Inferno: Robert Langdon 4

And another book with the lead character of Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon. This time he has to solve a puzzle that has many riddles and codes to understand.I am impressed by the quality of storytelling that Dan Brown puts into his books. Many years ago I read his The Da Vinci Code, was blown away by it’s content and abandoned my daily newspaper to read novels instead. Inferno has the same intensity as The Da Vinci Code and the storytelling dazzled me again. My interest was maintained throughout as there are tonnes of background to enjoy. I got so much reading pleasure from this very long read that runs to 528 pages.I enjoyed this thrilling adventure which has lots of twists and turns together with many lies, plenty of deception and a lot of reasoning. This conspiracy develops at a good pace and Dan Brown quotes numerous examples from the past to back up his novel. Inferno was written in 2013, long before Covid-19 but it makes you wonder considering all the references to China in this story and what happened in 2020 globally in real life. Inferno is an intelligent read that poses the scary question of what mankind can do about overpopulation and the future of our planet and species. Along the way the reader learns a lot about art, history, numbers, religion and symbols.I enjoyed reading Inferno and found it very entertaining. I liked how Robert was able to find hidden secret passages and there was even a hint of romance between Robert and Sienna Brooks. Looking back I consider Inferno to be an OUTSTANDING 5 star read. This book has it’s critics but I found it fun and very engaging.

From the opening chapter when Langdon wakes up in hospital with a head injury and haunted by visions I was hooked. All the expected questions were popping in my head: what happened, where is he, who's after him - you know, that kind of thing. And the pace doesn't slow from there.Set in Florence, Venice and Istanbul we're taken on a rollercoaster journey as Langdon attempts to solve the mystery and the clues in a race against time before a catastrophic plague is released into the world. Sound familiar, course it does! This book follows the same suit/format/template of the other Langdon novels; Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol even in the ending of each chapter on a cliff-hanger of sorts. Basically different city/villain/lead female but in the same style. But you know what, why change a format that works and sells millions of books. I love it. The tension, the excitement, the red herrings, the double crossing, the will they won't they, deciding who you trust, the descriptiveness of the city's architecture and the fact that I might actually learn something.The book is littered with Italian phrases, some are translated, others you understand because of the answers. I like this, makes it feel more authentic. And the beautiful descriptions of Florence and Venice's architecure and art just make me want to jump on a plane now.The subject matter itself is quite a provocative topic - world overpopulation. "Here the throng of tourists was almost impenetrable, creating a claustrophobic crush..."In some respects I can kind of see where Zobrist is coming from, the figures and facts speak for themselves but his method is obviously way off. Brown does like to stress his point and you will find a lot of repetition in this book (hence 4/5 not 5!)So overall, you have to like mysteries, you need to like history and problem solving and although part of the Professor Robert Langdon series, this being number 4, this can easily be read as a standalone and is crying out to be made into movie as per the others.Is is factually correct, is it historically correct, is it accurate? I don't know and I didn't care. I got totally swept along, believed every word and as I'm not a history or classics graduate then I didn't need to pick it to pieces. It's just a bloody good story.

What can I say, Dan Brown is one of favourite authors. Clever writing, thought provoking, love it. Highly recommend!

Oh dear! This book has some very good and some execrable areas. I'm sorry to say that I felt that Dan Brown needed to make a new mortgage payment (or more possibly, to buy a new house), had decided to write another Robert Langson book, and had obtained a very clever new computer programme; had fed into it the Baedekker guide to Florence and two lesser guides to Venice and Istanbul, a rough outline of parts of Dante's 'Inferno', the plots of his previous novels and programmed it effectively - the result was 'Inferno'.I was looking forward to reading 'Inferno', as had greatly enjoyed 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels and Demons'. But this book was disappointing and at times I needed to force myself to continue. I spotted way back that the plague, such as it is, would be hidden in the old Byzantine cisterns - it all seemed too obvious. There were few detailed references to the actual Inferno; I was looking forward to a trip through the nine levels of hell but no, this may have been too complex for his average reader to follow.There are very detailed descriptions of Florence's geography and architecture, taken as I suspect directly from a good guidebook, and lesser ones of Venice and Istanbul. The plot has so many changes between ally and foe that at times it was hard to keep up. But in the end, everything turns out fine - there is no deadly plague, and everyone is on the same side.As other reviewers have pointed out, this seemed like a film script turned into tthe book of the film. However, it is well-written, and very readable, perhaps ideal for a long aeroplane journey when one doesn't want to concentrate too hard but one's mind needs gently occupying.At times it felt as though the novel was being written for an affluent US world traveller who is likely to visit these places on their single European trip. Many parts of the novel seem aimed at Course 101 in European history and culture (e.g. the explanation of nazi scientists and eugenics), or for those with little knowledge of Europe and even less of Dante, or words with a latin derivation (how many readers spotted that the 'Mendacium' was derived from the latin for "lie" - most, I suspect). But, if this books serves to encourage even one reader who wouldn't have contemplated reading the original 'Inferno', to look at Dante's work, perhaps it has some use.The over-population of the planet is a serious issue. Yet there is zero mention of the one government that has actuallty taken action and stabilised their population to zero growth - China with its one-child policy.

Atendeu às expectativas

Dan Brown fans are never disappointed with Mr Langdon and his adventures and this one is no different. Absolutely thrilling and gripping from the beginning to the end and what a fantastic conclusion it has got. Some of the ideas in his books are really surprising on how close they are to real life issues to the world and what some of the environmentalists think of it. Crazy read and a thrilling finish!

I recommend 100% the seller. With the cellphone screens my eyesight have deteriorated very fast. So the large print books are great for me. I just wished that the publishers paid more attention to this. The book is in perfect, almost pristine condition. And if you like informed and exciting thrillers and walk through the streets and museums of Florence, Inferno is a very good option, and Dan Brown is a great and cultured guide. (Note: Inferno it's not about hell, but Dante's masterpiece).

The quality of the paper is bad, but I noticed this is the case with most English editions.. I am probably used to the good quality of the Italian editors. As for the story itself it's really great, Dan Brown as usual is able to take the reader to the adventures with the characters, and it is possible to lean new things, in this case artwork and buildings..I couldn't put the book down, it is really engaging.

Spannend, makkelijk te lezen verhaal waar je gelijk in zit, boeiend onderwerp. Echter er zijn 2 dingen in het verhaal waar ik geen wijs uit kwam en die ook niet meer uitgelegd werden.