Dan Brown

This is a book of three halves, as the great man almost said about a game of football.

Firstly, there is the beginning in which Brown sets the scene for another of his ripping yarns.

Then there's the stage where you will say to yourself: there's only one way this story can go now, it's all a bit predictable; and that turns out to become 75 - 80% true.

Thirdly there's the ending that rambles on a bit and I was glad to see the back of.

Like The da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons is another Illuminati story: a story concerning the anti catholic church outfit which is keen to rid the world of the church and all it stands for. In an author's note, Brown tells us that References to all works of art, tombs, tunnels and architecture in rome are entirely factual(as are their exact locations). They can still be seen today. The brotherdoos of the Illuminati is also factual.

I have to say that Brown has done a good job on the art work and as I was reading about them I most definitely wanted to go to Rome ... if only I weren't so poor I could go!

The basis of the story is anti matter, CERN in Switzerland (you must know what that is!) and an attractive (of course!) research scientist. The story starts with the murder of the attractive scientist's adoptive father and the grisly issue of one of his eyes: I doubt that one could do with a dead eye what Brown claims was done; but then again who am I to judge without empirical evidence to the contrary?

Langdon, our hero and symbology expert called in to investigate this murder, is whisked away on an aeroplane that travels at many times the speed of sound and again I thought that such a plane could not exist as yet so I felt we had drifted into the realms of science fiction again.

Science fiction rears its head over the anti matter matter as well but I was prepared to live with that one as it provided a handsome backdrop to the story.

Time stood still in the early part of the book as Langdon was whisked from his home in the USA to Switzerland and then Rome in the space of 6 hours ... no 8 hours: I think I found a small error in the book as someone checked his watch and found 6 hours had passed since the phone had rung, then two pages later he checked it again and found 8 hours had passed.

Switzerland went and Rome and the Vatican arrived and that's where Brown's artistic trail had me hooked. Brown's artistic ad scientific tour of Rome is well presented and if ever I do get to travel there I would need to use this book as my guide. The murders that rest alongside the art are interesting affairs as their context and victims are well crafted.

By the second murder the plot seems to become highly predictable and Langdon and the attractive scientist (OK she's called Vittoria!) bound around Rome with the Swiss Guard in tow. The Swiss Guard is brought to like in way completely unknown to me before this book so that was an interesting aside, too.

The plot doesn't entirely develop as I predicted but it didn't go to far astray. The devil is in the detail, however, and a character is introduced to us to provide continuing interest in the story.

Of course, the Vatican and the world is saved with seconds to spare but the story is twisted in such a way that I have really not given much away by telling you that.

Almost from page one, Langdon's loins are girded as he feels something for Vittoria ... she seems to be sending out signals as the story unfurls ... she is his damsel, he is her distress reduction agent ... is he rewarded with a carnal interlude? Read the book to find out!

620 pages is a lot to read but Brown writes well and without a lot of fat: until that last 40 pages or so I never felt that there was too much superfluous baggage in the story; but the ending could really have been chopped by three quarters with no great loss.

Overall, a good read; and a worthy follow up to The da Vinci Code. I doubt, however, that I would want to read another story about the Illuminati as I feel that the two stories Brown has presented us with so far will suffice. Lots of interesting stuff and a trip to Rome to look forward to; but enough's probably enough.

As an aside, Brown describes the inside of the Vatican in a lot of detail and I couldn't help thinking that there must be a major case for someone to write to the church to ask them to scan all of their books, leaflets, paintings and so on and putting them on line for the rest of humanity to share: they have a fabulous wealth of things in the library/vaults it seems.

Dear Reader: I am seriously looking for a sponsor for a trip to Rome. If you live there or have a flat or house there that I could use free of charge for a couple of weeks and if someone is able to pay my airfare ... seriously!

Duncan Williamson
3 August 2004