For my part, I enjoyed "Angels and Demons", his first book. While his follow up, "The Da Vinci Code" is his most well known work (largely due to the controversial nature of the plot,) I found it to be the weaker of the two. Controversy aside, it does seem like Brown was recycling a lot of elements from the first book and just trying to do it again. I haven't had the chance to read the third book in the Robert Langdon series, "The Lost Symbol", but I did recently check out "Inferno".
At first glance, it seems like this book has quite a lot going for it. The plot is more straight forward and doesn't rely so much on controversy. Rather than call into question the validity of major world religions, this book has Langdon racing against the clock to stop the release of a deadly virus. It's your more typical thriller fodder, but that's hardly a bad thing.
Oddly enough, the most intense parts of the book didn't center on the narrow escapes, the race against the clock, or even the potential loss of life. To me, the most chilling aspect of the book was when it focused on the "why" as opposed to the "what".
The mastermind behind the whole ordeal is convinced that humanity is going to wipe itself out due to overpopulation. It sounds paradoxical, but they explain how Earth's resources are dwindling and the planet can't sustain this amount of life for very much longer.
It's very heavy stuff and it adds an interesting element to the proceedings as, even if the good guys win, there's still a much bigger threat looming. Sadly, the moral ambiguity is only touched on in certain points. The book puts far more focus on history and scenery description. Considering this is a Dan Brown book, I think it's safe to say that that is what the readers want. There's enough of the apocalyptic rhetoric to add weight to the read, but considering I found it to be the strongest aspect of the book, it's not surprising that I would have liked to see more of it.
I actually wondered how Brown was going to pull off a resolution. It seemed like a no win scenario. Either a lot of people die or everybody dies. It's a pickle. I don't want to spoil it, but Brown does manage to address all the concerning issues about as well as one could hope. It's a tad anticlimactic, but I really don't know how else you could have wrapped things up, given the circumstances involved.
For those who haven't read the previous books, don't worry, this is a complete stand alone. I remember "The Da Vinci Code" made a brief reference to its predecessor in the opening chapters before moving on to its own thing, but this doesn't even have that. It makes for a nice pick up point for new readers, though as part of a continuing story, you may find it wanting.
Speaking of, one has to wonder why Langdon isn't either confused or annoyed that he keeps getting into these situations. This isn't a problem if you're looking at this as a book on its own, but in an ongoing series that follows the same protagonist, it does seem strange that Langdon is constantly put in what is essentially the same scenario again and again.
To Brown's credit, he does make an effort to subvert a lot of his usual tropes. There are some twists in the latter half that allow the book to veer away from the "formula" as it were. I've seen other reviews still pan the book as predictable, but I do want to at least commend the effort.
Sadly, not so much effort was put into the "puzzles". This is another Brown staple and I found them wanting. I rolled my eyes at the "big reveal" that Langdon wasn't muttering "very sorry" but "Vasari". It's not quite a pun, but I think readers are going to groan, regardless.
A lot of the aforementioned narrow escapes are also a bit forced. It's a tough trick to pull off repeatedly, but it still seems like they could have been better executed.
The book's pacing is solid. If you're reading (or listening to) this on a car or plane ride, it'll hold your interest for a good while. The chapters are short, which allows the reader to stop easily, but if the circumstances are right, you'll want to keep reading to see how things play out.
Overall, if you're not a Dan Brown fan, this isn't going to change your mind. If you are, I think this delivers what you've come to expect. For those in the middle, know the book has problems, but it has its upsides as well. I don't feel like my time was wasted like I did with "Hannibal Rising" or "3001". I'd say it's worth checking out from a local library.
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