Angels & Demons

Robert Langdon was asleep in his house when he was awoken from a cellphone call. Picking it up he hears the voice of the director of a powerful scientific organization called CERN. Robert is told that there has been a murder and that they need this help in finding out who committed it. Receiving a faxed picture, Robert sees a picture of scientist Leonardo Vetra naked on the floor with the ambigram Illuminati branded on his chest. Robert has waited several years to witness this design and accepts the offer to help. Getting on a plane he finds himself flying to Switzerland then to Rome and it's Vatican City, hunting for the Church of Illumination and a bomb that threatens the very existence of the Vatican itself.

The book is a wild chase through the ancient city of Rome, with twists and turns on Robert's quest to save the Vatican, Rome, and the four kidnapped Preferiti who will be voted on to become the next Pope. The storyline follows the theory of the Illuminati, a secret organization formed by Galileo against the church, and the theorized "Path of Illumination" created to guide those who were enlightened to the Church of Illumination.

Dan Brown has written a jackpot of action, passion, betrayal, twists, cliffhangers, and pure amazing in-your-face facts about the church, the Illuminati, and religion. His writing is detailed, exciting, and refreshingly witty as he tells the stories of the Illuminati, literally sucking you in, keeping your interest as you read. His characters are all three dimensional, keeping you on end, not letting you know who is good and who is bad - not counting the the Hassassin who is the killer.

This book is fantastic! I picked it up thinking that I wouldn't really enjoy it much. I read it because the movie was coming out and because I always have to read the book then see the movie or vice versa as a comparison, but I never thought I would fall in love with this one. Robert Langdon is so witty and so intelligent that for a fictional character he has a very attractive feel about him. This story is good for anyone who loves conspiracies and symbols, or anyone who likes adventure wrapped around history and it's legends.

The book gets a 5/5, hands down. It's a religious version of National Treasure (2004) and is equally as inviting and captivating. I highly recommend it to anyone who crosses my path looking for a great story.