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

What you get when you force a book before its time

What did you like best about Inferno? What did you like least?

interesting theme, not really up to par with previous books

What do you think your next listen will be?

n/a

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

Excellent. Paul Michael made this story worth listing to

Did Inferno inspire you to do anything?

not buy another Dan Brown book.

Here we go again

Would you ever listen to anything by Dan Brown again?

Probably not, the book was a chore to get through, the descriptions and amount of detail that was described seemed excessive, especially when the architecture or pieces had little or nothing to do with what was actually happening at the location.

Any additional comments?

The amount of over the top detail and repetition really detracted from the book. I've read all of Dan Brown's novels, but this was the first of his books that I got in audio format. It may have been the medium but it was a real chore to make it as far as I did. I have made it through about 3/4 of the book as of nearly a month ago, and there is nothing pulling me back to the story to find out what happens next.

The writing, characters and plot twists are mediocre, at best. While it is very evident that a lot of thought and research was put into the locations, I can't help but feel it was a trade-off and we were cheated on the plot.

The path to the Ideal world population

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

Enjoyable listen. I have long believed that the global population is a problem no one dares confront. Dan Brown brings the problem to the world stage. It is too bad that no one dares to confront the problem.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending left one with the feeling of hope. But ...

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

The voice is familiar, and I most certainly have listened to Paul Michael before. He does an excellent jog.

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

Too long for that.

Any additional comments?

While listening to the book I was thinking of writing it off as a guide book in search of a story. In the end I realize that it tells of a problem in need of a solution. How does one confront human population growth? This planet is being overwhelmed by its most intelligent inhabitants. Unfortunately religious beliefs prevent any rational discussion of the problem and the solutions to that problem. The only thing one can say positively about the Catholic church is that molesting small children does not increase the global population.

Loved it!

What did you love best about Inferno?

I always enjoy Dan Brown's attention to detail. All the facts about places, history, art, etc., really pull me into the story.

What other book might you compare Inferno to and why?

The only other books that remind me of Inferno are some of Dan Brown's other works (The Lost Symbol, Angels and Demons, DaVinci Code, etc.).

What about Paul Michael’s performance did you like?

He does an amazing job with multiple languages and accents. (At one point in the story, a character was speaking Italian with a French accent...which Paul Michael did.)

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There are several unexpected twists that were compelling.

Any additional comments?

Great read. Great listen.

Same Robert Langdon Formula

Same characters, same story, different book. I really enjoyed listening to this book even though there's nothing new about it. It's another Robert Langdon story where he's saving the world and it's once again in Italy. It made my commute much shorter (except when Brown went off onto expositional tangents).

Challenging to hear the females voices

It’s so frustrating to have to turn up the volume just for one character. You can’t hear her

If you like the daVinci Code...

Would you listen to Inferno again? Why?

I'm not so sure of that. This book was very easy to follow, AND to predict. The story is actually pretty formulized(?) , with few twists or surprises. It was, however, easy to follow and easy to become immersed in.

What other book might you compare Inferno to and why?

Above comment should answer this question.

Which scene was your favorite?

Eluding the pursuers in the Boboli Gardens

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

No, not at all!!

Any additional comments?

I hope Brown's next book contains a reunion of the women who he leaves along the trail, hopefully helping him figure out an impossible situation. How have they all moved on?

Typical Robert Langdon, but a bit disappointing...

If you could sum up Inferno in three words, what would they be?

Twists and Turns -- typical Robert Langdon novel, where nobody is who they seem, and everything has a hidden meaning.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I really enjoyed the entire book until the ending; while the rest of the book was excellent, the end did not live up to Dan Brown's past performances. It was a bit of a let down in the end.

Which scene was your favorite?

Any chase scene where Langdon must think on his feet while evading the bad guys. In this particular instance, the entire portion of the book where Langdon fled from the police, knowing the ins and outs of Florence, including all the secrets that allowed him to evade his captors.

Any additional comments?

I felt the performance was really well done by Paul Michael. Each character had a unique voice that was easy to follow the story with, however, they were neither comical nor cheesy. Definitely a well performed story.

My First Dan Brown

Geez what a far range in reviews.

When his previously popular books came out - the topic did not strike my fancy and I did not read them. I'd have to have lived under a rock to not get that book without reading about it, by now.

This book was very good. I sincerely enjoyed it. I was involved in the story, attracted to the characters and surprised at all the right parts. I enjoy the history and the art stories. I was able to fall in to this book, as if this was his first, in that they rarely mention the characters previous adventures.

The narration is perfection. Paul Michael is like listening to silk. His gender changing is transparent.

Anyone that says this books is predictable needs to get a big glass ball and join the circus.

re read it several times and still love it

I loved this book. I loved the narrator. I couldn't put the book down. great story