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Origin by Dan Brown review – fun in its own galumphing way

In his fifth blockbuster outing, professor of symbology Robert Langdon takes on the battle between science and religion

O rigin is the fifth of Dan Brown’s gazillion-selling books starring Robert Langdon. As fans of 2003’s The Da Vinci Code will remember, Langdon is professor of religious symbology at Harvard. But, like renowned academic archaeologist Indiana Jones , you seldom see him marking term papers or preparing lectures.

Instead – in this case dressed in a tailcoat throughout – he spends his time careering between renowned buildings (the Bilbao Guggenheim , Barcelona’s Sagrada Família and so on) solving Crystal Maze -style puzzles, being chased by baddies and uncovering world-changing secrets.

It’s all very reassuring. As usual our hero has a “vivacious, strong-minded beauty” chastely in tow (despite being the future Queen of Spain, Ambra gets called by her first name; our hero is always “Langdon”). And the four aspects of his personality are all present and correct: the claustrophobia, the eidetic memory, the tendency to think in italics (“ What secret had Edmond unveiled? ”), and of course the Mickey Mouse watch, which I at first thought had been retired for, say, a Tissot – but there it is on page 376.

So: the story. This one’s all set in Spain. Langdon’s friend, an Elon Musk ish playboy tech genius called Edmond Kirsch, is giving a talk at the Guggenheim at which he promises to reveal the secret to life, the universe and everything – and which he promises will make all the world’s religions redundant at a stroke. But just as he’s giving his little PowerPoint presentation, an assassin shoots him and within the hour Langdon is on the run with Ambra (the aforementioned future Queen of Spain) in “a deadly game of cat-and-mouse”.

Langdon is essentially after Edmond’s password so that they can get the PowerPoint up and running again and change the world. But, of course, he doesn’t know whom to trust (apart from Winston, Edmond’s quantum-computer AI assistant, and the renowned future Queen of Spain) and the whole place is seething with sinister conservative archbishops, mysterious puppetmasters and Franco-fetishising schismatic sects. There’s even brief mention of an eyeless Anti-Pope, which lifts the spirits. After the baddies in the previous novels (one of whom boasted a “massive double-headed phoenix on his chest [which] glared … through nipple eyes like some kind of ravenous vulture”), the morose retired admiral who serves as the muscle in this one seems a bit beige.

I’m marginally below average at tumbling to where thrillers are going, and I guessed what was really going on – who was pulling the strings – by (actually, on) page 241, but that didn’t much hamper my enjoyment. And at the end, we get the secret of life, the universe and everything: the presentation unfolds over 30 cod-sciencey pages, and we learn how human life came to be (something to do with entropy) and what the future holds (something to do with technology). Yay!

Obviously, Brown hasn’t got any better at writing since his last outing. If there were an antonym for “unerring” – something that captured the way that over more than 400 pages he avoids producing a good sentence even by accident – it would be the one for Brown. He still lobs modifiers about like an out-of-control tennis machine. He still drops in Wikipedia-style paragraphs of factual boilerplate: “The Holy seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madrid – Catedral de la Almudena – is a robust neoclassical cathedral situated adjacent to Madrid’s Royal Palace …” “Uber’s ubiquitous ‘on-demand driver’ service had taken the world by storm over the past few years. Via a smartphone, anyone requiring a ride could instantly connect with a growing army of Uber drivers who made extra money by hiring out their cars as improvised taxis …”

Everything is “renowned”, “famed”, “famous”, “celebrated” or “well known”, such as “the well-known American professor Robert Langdon”, the “celebrated masterpiece … by French Postimpressionist Paul Gauguin ”, “the renowned 19th-century German philosopher” Nietzsche, or “the museum’s most famous work – El [sic] Guernica ”.

But complaining that Brown can’t write is like complaining that crisps are crunchy. And you know what? It doesn’t really matter at all. The book is fun in its galumphing way. And the longer he keeps earnestly plugging away, the more the reader warms to him. There’s a winning innocence to Brown’s work, especially as rather than just produce a chase thriller with added sudoku, he is determined to take on the most fundamental issues of human existence. Dan Brown: novelist of ideas.

Sam Leith’s Write to the Point is published by Profile on 12 October.

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by Dan Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 3, 2017

The plot is absurd, of course, but the book is a definitive pleasure. Prepare to be absorbed—and in more ways than one.

Another Brown ( Inferno , 2013, etc.) blockbuster, blending arcana, religion, and skulduggery—sound familiar?—with the latest headlines.

You just have to know that when the first character you meet in a Brown novel is a debonair tech mogul and the second a bony-fingered old bishop, you’ll end up with a clash of ideologies and worldviews. So it is. Edmond Kirsch, once a student of longtime Brown hero Robert Langdon, the Harvard symbologist–turned–action hero, has assembled a massive crowd, virtual and real, in Bilbao to announce he’s discovered something that’s destined to kill off religion and replace it with science. It would be ungallant to reveal just what the discovery is, but suffice it to say that the religious leaders of the world are in a tizzy about it, whereupon one shadowy Knights of Malta type takes it upon himself to put a bloody end to Kirsch’s nascent heresy. Ah, but what if Kirsch had concocted an AI agent so powerful that his own death was just an inconvenience? What if it was time for not just schism, but singularity? Digging into the mystery, Langdon finds a couple of new pals, one of them that computer avatar, and a whole pack of new enemies, who, not content just to keep Kirsch’s discovery under wraps, also frown on the thought that a great many people in the modern world, including some extremely prominent Spaniards, find fascism and Falangism passé and think the reigning liberal pope is a pretty good guy. Yes, Franco is still dead, as are Christopher Hitchens, Julian Jaynes, Jacques Derrida, William Blake, and other cultural figures Brown enlists along the way—and that’s just the beginning of the body count. The old ham-fisted Brown is here in full glory (“In that instant, Langdon realized that perhaps there was a macabre silver lining to Edmond’s horrific murder”; “The vivacious, strong-minded beauty had turned Julián’s world upside down”)—but, for all his defects as a stylist, it can’t be denied that he knows how to spin a yarn, and most satisfyingly.

Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-385-51423-1

Page Count: 461

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2017

SUSPENSE | THRILLER | SUSPENSE | TECHNICAL & MEDICAL THRILLER | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE

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Our Verdict

New York Times Bestseller

by Max Brooks ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z (2006).

A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine

Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020

GENERAL SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SCIENCE FICTION

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A CONSPIRACY OF BONES

by Kathy Reichs ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2020

Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival.

Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.

A week after the night she chases but fails to catch a mysterious trespasser outside her town house, some unknown party texts Tempe four images of a corpse that looks as if it’s been chewed by wild hogs, because it has been. Showboat Medical Examiner Margot Heavner makes it clear that, breaking with her department’s earlier practice ( The Bone Collection , 2016, etc.), she has no intention of calling in Tempe as a consultant and promptly identifies the faceless body herself as that of a young Asian man. Nettled by several errors in Heavner’s analysis, and even more by her willingness to share the gory details at a press conference, Tempe launches her own investigation, which is not so much off the books as against the books. Heavner isn’t exactly mollified when Tempe, aided by retired police detective Skinny Slidell and a host of experts, puts a name to the dead man. But the hints of other crimes Tempe’s identification uncovers, particularly crimes against children, spur her on to redouble her efforts despite the new M.E.’s splenetic outbursts. Before he died, it seems, Felix Vodyanov was linked to a passenger ferry that sank in 1994, an even earlier U.S. government project to research biological agents that could control human behavior, the hinky spiritual retreat Sparkling Waters, the dark web site DeepUnder, and the disappearances of at least four schoolchildren, two of whom have also turned up dead. And why on earth was Vodyanov carrying Tempe’s own contact information? The mounting evidence of ever more and ever worse skulduggery will pull Tempe deeper and deeper down what even she sees as a rabbit hole before she confronts a ringleader implicated in “Drugs. Fraud. Breaking and entering. Arson. Kidnapping. How does attempted murder sound?”

Pub Date: March 17, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9821-3888-2

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: Dec. 22, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020

GENERAL MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | SUSPENSE | THRILLER | DETECTIVES & PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS | SUSPENSE | GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER

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Book Reviews

Origin by Dan Brown: Book Review

Title: Origin Author: Dan Brown Series: Robert Langdon #5 Genre: Mystery , Thriller Audience: Adult Format: E-book

Overdrive Synopsis:

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist, and one of Langdon’s first students. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced to flee. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch. They travel to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret. Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade an enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace. They uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery…and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us.

I freely admit that I find Dan Brown to be a mediocre writer at best, BUT I am willing to overlook that because he grabs my attention with some new ideas and I can’t put his books down until I see where he’s going. I just couldn’t get into this particular book as much as I usually do.

I noted at 22% on my Kindle that I didn’t think the actual plot was ever going to begin. Ironically, things started happening in the next chapter. Everything to that point was description and fairly useless exposition. I normally read pretty quickly but I dreaded the abyss of nowhere that this book was going and had to force myself to pick it up. I spent hours of my life trying to get through about 30 minutes of Robert’s. Holy moly.

Once it did get started we were back on solid Langdon ground. Conspiracies, unanswered questions, shadowy puppeteers…. You know the drill. But even this part didn’t feel quite up to my usual expectations.

And then there’s the ending. Let’s just say I had suspected it for about half the book.

And… I just talked myself down from a 3-star rating to 2 stars.

I’ll continue with the series but this one was a letdown.

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• Deception Point by Dan Brown
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Buy Origin from Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville, NC.

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I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews on this one. Disappointing, I bet.

It really was.

I didn’t even realise Langdon was still solving stuff! I used to enjoy Dan Brown but yeah, they all kind of follow the same formula.

I just checked and it looks like I’m all caught up with Robert Langdon at book #5. I wonder if there will be more? They are definitely formulaic but sometimes that’s exactly what I’m looking for. This one obviously didn’t hold up very well though.

I’m not a huge Dan Brown fan, but there’s something to be said for knowing what you’re going to get from a book! My biggest issue with the books of his I’ve read is that the action didn’t have enough pauses so the pacing was off.

Once the action gets started, it really doesn’t stop, that’s for sure! I think that’s part of what keeps me reading them. I need to know what happens next! This book took FOREVER to get started though.

Oh ugh. It’s frustrating to me when an action book takes a long time to get to the actual action.

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Book Review

Book Review: Origin by Dan Brown (Robert Langdon Series #5)

Author:  Dan Brown

Series: Robert Langdon: Book 5

Publisher:  Doubleday

Genre:  Mystery, Thriller, Historical Fiction

First Publication: 2017

Language:  English

Major Characters: Robert Langdon, Ambra Vidal, Edmond Kirsch, Winston AI, Antonio Valdespino, Yehuda Köves, Syed al-Fadl, Admiral Ávila, Mónica Martín, Fonseca, Rafa Díaz, Suresh Bhalla, Beña, Prince Julián

Setting Places: Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain), Bilbao (Spain), Madrid (Spain), Budapest (Hungary)

Narration: Third Person Omniscient Narrator

Preceded by:  Inferno

Followed by: 

Book Summary: Origin by Dan Brown

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.”

The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon’s first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough… one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence.

As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever.

“Well, science and religion are not competitors, they’re two different languages trying to tell the same story. There’s room in this world for both.”

Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret. Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace itself… and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch.

On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery . . . and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us. Origin is Dan Brown’s most brilliant and entertaining novel to date.

Book Review: Origin by Dan Brown

I have read Dan Brown’s books faithfully ever since the  The Da Vinci Code  came out in 2003.

Dan Brown writes amazing stories, even more though since he writes about buildings, groups, items, symbols that exist and it makes you wonder.

Origin is another wild Dan Brown adventure! Dan Brown’s books are like James Bond movies: a fast-paced thriller about religious conflicts, art history, code-breaking, and an incredible secret that can change the world. Origin by Dan Brown fits right into that category, making me read until late at night to see if Robert Langdon and his sidekick would make it.

“May our philosophies keep pace with our technologies. May our compassion keep pace with our powers. And may love, not fear, be the engine of change.”

At the heart of Origin by Dan Brown there are two questions: Where do we come from ? Where are we going?

Both equally fascinating but also very much controversial. I’m someone who loves controversial topics. Critical thinking. Stepping outside the box. It fascinates me. And Origin by Dan Brown had all of the above. I totally agree with the author.

Origin by Dan Brown, the fifth outing for Robert Langdon, Harvard symbiology and religious professor, is much the same. When the book begins, Robert is just arriving at the famous Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend a major announcement by Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose high-tech inventions and bold predictions have made him a renowned global figure and hero to many.

Kirsch, a former student and mentee of Langdon’s, is about to unveil a controversial discovery that he promises will change the face of science forever by answering the fundamental questions of human existence itself.

“Sometimes, all you have to do is shift your perspective to see someone else’s truth.”

However, during the presentation, Kirsch is shot and killed before he can share his discovery, forcing Robert to flee with Ambra Vidal, the museum director who staged the event with Kirsch. Together, they go on the run to Barcelona on a quest to locate the cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s discovery.

Dealing with hidden history and extreme religious figures, Robert and Ambra must evade those who want Kirsch’s secret hidden from the world, and uncover clues in modern art and symbols that will lead them to Kirsch’s striking discovery.

“Historically, the most dangerous men on earth were men of God…especially when their gods became threatened.”

Although the formula remains unchanged, Brown does a good job in setting up this adventure and laying out the foundation of the story. The beginning flows well and doesn’t feel rushed or forced. Characters are introduced in a multi-layered manner, flashing between the current moment and their background story that brought them to this point.

This sets up nicely for Kirsch to begin his presentation, be killed before the big reveal, and the dramatic chase begins for our fearless hero and heroine.

One of the interesting aspects was that, except for the beginning and ending scenes, Robert and Ambra are not on the front stage as much as in prior books. They have some important scenes solving puzzles to discover Kirsch’s password to his discovery, but the other characters played more primary roles in driving the multiple plots throughout the book.

There are several of them, including Navy admiral and assassin, Luis Avila; Jewish Rabbi Koves; Catholic Bishop Valdespino, advisor to the King; Prince Julian of Spain and the fiancée of Ambra; Commander Diego Garza and agent Diaz of the elite Spanish security force trying to protect the King and Prince; Monica Martin, Spain’s PR Coordinator, a real wild card; and of course, Winston, Kirsch’s unique AI computer system that partners with Robert throughout the story. Each plays a significant part in the overall storyline.

“Remember death. Even for those who wield great power, life is brief. There is only one way to triumph over death, and that is by making our lives masterpieces. We must seize every opportunity to show kindness and to love fully.”

In addition to the characters, Dan Brown places a large emphasis on art, religious history, and Spanish architecture. Each of course is woven into the background and tapestry of the story being told in ways that Brown is famous for. When it comes to the ending and the big reveal of where mankind came from and is going, I will not share any spoilers. What I will say is that there is a lot of scientific theory and modelling involved, to the point of almost overwhelming the reader.

However, I found the answer to one of the two questions to be very interesting and thought-provoking. I leave it to each reader to decide their thoughts on the two answers for themselves and how they viewed the discovery. I am sure there will be lots of arguing and debating over the points that Dan Brown makes and whether you favor creationism or evolution, the argument of science and religion will continue to rage regardless of the ideas expressed in this book.

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Book Review: Origin

I know Dan Brown has a lot of critics who say that his books have become too formulaic, that they follow a predictable pattern.  While I won’t deny that may be true, especially with respect to his Robert Langdon series, I will also be the first to stand up and say “So what?”  I personally LOVE the formula and get ridiculously excited every time I hear that a new Dan Brown book is coming out.  I’m not sure what it is about Brown’s books that consistently draw me in – in some ways, I think they bring out my inner conspiracy theorist – but whatever the draw is, he always sucks me in from the first page and keeps me turning the pages well into the night.  And Origin was no exception.  I devoured its nearly 500 pages in less than two days!

For those unfamiliar with Robert Langdon, he is a professor of symbology and religious iconography at Harvard University.  He has become somewhat of a household name in academic circles as his expertise in those subject areas have helped to uncover and stop some pretty major conspiracies over the years.  In Origin , Langdon has been invited to an event at the prestigious Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain by one of his former students, Edmond Kirsch.  Kirsch, who is now a 40 year-old billionaire and futurist, plans to make an announcement at this event.  He claims to have made a discovery which he believes will change the face of science and will turn all of the world’s religions upside down. Kirsch says that his discovery answers two of the most fundamental questions of human existence:  1) Where do we come from?  and 2) Where are we going?  Because his announcement involves Langdon’s specialty, Religion, Kirsch wanted to have his former professor present at the announcement.

As soon as the presentation begins, Langdon senses that Kirsch’s announcement will be controversial and that it will have the potential to send shockwaves through the religious community.  Prior to the big reveal, however, tragedy strikes and Kirsch is assassinated before he can unveil his discovery.  In the midst of the ensuing chaos, Langdon makes a split second decision that could put his own life in danger –  if someone was willing to kill Kirsch rather than let his discovery see the light of day, then Langdon owes it to Kirsch to not let his secret die with him.  Langdon teams up with Ambra Vidal, the museum director who was most closely working with Kirsch on the details of his presentation and announcement. Vidal knows that Kirsch’s presentation was protected by a cryptic password and that without that password, they have no way of unlocking the truth.  So begins a quest to discover Kirsch’s password that takes Langdon and Vidal on a path marked by modern art, enigmatic symbols, and of course danger once those who killed Kirsch realize what Langdon and Vidal are trying to do.

Will Langdon be able to unlock the mystery of Kirsch’s discovery? And if so, what ramifications will Kirsch’s discovery have on the rest of the world?  Where do we come from?  Where are we going?

Okay, so I’m going to start simple here and say that I just love Robert Langdon . There’s not a lot to Langdon in terms of character development because Brown’s novels are primarily plot-driven, but I just really enjoy watching Langdon get his geek on when it comes to following and deciphering religious-based clues. He can find meaning in the most seemingly insignificant symbol and even five books into the series, it never ceases to fascinate me.  I also love that he’s kind of a famous nerd, and that as brilliant as he is when it comes to symbology and religious iconography, he still has this sense of fun and quirkiness about him. I mean, seriously, the guy wears an antique Mickey Mouse watch!  And I know Tom Hanks was cast to play Langdon in the movies, but in my mind, Langdon doesn’t look like Tom Hanks. Instead, he looks like Harrison Ford. So yeah, Langdon is a handsome, nerdy guy with a Mickey Mouse watch. What’s not to love?

Another aspect of the Langdon series I’ve always enjoyed involves the setting .  Dan Brown always places the trail of clues Langdon must find and unravel in such exciting cities.  In Angels & Demons , he took us through the streets of Rome, and in the DaVinci Code, we traveled through Paris and London. The Lost Symbol then took us through Washington, D.C., while Inferno transported us to Florence, Venice, and even Istanbul.  Origin doesn’t slack in the setting department either as it transports us to the glorious cities of Bilbao, Madrid, and Barcelona.  If you want to travel without ever leaving your reading chair, pick up a Dan Brown book and off you’ll go!

I also think that, formulaic or not, Brown does a masterful job of building up the suspense in his novels.  He structures the narrative so that we get alternating chapters between different characters in the story – some of whom are, like Langdon, clearly protagonists, while others are clearly antagonists who are trying to stop Langdon.  I liked not only seeing the story unfold from both sides of the equation at the same time, but also feeling the suspense build as each side inched forward toward their ultimate goal. The question of “Who’s going to get there first?” coupled with the desire to know the truth about Kirsch’s discovery really drives the story forward at a rapid clip.  I just couldn’t put the book down until I knew everything.

Origin also doesn’t disappoint in the action department.  The story is infused with danger and action-packed scenes as Langdon and Vidal try to stay one step ahead of those who are desperate to stop them!

The one issue I have consistently had with the Robert Langdon series is that Langdon always seems to end up paired with a beautiful woman on his quest for the truth.  These pairings are never really romantic — the pair is usually just sifting through clues and bouncing ideas off of one another while trying to keep from getting killed by whoever doesn’t want the truth to come out — so that’s not my issue.  But when it happened again in Origin , I found myself wondering why it’s always a woman.  I think it’s time for Langdon to team up and geek out over symbols and religious iconography with another guy.  Langdon needs a bro-mance !

I adore Dan Brown’s novels and Origin is no exception to that.  Do I think his works are destined to be considered great works of literature?  No, probably not.  But that said, they are consistently entertaining and intense, and now that I’ve finished the fifth book in the series, I’m already hoping that there will be a sixth.  So, if you’re looking for an action-packed thrill ride that will also make you think about potentially life-changing questions like “Where do we come from?” and “Where are we going?” then I’d definitely say to give Origin a read. And if you’ve never read any of the Langdon series, I’d most highly recommend Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code . Those were both 5 star reads for me.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS: Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon’s first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence. As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret. Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace itself… and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery… and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us.  

About Dan Brown

Dan Brown is the author of numerous #1 bestselling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, which has become one of the best selling novels of all time as well as the subject of heated debate among readers and scholars. Brown’s novels are published in 52 languages around the world with 200 million copies in print.

In 2005, Brown was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME Magazine, whose editors credited him with “keeping the publishing industry afloat; renewed interest in Leonardo da Vinci and early Christian history; spiking tourism to Paris and Rome; a growing membership in secret societies; the ire of Cardinals in Rome; eight books denying the claims of the novel and seven guides to read along with it; a flood of historical thrillers; and a major motion picture franchise.”

The son of a mathematics teacher and a church organist, Brown was raised on a prep school campus where he developed a fascination with the paradoxical interplay between science and religion. These themes eventually formed the backdrop for his books. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy, where he later returned to teach English before focusing his attention full time to writing. He lives in New England with his wife.

Brown’s latest novel, Origin, explores two of the fundamental questions of humankind: Where do we come from? Where are we going?

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Superb review! The Robert Langdon books are so much fun to read! I’ve read them all and just like you, I’m hoping for a sixth! I just can’t seem to get enough of him!

Great review! I love Dan Brown’s books, too. They are so action-packed and move so quickly, they’re hard to put down. I love all the research he does, even if it feels like info-dumps sometimes – I feel like I’m learning something or visiting a new place. This book was fun because I’ve been to the Gaudi cathedral, so I loved his descriptions of it. My only issue with his books is that that big reveals take so long to get to! The whole time I was reading I just wanted to know what this great announcement was!

I really enjoyed your review – thank you for sharing your passion and enjoyment of this series:)

I didn’t read this one. My husband who started reading it said the pacing wears off towards the end and so I didn’t think of picking it up. Maybe some day I will. But this is not in the priority list

Wonderful review! It’s always great enjoying a favorite author’s books. I tried reading DaVinci Code years ago when it came out because my one girlfriend was raving about it, but it was a DNF for me. I haven’t tried Dan Brown since, I might have to try again one day. Origin sounds like a very exciting read.

Your review was amazing! I’ve only read Inferno by Dan Brown and although I really enjoyed it, I do believe he puts a little too much detail when describing for my liking. However, that won’t stop me from picking up Origin!

I have only read two of Brown’s books, but they were so much fun. I know he gets a lot of criticism thrown at him, but I have enjoyed what I’ve read by him so far. I am glad you liked this one!

I’m glad to find someone else who enjoys Brown’s books. I just love how they’re always such an adventure.

Ahhh, I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it so much!! And I LOVED your review — it cuts right through to exactly why I love Robet Langdon so much! I can’t quite imagine anyone but Tom Hanks in the role… though I must admit too your mention of Harrison Ford came close to converting me! Also — IA Langdon needs a bromance at this stage. The interchangeable female characters need a break.

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The World According to Dan Brown

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By Sarah Lyall

• Sept. 30, 2017

RYE BEACH, N.H. — Anyone who has read Dan Brown ’s work — and with 200 million copies of his books in print, you know who you are — is familiar with his signature technique of inserting little chunks of expository information into the narrative. Among the topics addressed in his latest thriller, “Origin”: the wide-ranging talents of Winston Churchill, the elusive appeal of abstract art, the exciting peculiarities of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia cathedral and the latest insane developments in the world of artificial intelligence.

This is central to the Brown approach, because he himself prefers literature that is instructive and, ideally, not wholly invented. “I feel like if I’m going to take time reading, I better be learning,” he said recently. He was sitting in his large and cunningly designed house here in the New Hampshire countryside. Of his novels, he said: “This is the kind of fiction I would read if I read fiction.”

“Origin” is Mr. Brown’s eighth novel. It finds his familiar protagonist, the brilliant Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconography Robert Langdon, embroiled once more in an intellectually challenging, life-threatening adventure involving murderous zealots, shadowy fringe organizations, paradigm-shifting secrets with implications for the future of humanity, symbols within puzzles and puzzles within symbols and a female companion who is super-smart and super-hot.

As do all of Mr. Brown’s works, the new novel does not shy away from the big questions, but rather rushes headlong into them. Here the question is: Can science make religion obsolete?

As the story begins, Edmond Kirsch — “billionaire computer scientist, futurist, inventor and entrepreneur” — is preparing to present a new discovery to an eager crowd (and to the world, via the internet) at the Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain. He has promised that this announcement, the details of which are enticingly withheld until the very end of the book, will upend people’s view of religion by proving irrefutably that life can be created using the laws of science, thus excising God from the equation. ( The theory is real , borrowed from the M.I.T. physicist Jeremy England.)

“Origin,” is to be published by Doubleday Oct. 3, with an initial printing of 2 million copies, eventually extending to several dozen countries in 42 languages, according to the publisher. Readers will find in it a familiar swirl of big ideas and nonstop action, so that those who aren’t enchanted by the erudition can find relief in the plot, and vice versa.

Mr. Brown, 53, spent four years writing and researching the book. He is nothing if not disciplined. He rises at 4 a.m. each day and prepares a smoothie comprising “blueberries, spinach, banana, coconut water, chia seeds, hemp seeds and … what’s the other kind of seed?” he asked. “Flax seeds, and this sort of weird protein powder made out of peas.” He also makes so-called bulletproof coffee, with butter and coconut oil, which he says changes “the way your brain processes the caffeine” so as to sharpen your mind.

His computer is programmed to freeze for 60 seconds each hour, during which time Mr. Brown performs push-ups, situps and anything else he needs to do. Though he stops writing at noon, it’s hard for him to get the stories out of his head. “It’s madness,” he said of his characters. “They talk to you all day.”

Mr. Brown’s books have made him rich, but he does not have the aura of a rich person. His house, concealed behind gates, is not so much the home of a flashy millionaire as that of a person with the means to alter his surroundings in any wildly idiosyncratic way he (and his wife) want to.

He showed me around on condition that I didn’t present the house as “incredibly ostentatious.”

No, more like fantastically bonkers. Push a button on a library shelf, and it swings around to reveal a secret shelf that contains the first Brown book (“The Giraffe, the Pig, and The Pants On Fire,” written when he was 5) and an exotic scientific-looking object that turns out to be the antimatter prop used in the film of “Angels and Demons.” Touch the corner of a painting in the living room, and it slides aside to expose a hidden room whose walls are decorated with gold records, awarded to Mr. Brown as a result of vast audiobook sales in Germany.

Outside a bathroom is an antique Bible opened to Job 38:11 — “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.” (“That means it’s occupied,” Mr. Brown said.) The inside of the door is covered top to bottom with a replica of a page from one of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, written in backward handwriting. “It’s one of his famous quotes, which you cannot read until you close this door and position yourself on the toilet or at the sink and read it in the mirror,” Mr. Brown said.

Here is Leonardo’s celebrated painting “The Virgin of the Rocks,” or at least the reproduction used in the film of “The Da Vinci Code.”

Also, look over there. It’s the “Mona Lisa,” smiling enigmatically from her canvas on a different wall.

“That’s a reproduction too, to save you from asking,” Mr. Brown said. (Such is the power Mr. Brown can exert on an institution that even the haughty Louvre, which has the real paintings, offers “Da Vinci Code”-themed tours and admits on its website that the book and film have increased “Mona Lisa’s” popularity.)

The house is also full of paintings, sculptures and unexpected additional works by Mr. Brown’s wife, Blythe, who has a taste for the macabre. A dining room sideboard contains a tableau featuring taxidermied animals like a fox and a pheasant; a table in the kitchen holds a Hieronymus Bosch-like sculpture replete with tiny skeletons and other objects churning together in a hellish configuration.

“Blythe has a fixation with death,” Mr. Brown said cheerfully. “Once she literally took me on a date to a cemetery.” The two met more than 20 years ago in Los Angeles, where Mr. Brown moved after graduating from Amherst College. He grew up in Exeter, N.H., and went to high school at Phillips Exeter Academy, where his father taught math. (I was at the school as well and knew him slightly.)

At the time, Mr. Brown was a not-successful musician; his future wife, more than a decade older than he is, was the director of artistic development at the National Academy for Songwriters. Because of their unequal work relationship, they dated in secret for seven years, Mr. Brown said, at one point even attending the Grammys together, along with fake dates, to conceal the romance.

Among other features of their house: a shirt signed by the members of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning soccer team; a cantilevered staircase built right out of the wall, with no supports from above or below; and two pillars that are exact replicas of those in Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, which appeared in “The Da Vinci Code” and was quickly overrun by Brown enthusiasts searching for the Holy Grail.

Downstairs, there’s a medieval suit of armor, moved here after an unsuccessful sojourn in a more prominent spot.

“We built a niche for it in the library, and it was just overkill,” Mr. Brown said. “It sort of felt like ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ or something.”

Mr. Brown does not have a lot in common with Edmond Kirsch, the futurologist and entrepreneur of his book, but they do share a car: the Tesla Model X , the least expensive version of which costs about $80,000. Among other things, it can drive and park itself.

Its owner seems a little bit bemused to find himself in possession of such a rarefied object. “I’m not a car person,” he said. “Three years after ‘The Da Vinci Code’ came out, I still had my old, rusted Volvo. And people are like, ‘Why don’t you have a Maserati?’ It never occurred to me. It wasn’t a priority for me. I just didn’t care.”

Eventually, he bought a Lexus hybrid SUV, and then after that a Tesla sports car, which also did not sit easily with him.

“I felt like a jerk,” he said. “ I felt like I needed a gold chain and a ponytail or something. This one feels like the minivan of Teslas.”

He and I got into the car, which indeed looked kind of minivan-esque until it accelerated from 0 to 60 in under three seconds, right in the (not very long) driveway, and then switched lanes by itself on the highway.

We were on the way to Exeter, where Mr. Brown was going to a service in honor of his mother, who died several months ago. (“Origin” is dedicated to her; her initials, C.G.B., appear, very faintly, on the back cover of the book.) Mr. Brown credits his father, now 81, with instilling in him a love of science, math and intellectual puzzles, and his mother, who was religious but became disillusioned with church politics, with instilling in him a wonder for the mysteries of the world.

Though Mr. Brown comes out strongly in favor of science, both in person and in his novels, he cannot give up the possibility that there is something else out there.

“It’s probably an intellectual weakness,” he said, “but I look at the stars and I say, ‘there’s something bigger than us out there.’ ”

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For readers and writers, origin – book review.

Dan Brown’s latest offering follows the continuing adventures of Harvard Professor and Symbologist Robert Langdon. Seeming not to run out of connections that enable him to attend exclusive museum events (that inevitably land him in trouble), he finds himself at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, where his ex-student Edmund Kirsch is about to launch a multi-media presentation of a discovery that he promises will shock the world.

Specifically, the discovery is set to rock the very foundation of all forms of religion by using science to answer two of life’s unanswerable questions: Where did we come from? Where are we going?

The author sticks to the formula that made him a best-selling author in the first place: an historical city as a setting, the pitting of science against religion, the weaving of art into the plot, a female sidekick and a scavenger hunt for clues that will ultimately lead to a discovery of epic proportions.

A reader can always expect a Dan Brown book to be meticulously researched and rich in detail. However, portions of the book read like a museum guidebook rather than a work of fiction and he falls short of seamlessly weaving his research into his actual narrative.

Dan Brown first gained fame when he brought what was already an established theory about the divinity of Jesus Christ into mainstream attention. The fact that the Roman Catholic Church condemned The Da Vinci Code only increased its notoriety, which led to a proportionate increase in sales.

So it’s only natural for the author to want to stick to this “anti-religion” theme, this time by tackling the one area where science and religion are – and perhaps always will be – at an impasse: the story of creation.

The Big Bang Theory vs. The Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve vs. Homo Erectus, in short, the origin of man is a theme that is explored in detail in the book. The problem is, it fails to capture the reader’s interest as much as secret organizations guarding a centuries-old secret and the book loses much of its steam two-thirds of the way into the book. Even the “big reveal” – the secret of where man is going – felt a little anti-climactic after so many lives have been lost to keep it a secret.

Part of the book is a satirical commentary on current society’s obsession with technology and social media. It is a subtle dig against a world that seems to be moving too fast for its own good, where scientific advancement is measured in years instead of decades.

If one is observant enough, one will find that the author actually hints at this all throughout the book, starting with the unique, personalized tour experienced by Robert Langdon at the Guggenheim up to the fact that the renowned symbologist actually does less in this book than in others because someone – or something – else is doing much of the legwork for him.

Even the novel’s main plot twist seems to be a manifestation of Dan Brown’s belief that man will eventually succumb to technology if we carry on letting it control so much of our lives the way we do.

Ultimately, Origin is miles away from what we still consider Dan Brown’s best book, Angels and Devils. While aspects of the book are good, and Dan Brown is a good enough writer for this to still be readable, it lacks the seamlessness and tight plotting of the former. This book, and its rather underwhelming story and anti-climactic ending, is proof positive that an artist’s (or writer’s in this case) longevity relies on constant reinvention.

I think Dan Brown can no longer trust on shock value and notoriety to save the day; there is a need for him to come up with fresher ideas or else he will fade into obscurity faster than you can say ‘Tom Hanks’.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

This guest post was contributed by Miss Blabbaholic . This blog is about music, travel, life in London but mostly its for people who share my passion for books. 

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5 thoughts on “ origin – book review ”.

I hope Origin isn’t as flat as this review, exceptionally written as it is, makes it seam. I’m a big Dan Brown fan, and my favorite is The Lost Symbol, but I’m half afraid to read Origin because I do not want to be disappointed by the awesome Dan Brown at all.

Im a big Dan Brown fan myself and i bought this book on release day feeling really excited. Its still a good book to read and i think fans will still be able to appreciate it but I think I’ve reached a point where I’ve read every one of his books and I need something new from him. you might have a better opinion of it, im aware that this is all subjective. Read it and let me know what you think! :)

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I agree. While I haven’t read Origin , I think it’s time for both Dan Brown and Tom Hanks to retire Robert Langdon. The problem Brown is always going to have with this character/formula is that he’ll never find or devise an historical mystery as compelling as the one in The Da Vinci Code , so any sequel is bound to be a letdown. It’s time for him to come up with a new hero, without the baggage of Robert Langdon, and a change of genre (or subgenre). He certainly can afford, at this point in his career, to stretch outside his comfort zone…

Exactly. I find it hard to believe that either Robert Langdon or Tom Hanks still have the stamina to go through these adventures. They MUST be getting on in age. Lol

I read The Code and all of his other books and I am a fan of his but I need something fresher. The stories are predictable.

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Origin : Book summary and reviews of Origin by Dan Brown

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by Dan Brown

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Published Oct 2017 480 pages Genre: Literary Fiction Publication Information

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Book summary.

A stunningly inventive new novel from the world's most popular thriller writer.

Whoever You Are. Whatever You Believe. Everything Is About To Change. Bilbao, Spain   Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend a major announcement - the unveiling of a discovery that "will change the face of science forever." The evening's host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon's first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough ... one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence. As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch's precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch's secret. Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain's Royal Palace itself... and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch's shocking discovery ... and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us. Origin is stunningly inventive - Dan Brown's most brilliant and entertaining novel to date.

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Reader reviews.

"The plot is absurd, of course, but the book is a definitive pleasure. Prepare to be absorbed—and in more ways than one." - Kirkus "Dan Brown is back with another thriller so moronic you can feel your IQ points flaking away like dandruff... All this might be worth enduring if the story's infinitely hyped revelations didn't finally show up at the end of a trial of blood sounding like an old TED Talk. Kirsch's posthumous answers to the big questions — Where did we come from? Where are we going? — will surprise no one technologically savvy enough to operate a cellphone. Darwinians, fundamentalists, atheists and believers: Pray that this cup pass from you." - The Washington Post, Ron Charles "As he does in all his novels, Brown spackles over any weaknesses in the plot with the richness of his true-to-life details. His extensive research on art, architecture, and history informs every page. Rating: B." - Entertainment Weekly "Tackling the scientific and philosophical underpinnings of God's role (or lack thereof, depending on your beliefs) in our existence within an action-adventure is an idea full of fascinating potential. Unfortunately with Origin, Brown's theory needs more evolution." - USA Today

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Dan Brown Author Biography

Dan Brown is the author of many bestselling novels, including the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Da Vinci Code . He is a graduate of Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy, where he spent time as an English teacher before turning his efforts fully to writing. In 1996, Dan’s interest in code-breaking and covert government agencies led him to write his first novel, Digital Fortress , which quickly became a #1 national bestselling eBook. Set within the clandestine National Security Agency, the novel explores the fine line between civilian privacy and national security. Brown’s follow-up techno-thriller, Deception Point , centered on similar issues of morality in politics, national security, and classified technology. The son of a Presidential Award winning math ...

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Fans of The Da Vinci Code rejoice! Professor Robert Langdon is again solving the mysteries of the universe. – People Magazine

A brisk new book that pits creationism against science, and is liable to stir up as much controversy as The Da Vinci Code did. In Origin, the brash futurist Edmond Kirsch comes up with a theory so bold, so daring that, as he modestly thinks to himself in Brown’s beloved italics, “It will not shake your foundations. It will shatter them.” Kirsch is of course addressing The World, because that’s the scale on which Brown writes. Brown and serious ideas: they do fit together, never more than they have in Origin. – Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Origin asks the questions Where do we come from? Where are we going? They are questions about humanity–but they could just as easily be questions about Robert Langdon. The Mickey Mouse watch-wearing, claustrophobic, always-near-trouble symbology professor is back in Dan Brown’s latest book. And just like he was in his original exploits (Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code), Dr. Langdon is once again wrapped up in a global-scale event that could have massive ramifications on the world’s religions. As he does in all his novels, Brown[‘s] extensive research on art, architecture, and history informs every page. – Entertainment Weekly

Entertaining…Loyal fans of his globetrotting symbologist Robert Langdon will no doubt be thrilled with the fifth book in the series. – USA Today

Dan Brown is once again taking on the big questions: God and science and the future of the world. Origin is a familiar blend of travelogue, history, conspiracies and whodunit, with asides on everything from the poetry of William Blake to the rise and fall of fascism in Spain. – Associated Press

The bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code is back with a new book that looks to the future. Origin features many of Brown’s signature themes. An evil, Catholic-adjacent cult, in this case the Palmarian Church, is behind some murders. Gems from art history are the key to solving the mystery. [And] if the reader is in it for the thrill and the twist, the faithful will be glad to hear that there’s a Da Vinci Code-esque background to Robert Langdon’s mission. – The New Republic

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Origin (Robert Langdon #5)

Dan Brown’s next novel, Origin, is the fifth book in the Da Vinci Code series. It was released on 3rd Oct 2017 and no doubt was the most awaited book for the fans of Dan Brown.

Origin by Dan Brown is in the trademark style of Brown with cleverly weaved elements including science, codes, religion, history, art, and architecture. Above all, this new novel by Dan Brown has the most popular character of the series, Robert Langdon who is a Harward Symbologist.

Book Review: Origin by Dan Brown

The story starts when Robert was called to attend a presentation in Spain of his former student, Edmond Kirsch. Edmond is a self-proclaimed atheist and futurist with amazing technology.

As the mass chaos approached, Robert was left with a magnificent queen of Spain in a rush to Barcelona to unravel the mysterious presentation before the night is over.

Origin is the thrilling story of Robert Langdon who is in the quest of solving two most important mysteries for mankind and a ground-breaking discovery holds the answers to them. The revelations of this presentation will change the history of Mankind forever.

Now, Langdon has to not only find the murderer of Edmond, but he also has to look for a code of 47 characters. However, without this code, Langdon and the world will never witness the huge expected change.

These discoveries will make you ponder over the questions like Where we come from? Where we go?. Dan Brown tries to shake off the lands of Religions and Science. The book has covered the most burning modern topics which are contradictory and uncontrollable.

Your favorite hero, Langdon, was first time introduced by Dan Brown in his novel Angels and Demon. Since then, he had his own fictional journey. He was also featured in Inferno, Da Vinci Code, and  Lost Symbols. 

The only common thing about this Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown is its main character. Otherwise, the story of the books is entirely different from each other and contains its own essence.

This one of the top-selling novels is a unique blend of electrifying storytelling, historical reinterpretation, and genius code making.

Our Thoughts on Origin by Dan Brown

Not on a single page, you will feel like being bored. Every word will spellbind you and will intrigue you to read more and know more about the different religious organization. You would be mesmerized to digest the truth in such an anticipated way.

The other best thing about reading this book is I felt like I had traveled to Spain and Barcelona. Though I had never been there and that is the beauty of Dan Brown’s writing. The eloquent description of the locations, architects, organizations, and landscapes had transited me to the places where the story unfolds itself.

But as a reader, I must say that I kind of predicted the ending. The mystery was not so strong as expected by Dan Brown and you might also find the plot overly stretched. There is so much happening in the story at the same time that the reader sometimes finds itself lost and eventually nothing captures its attention.

Overall, you are going to like the book and this amazing read will blow your mind off with its intriguing mystery and the writing style.

• Writing Style

Vowelor Review

Fifth Robert Langdon thriller, Origin by Dan Brown, is a unique blend of electrifying storytelling, historical reinterpretation and genius code making. Most awaited novel of 2017.

About the Author: Dan Brown

Born in 1964, Dan Brown (Daniel Gerhard Brown) is the bestselling author of the decade with over 200 million copies worldwide as of 2012. He is best known for his 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code which was later adapted into a blockbuster movie.

Dan Brown’s novels are a thrilling blend of cryptography, keys, codes, symbols, and conspiracy theories. His books attract readers from around the world and have been translated into over 50 languages.

His novels are regularly being adapted into Hollywood films including Angels & Demons (2000), The Da Vinci Code (2003), and Inferno (2013).

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