Angels and Demons

A Novel

By: Dan Brown

Narrated by: Richard Poe

The explosive Robert Langdon thriller from Dan Brown, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Inferno, and The Secret of Secrets.

An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target. When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to his first assignment to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol—seared into the chest of a murdered physicist—he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati...the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth. The Illuminati has now surfaced to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy—the Catholic Church.

Langdon’s worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican’s holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces they have hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.

Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair...a clandestine location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.

Critics have praised the exhilarating blend of relentless adventure, scholarly intrigue, and cutting wit found in Brown’s remarkable thrillers featuring Robert Langdon. An explosive international suspense, Angels & Demons marks this hero’s first adventure as it careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war.©2000 Dan Brown; (P)2004 Simon & Schuster, Inc., AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Divison, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

San Francisco Chronicle A breathless, real-time adventure....Exciting, fast-paced, with an unusually high IQ.

there is a reason the popular books are popular

I hadn't seen the movie but wow the twists and turns in this book REALLY got me. The moments of action and the quick wit of the hero make a really entertaining read.

Excellent presentation of an awkward story.

Dan built this novel from some interesting perspectives. Pretty "WASP"-y in general design, but fulfills also the requisite ex-discipleism and theory of conspiracy wrought in his most popular tomes. I could loosely avow myself a fan, yet in the way that I am a fan of corned beef and cabbage. Overall, a pretty decent adventure book with some humanitarian and scientific overtures, some romance and lust, heroism, and external as well as internal conflict. The characters are in keeping with the idealistic trend of its novel era, and the settings are clearly chosen with regard to personal and physical research abroad. It warrants consideration for being among the short list of popular novelists at Dan's peak time of publishing. In tune, happy listening.
---Mik

Great book 100%

This book is a 100% better than the movie.. I think if you read it or in this case listen to it you would be enlightened at the detail that the movie didn't cover.

Exciting narration

I had already seen the movie and this was quite different. Richard Poe did a great job as narrator. It kept my attention the entire time.

Wonderful Book, but..

Thrilling and mysterious story. Exciting all the way through.

What I had an issue with, or rather many, was the narration. Thr narrator seemed to have difficulties choosing voices/dialects/accents when speaking in character. He also seemed to confuse dialogue with description a couple of times. While not the end of the world, it was somewhat annoying at times. What I really hated, and I mean hated, was the fact that he read the entire book without seemingly drinking any water. I could hear he lick the inside of his mouth between words. I heard loud sounds of saliva and the process of swallowing it. As a person with misophonia, this is absolutely horrible to listen to.