inferno

Title: Inferno (Robert Langdon #4)

Author: Dan Brown

Reader: Paul Michael

Category: Mystery/Thriller

Audio published: May 14, 2013 by Random House Audio

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Add: Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

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.

I talked a little the other day about my experience listening to Inferno. I’m not going to repeat myself here, because repetition is annoying, as I learned listening to this one. So, go back and read that my post from last Wednesday if you want to know why I think reading this one may have been a better option. Paul Michael does a good job narrating, don’t get me wrong, although I would have like to hear Langdon’s sense of humor a bit more. Overall, he captures Langdon better than Tom Hanks did, at least in my opinion.

The plot is a typical Brown offering, and I mean that in a good way. This time around we’ve got a genius who’s way too familiar with Dante’s Inferno. He’s also more than convinced that the main problem facing humanity is over-population and that the only answer has to be way more radical than distributing free condoms in Africa. Oh, and he’s a brilliant scientist capable of developing a plague, securing it somewhere to incubate, leaving enough clues for Langdon and the World Health Organization to chase around Europe hoping to contain it before it releases and infects the world population. And the clues, of course, all connect to the Inferno. Oh, and there’s a shadowy organization that has been helping the scientist, hiding him while he does his work and promising to deliver an important package for him.

Someone compared it to a scavenger hunt, which is true. One clue leads to the next and the next and the next. It’s a race against time, and against the bad guys who are trying to kill Langdon.

There was a twist about 3/4 through that I really liked. Took everything you thought you knew and re-arranged it into an entirely different pattern. I didn’t see it coming at all. I think I was a surprised as Langdon when all the secrets/truths started coming out.

This is not my favorite in the series, but it was enjoyable, no slow spots, the action kept moving along. It’s a Dan Brown book, if you like them , pick it up. It’s not my favorite in the series, that would probably be Angels and Demons, and I did like the last setting, Washington DC a little more, simply because when I finally get there I can see some of the places he mentioned. I like his mix of mystery, art, and science.

Robert Langdon Series

  1. Angels and Demons
  2. The DaVinci Code
  3. The Lost Symbol
  4. Inferno

RIP8main200

This was my third book for R.I.P. VIII, a reading event embracing the ghastly and ghostly, mysterious and grim, hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings.

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