Inferno by dan brown review

[nehadak87]

Langdon , the famed symbologist of dan brown cosmos is back again to save the world, again with a deadly assasin on his back and again with a high IQ blonde to accompany him. Only this time, the threat is deadlier and bigger with a lunatic genius dead after laying a trail of clues and puzzles, ubiquitous in the world of dan brown, leading to a bio-weapon of mass destruction. dan brown's villain is a dante fanatic and leaves langdon and his mate sierra brooks to travel through dante's most influential work inferno, one of the three parts of the divine comedy. tonnes of facts, an insight into the works of renaissance art and a guided tour through the cities of florence, venice and istanbul, it is a traditional dan brown with all his signature moves. although it focuses on the world's most pressing problem of over population, the never exhausting co-incidences, running and chasing, miracle saves lessens the garvity of the situation and only makes one think langdon as some kind of superhero.this time brown led lesser emphasis on the underlying philosophy or spiritual contexts as in his previous novels but still an interesting read and a must for dan brown fans.

[S_Cote1975]

Can't wait to finish! I'm not too far in, but the beginning definitely hooked me.

[firedancer1066]

I love a good mystery and Dan Brown usually delivers, his books have enough twist,turns and surprises to keep you turning the pages. The addition of information about symbolism and the Renaissance is an added bonus for a history buff like me. My art history classes were a long time ago and I enjoy the refresher courses in his books. My biggest complaint about his books is the lack of commitment/seriousness with the women who float in and out of Langdon's life. As a personal preference I like this book better "Angels and Demons".

[kittyrdb]

(Spoiler Warning)

While I'm normally a big fan of Dan Brown's books (I've read all of them except The Lost Symbol and enjoyed them all), I have to admit that I did not enjoy Inferno. I thought that Langdon was playing a game of "see how many great cities I can visit" and "how many smart-sounding facts we can come up with." The amnesia is also a bit cliché in my opinion, as is the idea of everyone being in on a coup to hide it from him. I personally found it difficult to figure out who was on what side, which I understand is part of the suspense in the book, but by the end of the book I wasn't quite sure how everyone had gotten to the end point and why they had switched sides or not switched sides depending on the way you look at things. And everyone getting together at the end and possibly accepting this catastrophe (depending on how you look at it), doesn't seem realistic. It's almost as if the characters figured everything out and then didn't do anything about it.

Brown's characters take some strong positions on scientific morality, which is very different from some of his other books, in which I think most of the issues were more philosophical or theological.

My biggest complaint about his books is the lack of commitment/seriousness with the women who float in and out of Langdon's life.

I agree completely with this. In one book, he seems completely head over heels for one girl, and (I think) normally expresses desire to see them again, and then they're never mentioned in other books. I was personally hoping for a return of Vittoria (even though I know she was working in Switzerland at the beginning of Angels and Demons) to go along with the return to Italy.

[Clsilv]

I read Inferno and I enjoyed it but I do have to say that I enjoyed everything else Dan Brown has written more. I have read everything he has written to date and I actually enjoy his non Robert Langdon books more.

[laura_askew88]

I've only read The Da Vinci Code, but this one sounds really good. I'll try to read it soon!!

[sami0527]

I have now read all four of the Robert Langdon books by Dan Brown (Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, and Inferno). I have to say that I think Inferno was the best of the four! I couldn't put it down, it was so captivating and addictive. I am not big on history or even historical books but this series is the exception! I would definately recommend these books (especially Inferno), and actually I already have and they are all four lent out to others as we speak .

[kat6496]

Cheesy elements aside, I thought that this book was captivating and smart. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The twists and turns kept the plot fresh, and it really made you think. I too have read all four Robert Langdon books by Dan Brown. While Angels is still my favorite, this is a close second.

I certainly agree about the women flowing in and out. But then, what movie series doesn't do the same? Recall that trollop of a man called James Bond?

The way the scenery was described was fantastic, and the outcome of the story nothing short of genius.

[bipinp]

I thought Dan Brown lost if after Lost Symbol. I haven't read the inferno, but based on the reviews I can see its mixed. Well I hope he doesn't turn into the "M Night Shyamalan" of fiction writers.

[claire mckay]

Glad to read this is so well thought of - I'm right in the middle of it and just about to head off for an early night and some peace to read it!

[d0dridge]

One of the best articles about Dan Brown I have read in a while! Worth a read...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/1004 ... Brown.html

[claire mckay]

I read this book recently and I enjoyed it as a runaway adventure that attempts to be higher brow by throwing in a lot of art and history facts. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as I did enjoy the book but Dan Brown does run the risk of his books becoming very formulaic - Langdon, hot clever woman, bit of sexual chemistry, lots of clues and symbol (particularly phallic ones) and of course the obligatory maniac that has to be stopped. Still a really good read but soon it will become a tired format so let's hope his next book is a bit more innovative!

-- 11 Dec 2013, 17:06 --

I read this book recently and I enjoyed it as a runaway adventure that attempts to be higher brow by throwing in a lot of art and history facts. This isn't necessarily a bad thing as I did enjoy the book but Dan Brown does run the risk of his books becoming very formulaic - Langdon, hot clever woman, bit of sexual chemistry, lots of clues and symbol (particularly phallic ones) and of course the obligatory maniac that has to be stopped. Still a really good read but soon it will become a tired format so let's hope his next book is a bit more innovative!

[d0dridge]

"The critics said his writing was clumsy, ungrammatical, repetitive and repetitive. They said it was full of unnecessary tautology. They said his prose was swamped in a sea of mixed metaphors. For some reason they found something funny in sentences such as “His eyes went white, like a shark about to attack.” They even say my books are packed with banal and superfluous description, thought the 5ft 9in man. He particularly hated it when they said his imagery was nonsensical. It made his insect eyes flash like a rocket."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/1004 ... Brown.html

[Meg0169]

I can understand why people wouldn't like this book as much as his other Robert Langdon works, but I really enjoyed it. I was glad that world population was addressed as a problem, because it actually is.It's something I've thought about a lot, so it was interesting to see where one man would take it. However, I agree that his amnesia was cliche. I guess he needed that to make his story work, maybe make it more interesting, but to me it was quite irritating. He did a lot of things twice and I got sick and tired of listening to Robert try and think of everything he had forgotten. Even so, all in all it was a good book. I especially liked how it ended. I love the idea that it was too late. What's done is done.

[ladylioness]

I really love dan browns books. Not only are they superb, well thought out reads....but I always learn something about history and art.