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

Traditional Dan Brown, and yet, still impossible to put down

Formulaic? Yes. Stereotypical characters? Yes. Way too much description of architecture? Yes. But I 100% got sucked in and loved it!

Another great Dan Brown novel! Renaissance, art lovers take note!

Anytime an author is able to include the real— people, places, history, etc.— with seamless fluidity into fiction, following along with the storyline tends to be effortless. Inferno is spellbinding with its artistic references and emotional undertones. His secondary character development is unparalleled but my admiration for Professor Langdon increases with each work. I highly recommend inferno!

Every book keeps Me intrigued.

I am thrilled to start any of Dan Browns books and sad to see them end. What beautiful pictures he paints.

Great narrator and a great story.

"Inferno" is my favorite book in the Robert Langdon series and the narration does this story great justice.

Paved with good intentions....hold the anchovies

Unless - like our cerebral hero Langdon at the opening of Inferno - we find ourselves suffering from retrograde amnesia, it's impossible to not be reminded of the previous Langdon installments when reading this latest clue-seeking romp through the art treasures of Florence and Venice; or for that matter, comparing the previous 3 novels with Brown's latest. Dan Brown has his formula, as do most authors, and there is no sign here that he is trying to fix what was almost broke with his last Langdon adventure (The Lost Symbol). Both Brown and Langdon are in fine form here: Brown sends us on an almost scenic, fact-based excursion through the cathedrals, museums, and art hot spots, and Langdon dodges bullets, the Italian Polizia, untangling a sinister plot (with the prerequisite political statements ala Brown). Brown is nothing if not consistent; so you get what you know you are getting; better than Lost Symbol, not as good as Da Vinci Code; a solid middle grounder. If the formula has lost its luster to you, enjoy the new scenery and history, like I did (easily worth a star).

More so than Brown's previous novels, I thought this was a bit padded (maybe that is because it seemed written for the silver screen, even to the point of describing the minutiae of the on-lookers, the horse-toothed girl getting her picture drawn near the Academe, etc.). As a do-over, and if it was offered, I would do the *gasp* abridged version. I also noticed Langdon has become a little snarky, taking pot shots at the turistas, poking fun at those guide-book toting Americanos, while he should have been paying attention to where he next placed his Italian loafered-foot on the cat-walk (oopsie! look out below).

You want another Dan Brown/Langdon--you got it. A good pizza-read, and who doesn't love pizza? Paul Michael does a great job as narrator and tour-guide.

Average Story, Ready for a Movie

Any additional comments?

I have read all of Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series. This book did not get my emotional involvement as much as his other books.

I felt like they were playing the game "Where in the world is Carmen San Diego". Lots of art facts and locations which I love. But, overall this book was not that great in light of better books available

NOTE: If you have not read his earlier books of the series, read them first. They are much better.

Dante's probably spinning in his grave

but, what the "Hell", it's Dan Brown!

How to relate a literary classic about sin to the problem of population control? Ignore the fact that there is no real connection, supply non-stop action, and manipulate your readers til their minds boggle! That's the Dan Brown way, and he has returned more or less to form in "Inferno".

It's been pointed out by many (including me) that this author is not a stellar writer, improbabilities-to-impossibilities abound in all his books, and he pulls all kinds of unfair tricks on the reader. But here's a guy who knows how find an intriguing premise, then how to grab and hold your attention throughout a longish book.

If you like Brown in top form (as in "DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons"), then you will almost certainly like "Inferno". At times infuriating, this is still a fun and diverting ride! And Paul Michael delivers it with authority and enthusiasm.

Nothing is what it seems

I was a fan of Dan Brown's before the Da Vinci Code took off and catapulted him to the literary stratosphere. Brown is an intelligent writer who is a master of intricate plot development. Inferno is perhaps his best novel yet.

The action takes place over a very short period of time and starts with Robert Langdon (Harvard symbologist and art history professor) waking up with amnesia in an Italian hospital and narrowly escaping an attempt on his life. Langdon soon finds himself fleeing with Dr. Sienna Brooks as he tries to unravel the mystery of why he is being chased, why he has retrograde amnesia, and why he is having visions of Dante's Inferno.

The people chasing Langdon are members of the shadowy Consortium, and it takes a while to determine why they are chasing him and what it is they are looking for.

Nothing is what it seems in Inferno and no one is what s/he seems.

One of the many joys of Dan Brown's works is his meticulous attention to detail and the wealth of knowledge he imparts about a subject area. His ability to bring Washington DC alive is paralleled in Inferno with all the information about Florence, and to a lesser degree, Venice. Brown's knowledge of Dante and all the art inspired by Dante's works is similarly encyclopedic, but he never conveys the information in a pedantic way. It took me about 4 hours of listening before I realized that the portrait on the book cover is Dante himself.

Brown makes the reader (or listener) want to go out and explore in depth the things he's describing.

All of that is background to a taut thrilling story. The twists and turns in Inferno are incredible, and the reader / listener is often surprised by what is really going on. This is a many-layered masterpiece and has none of the preachiness of some of the earlier Langdon novels.

This is a well-crafted thriller with vaguely apocalyptic overtones. Langdon still comes across as a bit of a superhero, but the other characters are painted in shades of grey and are more multi-dimensional than in previous Brown novels.

Brown's philosophical musing in Inferno revolves around overpopulation and its effect on humanity. However, it's not heavy-handed.

I'd describe this as a literary thriller. It's a great blend of art, literature and a cracking adventure / mystery story. Hopefully this will win Brown back some of his earlier fans.

Paul Michael does an exceptional job narrating the story again.

Great story; great narration. Two thumbs up.

Did not make it to the finish line

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Great pace and good plot all the way to the third quarter, after that it gets pretty thin.

What could Dan Brown have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

more credible plot,a bit complicated yet predictable.

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

Siena

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

Its a good read, but not as good as the first. Move on

symbology professor saves the world again

honestly the story line is getting a bit old. How many crazy people really want to destroy the world and leave behind a trail of obscure clues that only a Harvard symbology professor can decypher?