Inferno: A Novel

Has it been almost four years since the last Dan Brown novel? Yes it has! In his latest work, Inferno, Brown pulls out the unflappable symbologist Dr. Robert Langdon of Di Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. Brown uses the same formula for his new novel, Inferno, substituting the Bible for Dante. It works. The problem with all Langdon novels is that they happen over such a short timeframe, you don’t get a chance for much character development and very little backstory.

Langdon awakes in a hospital with a head injury, in Italy and without a clue to how he got there; then the game is on. This time-lock story formula and lack of character depth places him at a significant disadvantage that he more than makes up for with interesting facts, plausible fibs and fast paced action. The novel is narrated by Paul Michael who did a good job but a touch monochromatic for my taste.

In my conversations with other readers, over the years regarding Browns’ work, I think either you love him or you don’t love him so much – no middle ground. He is a very polarizing writer because of his formula and style. For me, I just like to sit back and enjoy the ride. He isn’t the most eloquent of authors but I do like the ways he puts together all of the research and the brisk pace he moves you through conflicts.

I strongly recommend that you read his stand-alone works Digital Fortress and Deception Point which are excellent. They do not use the same formula as the Langdon novels. In some ways, they are much stronger works than the Langdon novels. As long as he doesn’t bring out this formula every year, I will remain a fan – this is a definite listen.

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.

I downloaded Dan Brown's latest book as it was released, around 3:30 am, (FWIW, I'm not a bum, I have a spinal injury) and Immediately became absorbed in an utterly fascinating tale! The story is interesting, fast and fierce. I found the reader perfect for the parts and he did everything to bring me in farther. I do not want to spoil the book for any of you so I will only say, if you liked his other works then you will probably like or love "Inferno." I say this because they are very much the same type of books but at the same time very different. I wish all series writers could write that way. I hope you enjoy it as I have.
May God Bless!

Look, he's a storyteller, not a writer. the prose has always been clunky and breathless but the plotting and pop culture themes were fun. this is an absolute DOG of a book. read some professional reviews, not fan reviews, before you decide, because this time the ctritics are right. If you loved the breathless chase from clue to clue and place to place in the previous books, you won't find it here. honestly, it is a pointless, suspenseless plodder

Too little too late

He's fine

Dan brown

You'll SEE.....

Poorly thought out.

Audio was great, just not a good story.

Robert will always be my favorite Dan Brown character

No

The idea that one symbol expert and a few people within the WHO were the only people involved in potentially human ending, virus destroying manhunt is ludicrous. For the first half of the book it was just a tourist guidebook and history lesson. Not until the second half did things get interesting, and even then it was just moderately entertaining. Dan Brown has been one of my favorite authors and has led to many thought provoking conversations. While the storyline is definately thought provoking in Inferno, the book was poorly written and does not deserve to be in the same library as other Dan Brown novels.

Brown sticks to his formula - Langdon is running from diverse and dangerous adversaries in order to save the world from a pending disaster. A young, highly intelligent woman falls for him .... but of course. There are a few twists and turns, you can see them coming. Think this might be my last Dan Brown buy.

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.

Langdon wakes from a two day coma in a lab in Florence, Italy, with at best, a sketchy memory of how he got there or what has happened.  A woman Dr., (Sienna Brooks), is there with him but is at a loss of any pertinent information with the exception that his head wound came from a bullet that skimmed his skull. He is in possession of a government issued bio tube with a bio hazard insignia on the side that is programmed to open with only his fingerprints.

Immediately after Langdon regains consciousness an assassin comes after him in the hospital and only with the help of Dr. Brooks does he narrowly escape. When safe, or so he thinks, he contacts the US Consulate and shortly after, "killer", search drones start materializing. The frenzied race for survival and the search for critical, unanswered questions to this ever oscillating mystery is on.  

Reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code, however, the mystery was not as enthralling because of the dark story line of our worlds impending death due to overpopulation, and the weakness that is attacking basic human nature because of it.   Many ancient symbols, artifacts, secret societies, "Alighieri's, - "Divine Comedy" and of course an all-encompassing conspiracy, make up this entry in the Langdon Series.   It may not be fair to compare all of Browns books to the captivating, "Da Vinci Code", but, this is one that I would rather see as a movie with Tom Hanks as Langdon. It would capture the high notes and great action without dousing you with verbiage.  Avid Brown fans will love this because it is a return to the earlier Langdon days. 

I want to be careful and not go too deep on the story as even the smallest glimpse of plot elements may spoil the gripping narration of a story that literally entered my dreams last night. Seriously, last night I dreamt about the images described in Robert Langdon’s dream.

This is my second Dan Brown book and I worried that I needed to read the earlier books in the Robert Langdon series to fully grasp and enjoy Inferno. Fortunately, that was not the case. Inferno can be listened to as a standalone audiobook and is not fully dependent on the earlier books in the series. The story was compelling and entertaining balancing suspense and dramatic content.

While I listened to most of the book during my ‘lively’ commute on the train, I really think it would have been best enjoyed in a quieter setting where you can truly feel the solemn reverberation of Paul Michael’s voice pierce through your headphones. To say that Michael did a masterful job in narrating Inferno is a supreme understatement. Varying his role between the protagonist and antagonist, male and female characters, American and French accents, and playing the role of omnipotent guide through the fourth wall, Michael helped bring the story to vivid life.

I was a little hesitant to use a credit to pre-order Inferno without having listened to all of the other books in the series, but I have no regrets. Inferno was extremely entertaining and well worth the credit. But I believe it would be best enjoyed in a more serene environment where you can let the suspense hit you without distraction.

I'm not sure exactly why I volunteered to jump into another Dan Brown novel. What circle of Hell is designed for readers who keep returning to the crappy, popular authors (Brown, Card, Clancy) of their youth hoping for a drink from the waters of Bimini? What circle do you consine the novel's author?

1. Limbo?

Look, the novel isn't that bad. Brown can be quite entertaining if you ignore actual language and writing. I'm not sure exactly why I volunteered to jump into another Dan Brown novel. What circle of Hell is designed for readers who keep returning to the crappy, popular authors (Brown, Card, Clancy) of their youth hoping for a drink from the waters of Bimini? What circle do you consign the novel's author?

1. Limbo?

Look, the novel isn't that bad. Brown can be quite entertaining if you ignore most of the actual writing. He IS the master of page-turning historical mysteries, but I'm not sure if that says more about page-turning historical mysteries, Dan Brown, or us as readers.

2. Lust?

To be fair, while I despise Brown's actual writing, his plotting does turn me on as a reader. While I think he hit his high water mark with 'Da Vinci Code' (Yes, it's all down hill from there Dan), this novel is slightly better than the 'Lost Symbol' so I can't completely pan it.

3. Gluttony?

I think this is the most likely circle this novel belongs in. I think Brown's major issue is his self-indulgence. His style is inflated, but doesn't actually inform. His metaphors are swollen. His descriptions are possessed of majority fat and very little meat. I probably belong here too. So, here is my vote.

4. Greed?

It is obvious why Dan Brown writes this way... because we (myself included) still buy it. It reminds me of why I hate it when directors in Hollywood become successful. They stop being good and instead become hacks. The reading public, much like the movie going public, demands mediocrity if the writer/director is going to be successful. Real art is not bought, real literature is most often ignored (I know that is cliched, but it is mostly true). I think the amazing thing is that Brown started as a hack and has just perfected hackery to a point where he will be able to print money in 20 years by publishing an Italian phonebook.

5. Anger?

No. Not really. More like regret. If I am angry (Notice how I shifted from the circles being about Dan Brown to the circles being about me? If you aren't comfortable with those kind of style abortions, you should probably not read Dan Brown).

6. Heresy?

No, Dan Brown definitely doesn't belong here. I think this is a circle the Catholic church would have like to place him for 'Da Vinci Code' but 'Inferno' is mainly heretical to scholars of Dante, Transhumanists, and perhaps Malthusian alarmists.

7, Violence?

Again, because Dan Brown is aiming for the center-mass of the paperback purchasing world, he isn't going to make his novel THAT graphic. He made it grim, he made it painful, but violent. Meh.

8. Fraud?

'Inferno' is a kind of a rip-off of every dystopian SF novel about eugenics, mixed with a little bit of James Bond and a little bit of the 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,' but since all writing is a rip-off, I can't really mark Dan Brown down for this circle. If he is condemned to the 8th circle it will be more for 'Da Vinci Code', which I still believe is a watered-down, mediocre version of 'Foucault's Pendulum'.

9. Treachery?

The further down into Hell you go, the more you realize it actually takes a lot of work to earn a place at these lower levels. That alone would discount Dan Brown. It would also probably discount my review, since I just couldn't bring myself to spend an inordinate amount of time reviewing a book I wasn't all that impressed by.