses, the Langdon series can give you a much needed escape from reality by joining Prof. Langdon on his underground mystery quests and possible origins of the Illuminati.
Reading Angels and Demons is as close to visiting Rome as you can get right now and it’s a trip I’d definitely recommend!
