Customer Reviews

Inferno (Unabridged)

The critics, especially here in Britain, have been hyper-dismissive of INFERNO. Echoing Dan Brown's previous Robert Langdon adventures, it's easy to read - and easy to forget.

The medieval poet Dante provides the book with its title and most of the 'symbology' which is Brown's hallmark. He injects lumbering quantities of guidebook history in Florence and Venice and the city (I won't spoil the surprise) where the story reaches its climax. What he doesn't inject is very much originality. The plot is as threadbare as an early episode of DR WHO.

The critics are right to lambaste the author.The writing is pitifully bland. 'There are probably endless possibilities,' Langdon says at one point: nobody in his editorial team (he thanks them all by name) spotted the tautology? If Brown thinks that repeated use of the word 'chthonic' (relating to the Underworld) gives his book a touch of class, he is mistaken. At the end our hero and heroine are 'locked in an embrace that neither seemed willing to end' - there's a line Barbara Cartland would be (and probably is) proud of!

The law of diminishing returns is applying to Dan Brown's books. For all the hoopla, THE DA VINCI CODE wasn't as original or as pacy as ANGELS & DEMONS, Langdon's first foray; this latest episode (and THE LOST SYMBOL) would not have made it past the publisher's slush pile from an author without his track record. But Mr Brown rightly feels free to ignore his critics: like Liberace, he's laughing all the way to the bank.

[Reviewer is the author of SHAIKH-DOWN]

I actually wasn't going to buy Inferno given how woeful I considered The Lost Symbol to be; however, I received a copy of the book as a gift and plunged in, consuming the book in a matter of a couple of days. Whilst my earlier review of The Lost Symbol was quite positive in terms of what Brown was trying to do, large parts of my criticism of that book also apply here. The novel opens with an amnesiac Langdon waking up in a hospital room after apparently being shot in the head - we're not in Cambridge anymore Toto. I actually consider the opening of the book quite fresh; taking away Langdon's memory proves a successful literary technique for Brown, allowing him to effectively retrace Langdon's footsteps (and his own work in previous novels).

What follows is more of the same types of shenanigans we read about in Brown's previous efforts. There's a biological weapon (Angels & Demons), an assassin tracking Langdon (The Da Vinci Code), a litany of literary/art references (The Da Vinci Code) and a professor who seems far too in control. Part of what I loved about the early Langdon books was that they always showed Langdon as being out of his depth, a humble academic sucked into a situation he doesn't fully understand. He survived and saved the day through using his intellect and his instincts, making him a sort of bookish Indiana Jones. In short, he was a very good hero for the series. You'll note I'm using past tense for this; it's because he now has transformed into caricature. Everyone knows Langdon; museum curators, security guards, the Director of the World Health Organisation; basically wherever Langdon goes, he is known, accommodated, and assisted in his exploits. He isn't a man alone anymore, he's a man with a massive following and this is where the novel descends into the ring of Hell reserved for tired writers who rehash plots (Dante has a place for Brown, several actually, Circles 5, 8, and 9). Moreover, there isn't a building Langdon doesn't know in the novel; he's certainly quite the traveller, so much so that one wonders when he actually has time to write the books he's so famed for...

On the point of symbols, there aren't many. There's no deduction, there's no reasoning, there's just explanation after explanation of art, messages written in text which Langdon also knows all about. Due to the fact Langdon knows it all, and this does get rather annoying after a while, the reader is left with the distinct impression that they've read this novel before. In fact, we have. Several times. Brown's decision to give Langdon amnesia is actually very clever (or manipulative and devious) because it could be argued that the 'been here before' feeling one gets when turning the page is caused by Langdon's feeling of having been here before. However, I actually just think that Brown didn't have anything new to offer us and so he's rehashed old ideas whilst dressing them up as the déjà vu of an amnesiac.

The truly ridiculous part of the novel, however, is the WHO (World Health Organisation). I'm willing to accept that government agencies, global enforcement bodies etc. etc. are willing to consult academics from relevant fields when trying to assess threat levels. I'm willing to accept that such academics are in a privileged position to know things that others do not, thereby allowing them to play a pivotal role in helping avert disaster. What I am not willing to accept however, is that an organisation such as the WHO, or any other organisation for that matter, would entrust the mission of locating a biological weapon of mass destruction to a man who spends his life analysing symbols and obsessing about a Mickey Mouse watch he wears in order to not take himself so seriously. My hopes soared when the timepiece was lost but then, the Director of the WHO found it for him and returned it to his wrist, ready to tell time another day. I eye rolled here.

For me, the moment Langdon utters the words, as he does twice I believe, "It's a matter of life and death!" in the novel, I found myself rolling my eyes again. Langdon is an academic, not a field agent and yet the WHO were concerned when he stopped 'checking in' with them whilst in the field. Why was he in the field? Why are they trusting this man with anything beyond his area of expertise? Why did Dan Brown think this would fly? Oh the questions. Yet again Langdon is the ONLY one who can help. The ONLY one who knows. The ONLY one who can overcome a severe brain injury within hours and spend the rest of the novel running (not recommended as running increases blood pressure and could cause bleeding in the brain - not so for Langdon). In short, Robert Langdon is amazing. Too amazing. The more amazing he becomes, the more ridiculous the books become and, for me, we're really at critical mass in terms of the amazingness of Robert Langdon.

In my review of The Lost Symbol I wrote that Dan Brown has kind of exploited Langdon enough and should consider stopping writing him and move on to pastures new. With this novel, in my view, Dan Brown has made it clear that he should absolutely stop writing the character and move on. There's nothing new Langdon can do without the book either being so ridiculous it is caricature or so boring it becomes unreadable.

A quick word on Dan Brown's writing ability. Critical reviews of the book have focussed on the fact that Dan Brown isn't a tremendous writer. Let's be clear, he's not, but that doesn't matter. Just as a Michael Bay summer blockbuster will never be Citizen Kane, so too will a Dan Brown blockbuster never be able to accomplish the dizzy heights of Dumas, Bront�, Shakespeare or Proust. I don't expect Dan Brown to be an amazing writer because if he was the book would be an effort to read and that isn't what you need or want from a blockbuster. So whilst critics focus on Brown's inability to write brilliantly, I choose to largely ignore that because the book isn't intended to be a literary work of art. The skill is in the story, not the execution; it's just a shame that the story has been told before.

The book isn't bad, hence my three star rating, it's just overdone. Readers would probably get more out of reading The Da Vinci Code than reading the new novel and could actually get away with substituting The Last Supper in The Da Vinci Code and anti-matter in Angels & Demons with Dante's Inferno and still have read the new book; after all, that's essentially what Dan Brown has done in order to write it.

Review

Writing a review for a Dan Brown book is not an easy thing, he is one of the biggest selling authors out there. His Da'Vinci code achieved almost a cult following status, to even attempt any sort of critic would bring down the wrath of the Brown followers. (but what the heck)

For me personally the book has its good points as well as its bad points. There is a good plot buried within this book, but the book inst an over all great book.

I love thrillers filled with action and quirky unknown symbolism or archeology, and Robert Langdon should be able to deliver that. At times he does, at times I feel educated and feel the pace of the plot building. Then out of the blue Dan Brown decides to take on the role of Florentine, Venetian tour guide, or Dante Historian. Its not that I mind being educated, in fact I love learning this stuff, I really want to visit Florence now. BUT: the stories pace and power and writing style changes as the author introduces this stuff. All of a sudden I feel like I'm starting again, the brakes have been slammed on to the tension and it's lost, the pace is gone, and the purpose of the thriller writer is wasted, for the role of tour guide.

If you read a book by for example Andy McDermott, you will get explosive action, highs and lows and a continual build of tension through to a dramatic conclusion. This dramatic and heart pounding conclusion gets lost with Inferno because of all the tour guide info, and because of the style of its delivery. If the same info had been delivered as part of the narrative at a higher level and with the full content in authors notes at the end....? well this may have been a reading hit as much as it will sell just fr having Dan Browns name on the cover.

I have seen some criticism in reviews, of the science behind the book, on population expansion, and I don't agree with the criticism, I liked this part of the book, I also recommend reading this book when you have the flu and are a little spaced with a fever, because the global disease thing gets a freaky scary edge while you are struggling with the coughing and wheezing.. (a bit odd but there you go).

If I the lowly, unpublished novice could offer the multi million book selling writer any advice it would be to go back to basics, don't try so hard to educate and show your obvious intelligence to the reader. You're supposed to be writing a fast paced balls out conspiracy thriller, the reader wants a ride through their biggest fears, they want heart in the mouth action, you can be forgiven for almost implausible get away's, if the plot is fast. Save the education for the end, we readers do also read authors notes (and are happy to learn from them). But from a thriller we want action action action, plot plot plot, nothing wrong with salting some education along the way in a subtle fashion..but the tour guide while great, should be a separate book in the tour guide section.

I give this book 3/5 : like I said, I had fun and being sick helped. But this idea had 5/5 written all over it, it just needed better execution.

(Parm)

A side note: my son almost never reads, but he likes Dan Brown's books, so no matter what I think of the book, there are and will be many people out there who for them this is great. If Dan Brown can make people like my son pick up a book and read, well that's a great thing, and if it inspires others to write, who look at DB and think, WOW how much money? and they go out and write new, better, greater books, then DB has done something wonderfu

If I wanted to read a guide book then I'd consult Lonely Planet. The Da Vinci Code had obscure historical facts, but they were centred around a mystery and code that needed to be solved. Inferno just had descriptions about décor with no purpose other than to showcase Dan Brown's presumably lovely holiday in Italy.

And don't get me started on the ridiculous pseudo-science.

Dan Brown should decide whether he is writting thrillers or tourist guides. There is a plot in amongst endless pages describing the politcs, art and architecure of Florence. A little history is good but he has gone too far, and I fear it is simply padding for what will turn out to be a very predictable plot ending. Maybe Sienna will put her mega mensa rating to good use in the second half of the book. If I need to know more about the history of Florence I will use this book as a reference.

As a bit of a fan of the Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol, both of which I found cleverly plotted, fast-moving and entertaining in a guilty pleasures, warts-and-all sort of way, I expected a little more from this. Sadly, though, Inferno has all the poor qualities of the earlier books (in spades!) with a far smaller dollop of the better ones. The plotting was clumsy and a bit boring (come ON, please, no more waking up with insomnia, for crying out loud!! and give me a break with the ridiculous disguises!). The art and history were less cleverly interwoven - in fact it felt as though the wikipedia entries on Venice, Istanbul, Botticelli and Dante were chopped up, shuffled, lined up and a story stitched somewhat ineptly around them. And I'm pretty much sick and tired of our virtually indestructible but hapless symbologist. Lastly, the overarching theme of overpopulation was hackneyed and the main character we could call the baddie, or was it sort-of-goodie, had all the realism (cheesiness) of a Bond villain but with none of the fun. Oh dear! Skip it.

The worst Dan Brown book ever. I loved the Davinci Code & Angels & Demons but this book was more like an excuse for Brown to just show off his knowledge of Italian Architecture. The book dragged on endlessly, you need an Italian language degree because it leaps constantly from English to Italian every other word and hovered for too long on certain parts. The ending was totally rubbish...it felt as though Brown got as bored of writing this jumbled mess as I did of reading it.

This book was too drawn out for my liking, seemed like a guided tour around Italian cities, I got bored about a third of the way through
it, but stuck with it to the end.

I started this book with an open mind, expecting a routine thriller with some twists. What I got was a plotline that was so contrived and unconvincing that the publishers either did not read it or just reckoned that it would float on previous sales by Dan Brown.
The characters are two-dimensional, poorly developed and completely implausable. For more mature readers think of the Dallas Bobbie Ewing "I am not dead, I was just having a shower for the last 26 episodes" and that will give you an idea of how absurd the plot lines are in the book.
I must admit that I did laugh out loud at some points, so I did get some enjoyment from the book. How when swerving to a stop sitting on a motor trike between two parked cars. His pursuers flash past from the direction facing him. They dont see him but as they roar past he not only sees a woman looking drugged between two men, but also can describe her and the jewellery that she is wearing!
Or that his mensa companion never works out anything before him.
The amount of padding in the book would be enough to keep you warm on a chilly night, with paragraph after paragraph of descriptions of the history of buildings, even those just "on the way" to another building.
It is a good job Dante is long gone otherwise he would be asking for royalties for the repetitive use of whole sections of his work.
I could go on but I don't want to give away more of the paperthin plotline for those of you who, as some form of
punishment, still feel you are obliged to read this drivel.

This is a thinly veiled mix of travelogue and product placement.philosophical nonsense that unlike previous novels makes no attempt to pose a good whodunit in a new light but instead plays with a God complex to an ultimately banal extent. A waste of time and money.