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Summary and Reviews of Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

Angels & Demons

by Dan Brown
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (5):
  • Readers' Rating (55):
  • First Published:
  • May 1, 2000, 480 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jun 2001, 480 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Book Summary

An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target...

An ancient secret brotherhood.
A devastating new weapon of destruction.
An unthinkable target...


When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol -- seared into the chest of a murdered physicist -- he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati... the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth. The Illuminati has surfaced from the shadows to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy... the Catholic Church.

Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces he has hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.

Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair... a secret location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.

An explosive international thriller, Angels & Demons careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war.


PROLOGUE

Physicist Leonardo Vetra smelled burning flesh, and he knew it was his own. He stared up in terror at the dark figure looming over him. "What do you want!"

"La chiave," the raspy voice replied. "The password."

"But…I don't... "

The intruder pressed down again, grinding the white hot object deeper into Vetra's chest. There was the hiss of broiling flesh.

Vetra cried out in agony. "There is no password!" He felt himself drifting toward unconsciousness.

The figure glared. "Ne avevo paura. I was afraid of that."

Vetra fought to keep his senses, but the darkness was closing in. His only solace was in knowing his attacker would never obtain what he had come for. A moment later, however, the figure produced a blade and brought it to Vetra's face. The blade hovered. Carefully. Surgically.

"For the love of God!" Vetra screamed. But it was too late.





CHAPTER 1

High atop the steps of the Pyramid of Giza a ...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. What is your view of Robert Langdon? What motivates him to find out more about the circumstances of Leonardo Vetra's death? Is it merely academic interest? Aside from his scholarly knowledge, what else in Langdon's background helps him succeed during this adventure?

  2. Discuss the other characters' motivations for their actions, both the "villains" and "heroes" in the story, including Vittoria, the Hassassin, the camerlengo, Cardinal Mortati, and Maximilian Kohler.

  3. Angels & Demons is filled with examples of science versus religion, a debate that has raged for centuries. Is there room in the world for both science and religion? Is one likely to render the other obsolete? Would you rather ...
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Reviews

BookBrowse Review

BookBrowse

Angels & Demons is part techno thriller, part mystery and all action. Dan Brown deftly combines a fast moving, intriguing and well-researched plot that weaves together the secret nuclear research facilities of CERN and the ancient and modern secrets of the Vatican.

Media Reviews

eBooknet.com
If Tom Clancy and Umberto Eco got fused together, Dan Brown would be the result. One of the best reads we've ever seen!

The Poisoned Pen - Barbara Peters
Well researched, and pulsingly told. With so much to enjoy, the only problem for the reader will be to keep from turning the pages too quickly.

Kirkus Reviews
Thrilling cat-and-mouse maneuvers . Life-or-death cliff hangers, romance, religion, science, murder, mysticism, architecture, and action. Angels & Demons is a GO!

Publishers Weekly
Well plotted and explosively paced! Crammed with Vatican intrigue and hi-tech drama. Laced with enough twists and shocks to keep the reader wired right up until the final revelation. Packing the novel with sinister figures worthy of a Medici, Brown sets an explosive pace through a Michelin-perfect Rome...

Author Blurb Dale Brown - 12 time New York Times bestselling author
Angels & Demons is one hell of a book - I had a hard time putting it down and I didn't get any work done until I finished it. Congratulations to Dan Brown for crafting an intriguing, imaginative and very suspenseful read.

Author Blurb Joe Mauceri, syndicated book reviewer
Angels & Demons is as good as it gets. A pulse-pounding, edge-of-your-seat thriller.... as compelling as Umberto Eco... as engaging as Tom Clancy... as fast-paced as Michael Crichton... and rivals the best Thomas Harris thriller. Angels & DemonS earns Dan Brown a place among these literary peers.

Reader Reviews

Varsha

Angels and demons review
Best science fiction of all time. Dan Brown has put a lot of mystery, science, fiction, drama everything in this novel. Had my eyes glued to it and I've completed reading it today. Many questions arise from each and every sentence. Go grab this ...   Read More
Joseph Sta Ana

Angels and Demons
Angels and Demons is a very fascinating read. In the two days it took for me to read it, it really kept to the edge of my seat; it was something really worth reading. The chase, the mystery and cleverness of the Illuminati and the modern world is a ...   Read More
shubhangi

best book by brown
Best book ever, for a fact-loving as well as mystery-loving person.
enakshie

awesome read
It is an exceptionally good book and the various facts and twists makes it a fun read . A book impossible to put down . I was really addicted to it and finished it in just 2 days. I would seriously like to read more books similar to ANGELS AND ...   Read More

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Read-Alikes

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