Inferno

A Novel

By: Dan Brown

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER • Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon awakens in an Italian hospital, disoriented and with no recollection of the past thirty-six hours, including the origin of the macabre object hidden in his belongings.

“One hell of a good read.... As close as a book can come to a summertime cinematic blockbuster.” —USA Today

“A diverting thriller.” —Entertainment Weekly

With a relentless female assassin trailing them through Florence, he and his resourceful doctor, Sienna Brooks, are forced to flee.

Embarking on a harrowing journey, they must unravel a series of codes, which are the work of a brilliant scientist whose obsession with the end of the world is matched only by his passion for one of the most influential masterpieces ever written, Dante Alighieri's The Inferno.

Dan Brown has raised the bar yet again, combining classical Italian art, history, and literature with cutting-edge science in this captivating thriller.

©2013 Dan Brown (P)2013 Random House Audio

Classic Brown, Almost There...

As always, Langdon will not make you put the book down. A real page turner.

Not one of Dan Brown's Best, But Not His Worst

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would. Although this book isn't as good as The DaVinci Code or Angels & Demons, it's a LOT better than The Lost Symbol. There is a lot of art history to "wade through" at times, but I didn't feel it took anything away from the overall story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Inferno: A Novel?

The climax of the story had a somewhat interesting and unexpected twist.

What does Paul Michael bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A smooth reading style that was easy to listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I rarely listen to or read any book in one sitting. The last book I read straight through in one 24 hour period was The DaVinci Code.

good

Where does Inferno rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This story dragged on. Did help with the original Inferno.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Don't belabor the same information.

More Twists and Turns than a Tornedo

Would you listen to Inferno again? Why?

This is a long book. It is interesting, but not interesting enough to spend another 17+ hours with.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

This plot has many twists and red herrings. I really enjoyed the misdirection, only to be misdirected again and again.

What does Paul Michael bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Paul Michael did an excellent job with the book. Each character was well defined and the accents were spot on.

Any additional comments?

I really don't like being lectured, and unfortunately, Brown has a tendency to do just that. When he lectures about art and symbolism, I find it less offensive, because they are subjects I know little about. When the lecture moves to world problems such as over population, I just want to tune it out. I get it, but there's nothing I can do about it.

Still a bit in love with Langdon

Where does Inferno rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's in my top 5

What was one of the most memorable moments of Inferno?

All the twists and turns

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh yes, I was so surprised and it was very well written and narrated

Any additional comments?

It is with out a doubt written for the big screen, it's not a bad thing, but just to warn you :)

Always Brilliant

Better than the movies and more rewarding. The style of writing is easy and quick. Can't wait for the next one!

Do you prefer to be Educated or Entertained?

Would you listen to Inferno again? Why?

No. The story was fairly entertaining however there is too much historical lecturing that distracts / interrupts the pace of the story.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have interjected more counter-point arguments to the main hypothesis of the novel. I understand that Dan Brown is the king of controversy and uses it to make himself wealthy, (paraphrasing Eminem) but a little bit of the other side would have been somewhat enjoyable to read as well.

I also would have removed the use of the foreign language actually spoken then an interpretation being offered. In my opinion that was a waste of time, and once again broke the pace of the story.

Which character – as performed by Paul Michael – was your favorite?

There didn't seem to be anyone that stood out in my mind. I think that unless you can really nail all of the different voices really well then it's best to stay fairly even keel.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

You should change this question and get rid of the use of the word be - twice.

Any additional comments?

The Dan Brown formula at work once again. Stir up some controversy by putting on the University Professor hat and lecturing the readers on this topic or that topic while having the protagonist race against time to save the day. I would like to get a Dan Brown novel that is much much less on the controversy and more and more about the Story.

How does this one guy get in all these intrigues?

What did you love best about Inferno?

I wouldn't say love, I would say simply enjoyed this book. It is a cool concept that he is trying to recover his memory in the process but its starting to sound like a repetitive storyline he is on. Time crunch, cross country travelings, seemingly non exhausted main carachters who never sleep and still remain clearheaded and knowledge of random facts while barely out of grasp of the enemy. He's still got great writing skill and nice plot twists, but I predicted the ending in the first half of the book and yup, I was right.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Nope, predicted the ending early on. But still listened because I like art history and he's a good story teller.

Have you listened to any of Paul Michael’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Nope, but he did quite good considering.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nope, just slightly aggravated as it took 18 hours to tell this predictable tale.

Any additional comments?

Good story, well written, good timing, but predictable.

Must listen!

One of my favorite books ever, was just as riveting to listen to! Can't wait for the movie later this month!

Entertaining - Not as deep as some

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would certainly recommend this chapter in the adventures of Robert Langdon, especially if you have read the first few. I did not find it nearly as engrossing and detailed as the historically-packed novels A&D nor DaVinci Code, but it was entertaining enough. Even compared to complexity of the puzzle in The Lost Symbol, I thought this one lacked a little depth. I enjoyed the story enough to feel like it went by pretty quickly. As you may also have experienced, when listening to a book rather than holding it, I often approach the end of the story without realizing how close to the end I really am. I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but this one was light enough on content where I found myself thinking, "Wow, that's it?".

At the risk of making my review an editorial, I can't help but mention this: the casting of Tom Hanks as Langdon has kind of ruined the books for me. I don't hold Tom personally responsible, of course. In fact, I have not even seen the movies. I listened to the first two books before the movies came out, and Hanks is definitely NOT the actor I would have chosen for the role. As I write this all these years later, I can't even say I have a definitive choice to better portray the Harvard professor. I did listen to The Lost Symbol with Hanks in mind, and I actually found myself distracted by the mental conflict. By the way, I envisioned Morgan Freeman as the director, which helped quite a bit. Overall a light and entertaining read (listen) and I am happy to recommend it.~Drew

Would you recommend Inferno to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes. It's a quick and entertaining read.

Have you listened to any of Paul Michael’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Honestly, I don't know for sure if I have heard Paul Michael or not, but I did think the performance here was good.

Did Inferno inspire you to do anything?

Yes. It inspired me to pore over the IMDB to find the actor who SHOULD have been cast as Langdon.

Any additional comments?

I don't think the studio would lose anything to change the actor when they make Lost Symbol and Inferno. The latter may have even been written with a screenplay in mind. It should translate flawlessly.