Angels & Demons

by Dan Brown

I'll start w/ the good stuff. It was fun reading a book that took place almost entirely in Rome, and where the location was a central character in the action of the book. It was most definitely a quick read. D-Brown loves to have a revelation right before starting a new chapter. And the chapters last 10 pages MAX. The story gets thrown on its head multiple times, and it's a who-dunnit type of mystery, and it's always fun to try to predict who the bad guy is. And luckily so much happens that I really remembered almost nothing from the first time I read it.


When I first read this book, about 4 yrs ago I remember thinking it was "AWESOME!!"... and now I'm finding it to be more "just okay" ::shrugging shoulders::. I think I've really grown as a reader, not to be all emo on you. Dan Brown, I'm sorry, I've moved on. You were great fun back in the day, but for real, you're below me now. I can do better than you. In the immortal words of Scott "Good Rhythms"*.


So the plot is basically a scientist is found dead (gasp). He conveniently has a smokin' HOT daughter who is a physicist or something and she and symboligist Robert Langdon pal around for the whole book. The scientist has pioneered antimatter technology which is the future of energy and, oh yeah, it's like way more powerful than an atomic bomb. Woops. Obvs the antimatter is stolen and there's an elaborate plot by the Illuminati (the enemies of the Church, and esp the Catholic church) to destroy the church. Coincidentally, this is the exact night that the Cardinals are electing a new Pope, so the Illuminati are going to kill off all 4 of the Prefiriti (the preferred, I'm so fluent in Italian.) Drama ensues. Lots of action and running down the clock in a really unrealistic way. I especially enjoyed how Robert Langdon is a professor and has the physical stamina to narrowly escape death at least 5 times that I counted. Of course he doesn't die when jumping from a helicopter thousands of feet over the vatican - duh!

So I could say "The dialouge was lame" but I remember from HS & College that you need to support statments like this. So, I give you Exhibit A:

(when Vittoria, the hot physicist, is arriving at the science lab, this is how the other scientists greet her. They prob don't know how to talk to hot girls though, in their defense)

"Hey Vittoria! Welcome home. Disprove any more of Einstein's theories?"

"Your dad must be proud!"

[...very suave boys... yeah.]

and Exhibit B (to give you a feel for the humor this book tries to bring to the table.)

"Neutrinos have mass?" Langdon shot her a stunned look. "I didn't even know they were Catholic!"

[har har]

What to read next... hmmm... I actually have a pretty decent pile to read. It really won't take much to be a step up.



*Good Rhythms Backstory: My husband is a smart, smart guy. But he said this to me less than 5 yrs ago, as a 20something. "Good Rhythms, Jamie." He had no clue why I was in stitches bc he meant to say "Good Riddance". And obviously he didn't mean it bc I'm still here!