Inferno

By: Dan Brown

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's Summary

Dan Brown’s new novel, Inferno, features renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon and is set in the heart of Europe, where Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centred around one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces.

As Dan Brown comments: "Although I studied Dante's Inferno as a student, it wasn't until recently, while researching in Florence, that I came to appreciate the enduring influence of Dante's work on the modern world. With this new novel, I am excited to take readers on a journey deep into this mysterious realm… a landscape of codes, symbols, and more than a few secret passageways."

©2013 Dan Brown (P)2013 Random House Audiobooks

Dan Brown at his best

Would you consider the audio edition of Inferno to be better than the print version?

No, I still like my printed books but alongside the audio the two are great.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Inferno?

The opening seemed out of place until of course you got to understand

What about Paul Michael’s performance did you like?

Very good

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

I must admit it seemed too much like Di Vinci code, Professor Langdon on the run with a woman but still enjoyable more than an extreme reaction.

Any additional comments?

I must say I enjoyed this book over Di Vinci and Lost Symbol as a fan of Dante Mr Brown did well to keep it alive for me.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

This book placed visiting Italy on by bucket list

Would you consider the audio edition of Inferno to be better than the print version?

Did not read the book

What other book might you compare Inferno to and why?

Angels & Demons -

Which scene was your favorite?

Where Sienna and Robert escaped through the secret passage in the palace and emerged in disguise in the middle of the other people on the street.

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

Definitely

Any additional comments?

Thanks to this book I took note of works of art I never would have known about

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Dan Brown has been fired up again for Inferno

What made the experience of listening to Inferno the most enjoyable?

As with all of Dan Brown's book he has done his research and the books are full of historical facts.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favourite character is Robert Langdon. His character is well rounded. I would love to have him at one of my dinner parties.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Sometimes I felt the narration lacked passion as far as the characters were concerned. The anger and some of the interpretation of the dialogue were lacking.

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

When Sienna reveals who and what she really is.

Any additional comments?

Many times during the story I felt a little let down by the narration. Having said that though, I did enjoy Inferno and am looking forward to it being made into a film with Tom Hanks again as Robert and directed by Ron Howard. Am looking forward to seeing who is cast as Sienna.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I was right there... Venice and Florence

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

I am a long term public transport traveller, ao audible keeps my mind of the more colourfull fellow traveller's

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

Very fast moving, great Dan Brown story

What about Paul Michael’s performance did you like?

narrator was one of the best

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Apocalyptic suspense in another esoteric milieu

First it was the Roman Catholic Church and the election of the pope (Angels and Demons), then the so-called Jesus dynasty (The Da Vinci Code), then the Free Masons (The Lost Symbol) that were critiqued, while keeping his readers nailed to their armchairs in suspense. Now Dan Brown pushes a secular humanist agenda by using Dante's Divine Comedy to introduce us to another mad man with an apocalyptic agenda. What is interesting is how Brown leaves behind a feeling that the "genius villain" of this story was not so cruel. Lines are blurred as it seems to be the human race on its own, without God or tradition, to make decisions about its future.

In many ways Brown's Inferno is same old same old. Rather than taking history seriously, he takes the urban legends that has arisen seriously. Robert Langdon is the expert par excellance on symbology and the way he interprets a "text" is more or less the only correct way. There is a lot of suspense and action - enough to keep you glued to the book.

By now, I must confess, I am getting a bit irritated with the subtle undertones and the secular humanist agenda that Brown puts forward. In certain ways, he seems the be the Phillip Pulman of adults. I also don't think the way he used misdirection as a device to create suspense with, is very convincing.

What is clear however is that Robert Langdon has become a 21st century James Bond, anti-establishment in certain ways, ethically indestructible and for the first time he was not ahead in his game. Amnesia brought an interesting twist to Langdon's task at hand - to safe the world (once again).

Paul Michael read the book very well. There is nothing to detract from his performance.

If you like Dan Brown's style you will probably enjoy the book. However, I suspect his secular underskirt is showing a bit more than usual.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fantastic Story, Horrible ending

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

i was captivated by the book for most of it with the exception of some parts with lengthy historical background. the thrill grew to the edge towards the second half of the book, (no spoilers) but i am always eager to find out what is going to happen next. Certainly enjoyed this part.

the ending however was disappointing and not clear, it didn't answer my questions and didn't leave me hungry for more either. i was like .... really? and what about?? what was the whole problem the were worried about to begin with? and why is it not a problem any more? didn't like that much

What about Paul Michael’s performance did you like?

Paul is Awesome!! I love how he changes his tone, pitch, and speed of speach to show differences between different players in the story. makes it so easy to follow.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A Lackluster Blockbuster

Even though I enjoyed this novel, I found it somewhat lacking. There was no end of thrills and twists and turns in the story, but it lacked the sheer enjoyment that I received while reading his previous novels.

To the readers considering this novel, go ahead and read it, it is good enough, just don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A brilliant idea... a stunning story

Dan Brown on the pinnacle of storytelling. ...
a b c d e f g

Fan...freaking...tastic!!!!

Wish the movie had followed the book plot. It would have been so so AWESOME!

We need a Bertrand Zobrist

I was pleasantly surprised by the brilliant plot that Dan Brown comes up with in this book. Great subject matter in terms of its relevance to our times. If you are into historical narratives and want to learn more about the genius of Dan Brown then read this book!

start was hard going. story good but over descript

I enjoy Dan Brown books but this started out hard going and lacked the usual draw. It was worth persevering with, however I personally feel there were several points in the story that detracted from the overall experience by describing detail that for me didn't seem to add to any aspect to the characters, story or background.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Great Improvement

This is Dan Brown back to his best; a racy thriller with more twists, turns and total plot inversions than any one book could possibly be expected to contain. It is not great literature, but, then again, it never claims to be. A précis of the plot isn't really possible without spoiling the whole book. Suffice it to say that Robert Langdon, a character who needs no introduction, is back to what he does best, racing across Europe in a desperate attempt to thwart the baddie; who the baddie actually is, however, is swathed in layers of smoke, mirrors and downright misdirection until well into the story.

Whilst Langdon is delightfully the same, he is supported by a cast of well drawn characters who are at once believable yet, in most cases, fundamentally flawed. It is not possible to say more than this without spoiling some element of the caduceus-like plot.

For Audible, however, the performance can make or break the enjoyment of a book, and, in this, the American narration spoiled this to a certain extent. The only non-European character is Langdon himself, so I would have expected some effort on the part of the narrator to reflect this. The entire book is read in American English, the exception being the Italians, whose accents were almost risible in parts, and with such verbal horrors of "niche" continually pronounced to rhyme with "pitch", and "fertile" to rhyme with "turtle". This utterly set my teeth on edge after a while. I appreciate that this is entirely my own personal "taste and fancy", but this is my review and it is sometimes difficult to retain total objectivity.

Overall, this is a great listen, narration aside. Dan Brown fans everywhere will love it; those who never warmed to his oeuvre of the thriller wrapped in conspiracy theory may well be disappointed once again.

79 of 87 people found this review helpful

Ridiculous fun

It might be because I listened to this on audiobook, which I didn't for the Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, but I hadn't realised how cheesy the prose is. The plot was also a bit random - I'm not aware of the WHO being a quasi-paramilitary organisation! And there were some laugh-out-loud Alan Partridge-esque moments. Otherwise, it was good fun. Ridiculous, yes. But fun.

13 of 14 people found this review helpful

His worst yet!

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

Someone easily pleased.

What will your next listen be?

Never Go Back - Lee Child

How could the performance have been better?

To English ears the pronunciation was abysmal:Niche rhyming with rich Infertile rhyming with myrtle but the one that really grated every time he used it (and there were many) was Consortium he pronounced it consorshum.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

Enjoyed his previous books - but Brown has really gone off the boil with this one!

18 of 20 people found this review helpful

A good listen

What did you like most about Inferno?

This is a well read and well written story by the well known author, Dan Brown. It is action packed, full of historical and modern day references, and as with his previous best sellers, it takes you on a tour of modern cities and gives you an insight to how people can think.

There has been some criticism of this book, and in particular the ending, but I loved the story, the suspense, and in particular the ending. Read it!

Essentially the story revolves around an eminent Harvard symbologist,Robert Langdon. He wakes up in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Someone, or several organisations are out to kill him, and he escapes with the help of a brilliant young doctor, Sienna Brooks. A strange object found on him and some disturbing dreams/memories lead to a breakneck chase across Florence and other cities. There are plenty of hidden passageways, ancient secrets, famous sculptures, buildings, poems and paintings, historical events and, of course, codes to be deciphered.... which may, or may not, help them and the World Health Organisation save the world from a terrifying threat.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Mmmm, knowledgable author, but.....

Would you try another book written by Dan Brown or narrated by Paul Michael?

This is the first Dan Brown book I have read. I found that the authors desire to inform me of how much he knew about Dante, Italian art and artifacts, got in the way of developing the characters and the plot. The narration was good and internation excellent, but I just felt that the one twist in the plot was very obvious by 2/3rds of the way through and I began asking when was the end coming. Please could it be soon. Sad, as I really thought I would enjoy it.

What will your next listen be?

A Ken Follet

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Terribly narrated, I couldn't listen to it.

Terribly narrated, Irritating america voice. Breaks in funny places, sounds like the machine narration on windows. I couldn't listen to it and will be using the kindle auto read instead!

40 of 50 people found this review helpful

Formula works, so if it ain't broke don't fix it?

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

You know what you are letting yourself in for by this stage of Dan Browns career, a well researched and at times enthralling read where the detail is king.
I like the fact that in Dan Browns Inferno as with his other works is that they are carefully sewn in fact, every place, every clue that comes out in the book is real. As with most great fictional stories keeping them close to the truth is key. So when in Inferno the characters visit Venice say you can picture it, which is the same as the museums and items found inside them, the history is told along with the rest of the story.
In Inferno the story is the same old formula used in the other Robert Langdon series and by this it is no way a criticism of Dan Brown. He has found a formula that works and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future and I look forward to reading them, the problem is that even as engrossed as you can get in these fast moving action pact novels I always fail to see the main lead in any real danger as I know the author will not be killing them off so all is left is to find out what twists and misdirections Dan Brown can unfold by the time the last chapter. And this is where the fun of Dan Browns Inferno is, I have not enjoyed a Dan Brown novel as much as this since The DaVinci Code, the story is well thought out and moves along quickly and I found myself more than once sat in my car in my drive way for an extra ten minutes before getting out just to finish a chapter.
I enjoyed the race against time aspect of the story and the character development but I did find that I found myself on just wanting to finish it and find out what happens rather than enjoying the chase.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The least interesting is the unflawed lead character Robert Langdon whom has never put a foot wrong in his entire life, so far the man has yet to have one sordid secret, past love life and is the perfect well adjusted American. The only thing I can think of that passes for an imperfection is his claustrophobia.
I enjoyed the twisting and unwinding back stories of the other characters in the novel especially the female lead.

Could you see Inferno being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Inferno could easily be made in to a movie and I don't think it would be a surprise to guess who would play Robert Langdon.
I think Scarlett Johanson would be good as the female lead.

10 of 12 people found this review helpful

Rubbish

I managed to get 3/4 the way through this listening, all the while hoping something was going to happen that might start to hold my attention, but it was no good and I kept drifting off, thinking of other things while I was 'entertained' by, not so much a gripping tale, but more a boring history lesson centred on Florence. The plot is ridiculous. There's no character development, so there's no-one to invest any emotion in and I couldn't have cared less what happened to any of them. Neither do I have any interest in finding out how it ends.

It's galling to think that, based on the success of Dan Brown's earlier novels - all of which I enjoyed, these books will sell by the shed-load and that, as a result, he'll make a few more millions. But not from me, this book is being returned for a refund!!

45 of 58 people found this review helpful

This was great...

Much more enjoyable than the film. Paul Michael's performance is top notch once again.
Great storyline, compelling characters and an enjoyable array of suspense, intrigue and action.
I'm a big fan of Dan Brown and Steve Berry's work within this genre.
Recommended!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful