Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Inferno; Dan Brown


Title: Inferno 
Author: Dan Brown
Publication Year:  2013
Publisher: Random House Audio
Edition: audio
Reader: Paul Michael (very good)
Source:  Library
Date Completed: July - 2013
Rating: 3.5/5

“Nothing is more creative... nor destructive... than a brilliant mind with a purpose.” 

Dan Brown's latest book, Inferno, is good but not perfect. Some of the things I liked about it was that the story offered all of the typical elements that make a thriller exciting: interesting characters, unexpected twists and even chase scenes.  I also liked the setting and all of the interesting details of cities like:  Florence and Venice Italy and even Istanbul in Turkey.

The story starts off with some excitement when a famous genetic scientist named Bertrand Zobrist, commits suicide by jumping off a historic building in Florence, Italy.  He had been working in isolation for over two years on a project about curbing population growth, and was just about to try out his plan. Then,also at the very beginning of the novel, Harvard Professor, Robert Langdon wakes up in the hospital with a head injury, after being grazed by a bullet and no memory of what happened in the last 48 hours. He thinks he is in Boston, but he's in Florence as well.

While Langdon is in the hospital, there is a second attempt on his life but the beautiful, Sienna Brooks, a young doctor who treated him in the hospital, help him escape the killer, and the chase begins. Who is trying to kill Langdon and why? Why did Zobrist commit suicide? What was the small canister in Langdon's pocket and where did it come from? Why was there an image from Dante's Inferno on it?

What I liked about the book was that it was fast-paced even though it was nearly 500 pages and over 17 hours of listening time. I liked that the author uses actual historic events to frame the chapters that follow and most of the time, I was anxious to keep listening to find out what would happen next. There were a few slow spots and also a few things that bugged me about the book as well. For example, there were a lot of flashbacks right when something exciting was happening which was very confusing, especially since I was listening and couldn't flip back easily. I also felt like the ending was a bit of a letdown for me, as there was so much action and hype leading up to it.

I think most Dan Brown fans or readers who like action packed thrillers will enjoy this book. The audio version was well done, read by: Paul Michael, but because of the flashbacks, and the way the story rolls out, I think I would suggest reading instead of listening.

18 comments:

  1. I've read a couple of his books and I liked them but didn't love them so I'll probably skip this one.

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  2. I've liked all of his others so I'll get to this one eventually. At least it will be nice to visit Italy!

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  3. Opinion divided on this one. I am going for it! thanks for the review.

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  4. I'll probably read this eventually, although the last one was not very good - however I think the settings of this one may win me over.

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  5. I've only read the first one in the series, Angels & Demons. I liked it so eventually I'll get to this one but I suppose I should read them in order.

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  6. OMG your second paragraph is a riot! I.e., how the scientist had been working on a project to curb population growth, and was just about to try out his plan. ...which he DOES by starting with himself! LOLOL (I get cynical when it comes to Dan Brown.... Plus I keep thinking of Tom Hanks with that horrible hair....)

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  7. Thanks for your review. I've been curious about this book.

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  8. I'm listening to this one now, for book club (summer read). Glad to see you enjoyed it, sad you didn't like it more but that's okay.

    Having just spent time in Istanbul... many have told me I have to read it after getting caught in a riot, pepper spray, etc..

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  9. I enjoy Dan Brown books, so I'm glad you can give this one a thumbs up, in spite of the slow parts.

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  10. My mom loaned me her copy of this book to read. I skipped the last one so wasn't sure I wanted to read this latest one. I am glad you liked it overall, Diane!

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  11. I have this ebook because it is actually my husband's; he reads all Dan Brown's. I haven't read any of his books but was considering starting Inferno this summer. Not sure still if I will, but your review was very informative, so thanks!

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  12. We haven"t read this one yet...maybe soon!

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  13. Have you heard Brown's novel has already been optioned? The movie even has a release date already, December 18, 2015. So "Rhapsody" you'll have to make peace with Tom Hanks awful hair because of course he's back too.
    Since you're such a scrabble fan; are you up for a game of words with friends?

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  14. Your review gives me just enough info to decide I definitely won't be reading this, now that I know there is a head injury and amnesia involved. Ugh. ;)

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  15. I don't mind his books and I imagine I'll listen to this one sooner or later as the library likely has a copy. Glad to hear its pretty good.

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  16. I enjoyed the first two Langdon books, but I wasn't a fan of the last one. I may give this one a try and just keep my expectations low.

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  17. I didn't enjoy this one as much as his previous ones - not sure why, I'm still piecing together my thoughts. It was certainly good though.

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  18. Very nice article, I want to invite you to my blog about the places of Inferno by Dan Brown in the next link: http://infernofirenze.blogspot.com.es. The blog is in spanish, but you have the tool in the left to translate it to english. Enjoy it!

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