Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown

An entertaining novel with an Umberto Eco-like touch...

When Leonardo Vetra, a reknowned physicist of the Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nationale (CERN), is found murdered in his office with an mysterious symbol branded on his chest, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is called to help out with the investigation. Langdon discovers that the Illumin ati, an ancient secret brotherhood, sworn ennemy of the Church, are behind this brutal murder and are preparing to destroy the Vatican with an unstoppable time bomb. Langdon and Vittoria, Vetra's daughter and colleague, have to embark on a frantic chase through the streets, churches and catacombs of Rome, following a 400-year-old trail to the lair of the Illuminati, to prevent a tragic ending.

Dan Brown, the author, succeeds in making us believe in a highly improbable plot, the pages being frought with acurate references. Surprinsingly, this novel has quite an IQ. When was the last time you read an action-packed thriller and actually learned intersesting facts about Art, Religion, Physics, Mythology, you name it? This novel is both an exciting thriller and a smart source of information. It basically has all the ingredients for a good read : murder, suspense, action, romance, even philosophical inquiries. Dan Brown does raise several questions: the question of whether technology will save us or destroy us, the eternal question about faith as well as the conflict between religion and science.
"Angels and Demons" depicts in a modern way the manifestations of man's quest to understand the divine.

All in all, this book certainly had me on the edge! I recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining novel with an Umberto Eco-like touch.

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07/05/2006

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