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

Where was ye Editor ?

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

good - not great

What was one of the most memorable moments of Inferno?

the switch between Ferris and Brooks

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

no fav.

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

no

Any additional comments?

The last third of the book needs an Editor's pen to tighten it up. Drags in several places with unneeded details.

Thought Provoking

I will say that this book did not captivate me as much as Angels and Demons or Da Vinci Code ( I actually enjoyed the A&D more than any of them), but it is still a very good book. I love reading Dan Brown's works because it is so apparent how much research he does and how interesting he makes certain points of history. If Dan was a high school history teacher it would be absolutely enthralling. I think this book brings to light a serious problem of over population, as well as offering some ethical considerations. You still get the same old Langdon following clues to solve a problem, and you expect their to be twists and turns in the book, so you kind of expect them. This being said, I am very glad I read the book. I gave it 5 stars overall not because how much I enjoy learning from Dan Brown. It is not just a piece of fiction, but educational about art, European history, and current issues.

Decidedly "meh"

So, lets start this off with the most accurate way of summing up this novel... Have you read Angels & Demons, The DaVinci Code, and/or Lost Symbol? If you answered yes, then you have read this book with a different dust jacket on it. That doesn't mean anything other than a warning to not expect anything new.

So, lets get to the meat and potatoes. Dan Brown seems to write the same novel over and over again. It is the same formula, with no carry over or character development. They're fun, fast paced books the first one or two. After that, it seems to just get tired. I was really hoping for more this time, being a huge fan of Dante's original classic that forms the centerpiece of this story. Sadly, there was nothing new here.

Robert Langdon has gotten himself into another impossible situation that is really just a series of puzzles that only he can solve. But while on an artificial clock of course. This time, he's in Italy (again), solving puzzles laid in front of him by a madman bent on the destruction of much of the human population. The only new element is Langdon is suffering from amnesia. But even this gets old fast.

I can say that the pacing is still excellent, as is the historical bits sprinkled within. But as always, it is not a history book, so those without historical knowledge to know truth from fiction, please take everything with a grain of salt. But the settings are well described, and you get some nice flavor as usual for Dan Brown.

The narration is exceptional though. I would gladly give it four stars, except for a few mispronunciations that got on my nerves. Paul Michael captures Langdon very well, and helps draw you into the world of art and intrigue.

I have to give this only three stars because in addition to the poor character development, and the contrived situations, you also have to deal with more unoriginal writing. If you liked the last three books in the series, and they haven't gotten old, give this one a try, you'll probably like this too. But if the concept and writing was wearing thin on you during Lost Symbol, or earlier, you may want to hesitate to get this one.

Another great novel by Dan Brown

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

Wow and Wow and what, another Wow!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Inferno?

Great twist, Great turns, Great thriller.

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

Robert Langdon

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

Every moment was breath-taking.

Any additional comments?

N\A

It's Dan Brown. What Did You Expect?

I have read reviews that criticize "Inferno" because it is a lot like his other books. Well, yeah. He wrote it.

"Inferno" is another puzzle piece, again played out against the background of Rome and the Renaissance, though our hero does get to go to some other interesting places, including Istanbul. Dante is the recurring theme throughout, and while I knew Dante had inspired many works of painting, music and other art, the extent of his influence surprised me. As a result of reading this book, the Boboli Gardens have become a must-see destination for me.

It was fun trying to figure out the many puzzles that the author sets forth. And there is a serious and scary message about over-population that I hope readers remember and act on.

Because Robert Langdon doesn't entirely succeed in his critical mission this time, the world he inhabits will diverge from our own world rather significantly. I wonder if future books about R.L. will wander into science fiction as Brown explores the ramifications?

Entertaining Dan Brown as Usual

Would you listen to Inferno again? Why?

I probably won't listen to Inferno again, although I found the first listen entertaining and memorable. Personally, this type of fiction is just a good escape and though I certainly don't share Robert Langdon's eidetic memory, mine functions quite well and will probably remember the story for a long time; so no need to reread, or in this case listen, to the book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Inferno?

Without ruining the story for anyone, I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of St. Mark's Basilica!

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

I enjoyed Paul Michael's reading of the story, he has a great voice. He brings a proper pronunciation of many Italian, Latin, and Turkish names that I would certainly mispronounce if left to my own reading. I did not, however, like the faked female voices and would have much preferred either a straight male voice reading of those parts, or a female actress. Personally, its a little weird hearing a man strain his voice to fake female tones.

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

I plowed through this book in relatively little time, listening to it each chance I got which included a bunch of windshield time.

Any additional comments?

I find Dan Brown books really entertaining if a little unbelievable at points. They always seem to refresh my memory on historical and archeological locations; which in turns peaks my interest and gets me reading actual non-fiction about the places, persons, and history touched on in the Dan Brown story. I enjoyed Inferno, its classic Dan Brown and I think it will make an interesting movie as well.

story is good. narrator's female voices were awful

The story is on par with most of Dan Brown's prior novels. The narrator was decent, but he could have gone without those horrible female voices, they were annoying, hilarious, but overall cringeworthy and distracting from the story.

Not His Best, But Still a Good Story

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

Intriguing, Action-filled, Long

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was actually Sienna--even though (spoiler alert) she turned out to be not what she appeared in the beginning. I hope Dan Brown brings her back because I enjoyed the relationship that appeared to be developing between her and Robert Langdon.

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

Robert Langdon

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

Hang onto your seat as you see The Divine Comedy in a whole new light.

Fun adventure

I loved the use of literary and art history set in a world of architectural beauty.

Everything you've come to expect from the series

I've enjoyed all the books in this series and this one was no different. The reader is great and story is enthralling.