Mahika Rastogi

Inferno starts of when Robert Langdon wakes up with a blinding headache in a hospital in Florence with no recollection of how he got there. As it happens, he and Sienna Brooks; a prodigy doctor who took care of him must escape from the near clutches of their anonymous pursuers. Along with, a silver haired lady’s faint reminiscence kicking in Robert finds a biological capsule in his clothes containing Dante’s Inferno; clues to retrace his steps of the previous days. Furthermore, ‘Cerca trova-seek and ye shall find’ was apparently something Robert had read only a day back with the head of Palazzo Vecchio but reiterating his steps provoked an unanticipated plot twist! The quest turns out to be deterring a crisis on the brink of going global while the distinction between enemies and friends isn’t as clear as it has seemed. Inferno revolves around a problem that isn’t in enough limelight: overpopulation, and the different approaches of people on the subject. However, Robert’s amnesia tends to leave you in the dark for a large part of the novel with no clear plot in sight for chapters. In spite of this, it takes you on a tour of the whimsical canals of Venice, historical streets of Florence and the jam-packed lanes of Istanbul, creating a sense of diversity that keeps you hooked. The description, scientific and historical facts, jaw-dropping thriller, murder and romance elements in this book are impeccably balanced. Consequently, I would say this isn’t his best book but would definitely recommend this novel for all those mystery lovers out there. The book is great for an audience above 13 years. I give Inferno 4/5 stars.

The first Robert Langdon centered book along with Vittoria Vetra written by Dan Brown starts of when the symbologist professor at Harvard University(Robert) is summoned to Switzerland when a scientist from CERN is inhumanely murdered. Startling revelations are brought to light: the Illuminati, an ancient brotherhood has risen from the shadows and somewhere within the depths of Vatican City a bomb of unimaginable size will explode at midnight. The plot focuses on unmasking the clues left by Bernini himself to reach the Illuminati lair that has been concealed up to date to find the mastermind behind all this and to stop the bomb. As time is seemingly always on the pseudonymous murderer’s side, grave decisions are made, the truth is not what it seems, the impossible is made possible all while the College of Cardinals are in the process of electing a new Pope after the previous Pope’s untimely demise. Angles and Demons revolves around the different opinions of people on the debate between religion and science teaching us that both are a vital part of every human being. I personally found Angels and Demons an absolutely riveting experience on the whole. Dan Brown’s perfect mix of mystery, thriller and history is a work of art! The only thing that turned me off at some points in the thriller were the vivid descriptions of the method of murders. Other than that, I would not change even a word in this 620-page epic. Angels and Demons had me holding my breath up to the very last word. Hence, this book is perfect for all those who like ‘unputdownable mystery novels’. I would definitely recommend this for an audience above 13 years.