30 replies to this topic

[Zlash]

Angels and Demons is a book by Dan Brown. It is the first book in which Robert Langdon takes a part and the series of events in this book takes place one year before The Da Vinci Code.

Robert Langdon is a professor in religious symbology at Harvard. When he gets a phone call 5 o'clock in the night, which says that he needs to come at once because it is of absolute importance, he doesn't take it serious, but when he gets a fax with a picture of a naked man with the word "Illuminati" burned on his chest, he is forced to travel to a Swiss research center and analyze the cryptic symbol.

His discovery is unbelievable. While the Vatican State is choosing a new pope, a old and secret brotherhood is planning a spectacular plan to attack the Vatican with a new stolen technology. The "church" of all catholic churchs is in the biggest danger it has ever been in. Robert Langdons knowledge is crucial for the Vaticans survival.

This book is incredibly wonderful. I enjoyed it more than The Da Vinci Code. The codes and riddles tighten the excitement to utter bewilderment. This book is absolutely worth reading.

[Sprnknwn]

I think this guy have found a formula and is going to make books and books and books talking about the same things: religion, history, conspirations, puzzles and codes. I think there are millions of book that are more worth reading that these but they seem to entertain people so much... but I think they don´t look so good to people who read books frequently.

[Zlash]

I would also say that there are millions of books of the same type which is better, but these books by Dan Brown has touched people in a way that makes them want more from him. The Da Vinci Code was a title which made people curious so they read it and loved it. Maybe because they have not heard or read other books of the same type. Anyway, this book is very good, but there are better out there(my guess)

[mojoman]

it was excellent!
even though it was more or less on the same lines as the da vinci code (conspiracy, secret societies, the church...) i loved it he could make another one about conspiracies and secret societies and i'd still like it lol...
however i dnt think its better than the da vinci code, nothing beats that, cos u can actually end up believing some of the things in there lol

for example something which majorly freaked me out yesterday....i read in a history book that a lot of knights templar fled to excommunicated scotland after the friday 13th massacres......

and then i saw a picture of the scottish flag....

http://pipersanddrum...tish%20Flag.jpg

the blade & chalice?
not only that, but i found out that rosslyn chapel is also in scotland......majorly freaky stuff

Edited by mojoman, 11 March 2007 - 09:35 PM.

[Zlash]

The da vinci code is more realistic. I don't know why I liked Angels and Demons better. I just got a better feeling while reading that one than reading the da vinci code. I have bought the book: Holy blood holy grail. That was the book Dan Brown based the da vinci code on. I have only read a chapter or two and its quite interesting.

[bishoujo]

I liked Angels and Demons most out of Dan Brown's books. The many twists and turns make me keep wanting to read on, and I also learnt some new things about art!

[rayzoredge]

In my opinion, I thought that Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code were awesome reads.

However, I also thought, after reading The Da Vinci Code first, that Angels and Demons was basically a rehash of its predecessor... which in a way, was kind of disappointing.

It wasn't just the same theme, but the same type of characters, the conspiracy, the supposed dangers, the running around, the obstacles, the hero's relationship with the girl in the story... it all seemed like a rehash of the previous book.

Not like it wasn't enjoyable to read. If the formula works, it's only smart to keep it, but change it up a little, Mr. Brown!

They even end the same way!

One thing that I loved about reading these books is that the reader is exposed to a myriad facts of cultural history that we otherwised would have been bored with in a college text. It's far better to be learning about these things by reading a well-written novel than by "death-by-Powerpoint" presentations, college texts, and droning professors.

[4ever27]

Sprnknwn, on Mar 5 2007, 04:46 PM, said:

I think this guy have found a formula and is going to make books and books and books talking about the same things: religion, history, conspirations, puzzles and codes. I think there are millions of book that are more worth reading that these but they seem to entertain people so much... but I think they don´t look so good to people who read books frequently.

well, i guess his formula is one of the better formulas... the way he writes is so captivating.. he knows how to get a reader hooked..
besides, buddy i dont think he writes only about the topics you have mentioned.. his other two books are completely different from these two.. yes they do border on relegion and ethics but still they are way different..

[Aqes]

I like all Dan Brown books.

[laexter]

To me, Angels and Demons is more unrealistic to me (creating an antimatter? Wow), but the message behind Angels and Demons is not as controversial as that of Da Vinci Code. I think that what's made Da Vinci Code more successful. Even if the way of writing is roughly equivalent, both books can still be entertaining even if you have read one of them.

And why do people keep contrasting it with Da Vinci Code... Digital Fortress is much more suited for computer geeks...

[lady]

after reading 4 books from dan brown I agree that they all follow the same pattern
its always one of the most trusted people who's behind all of what is happening, the last book i read digital fortress was disappointing...
he's got a good way of writing,he keeps people in the book but he's got to change the pattern..

[lady]

Zlash, on Mar 4 2007, 03:48 AM, said:

Angels and Demons is a book by Dan Brown. It is the first book in which Robert Langdon takes a part and the series of events in this book takes place one year before The Da Vinci Code.

Robert Langdon is a professor in religious symbology at Harvard. When he gets a phone call 5 o'clock in the night, which says that he needs to come at once because it is of absolute importance, he doesn't take it serious, but when he gets a fax with a picture of a naked man with the word "Illuminati" burned on his chest, he is forced to travel to a Swiss research center and analyze the cryptic symbol.

His discovery is unbelievable. While the Vatican State is choosing a new pope, a old and secret brotherhood is planning a spectacular plan to attack the Vatican with a new stolen technology. The "church" of all catholic churchs is in the biggest danger it has ever been in. Robert Langdons knowledge is crucial for the Vaticans survival.

This book is incredibly wonderful. I enjoyed it more than The Da Vinci Code. The codes and riddles tighten the excitement to utter bewilderment. This book is absolutely worth reading.

that second paragraph is about da vinci code, I think you confused the 2...

[Arkan]

The book is quite good thriller till the end when he totally blows it up. It's an easy to read and entertaining book but it has nothing "deep" to say. It's worth reading in a holiday tho`.

[Bluebear]

I love all of Dan Browns books. To be honest, I can't really remember exactly what that book was about. I keep mixing them up. Brown writes in a way I really enjoy. Jumping back and forth between different people, makes me understand more of what is happening, I get to see the case from more than one side. Codes, and mysterious things is something that also helps me like these books even more. But I must agree that the books sometimes becomes to hard for me to understand, and now and then to unrealistic.

[danielscottisilva]

The books of Dan Brown are soo good, but Angels and Demons in special, it's my favourite because the book is rich in details!! And the story is so good, you deep down in the story, sometimes you thinks you are the protagonist...

[TikiPrincess]

lady, on Jan 5 2008, 03:02 AM, said:

that second paragraph is about da vinci code, I think you confused the 2...

Considering the original poster took it verbatim from the cover of the novel, I'm pretty sure that he's talking about Angels & Demons, which is, in fact, the predecessor to The Da Vinci Code. Angels & Demons introduces us to Langdon and takes place before his episode in Paris. I think many people are confused about the chronology of his work because Da Vinci Code rose to popularity first, but it is the second in the series.
Dan Brown has hit upon a formula, and you have to applaud the guy for being in tune with the demands and needs of today's casual readers. He writes very short chapters because people have developed limited attention spans. Whereas commercials less than 30 years ago lasted for a minute, today's commercials last for 15-30 seconds and people are inundated with images rather than text. Brown realizes this and writes accordingly. He begins his novels with a list of so-called 'facts', although in interviews, he admits that he only reads one source to verify his information. Many of his 'facts' are easily disproven by a number of sources.
While his books are an easy read and entertaining, I wouldn't put much stock in the information he gives. And yes, they're as formulaic as a romance novel, but he's appealing to a very similar audience. Casual readers aren't going to pick up The Canterbury Tales on a whim, despite the fact that they're as bawdy and coarse as a Jackass episode.

[EngrJayze]

i've read da vinci code before angels and demons..
after reading the first pages of A&D i felt that it's kinda boring but i finished it in the end..
the twists are awesome, especially the part where the newly appointed pope together with langdon boarded a chopper with the antimatter bomb to prevent it from detonating at vatican - and survived after doing it.. i was surprised to learn that the illumati at the book was dead and has no connection to the series of events..
to sum up - it's a good book to read.. plus the ambigrams are amazing

[gaspe86]

I've read so far Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code and enjoyed reading both. I am planning of reading The Deception Point and Digital Fortress. Even though the theme is practically the same, Mr. Brown knows how to keep the reader hooked reading. It might not be the best of writings but its a nice read.

[EngrJayze]

i already read deception point and digital fortress.. their themes are not the same as a&d and dvc.. it's more of a sci/fi story with computer etc on modern times..
you should read digital fortress first coz it's more action packed..

[gaspe86]

Thanks for the tip. I would take you recommendation and read Digital Fortress first. I've been trying to make sometime to read them, but I always have ended up grabbing a different book.

[EngrJayze]

hehe,,i'm glad to help..
btw if you ever need some other books try World Without End and Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.. year 1134+, and its full of blood [including the vivid descriptions] like someone being 'hanged at the gallows, with it's neck increasing in length', 'a thief, punished by removing his outer skin to be displayed on the cathedral door'..plus some richly detailed love/rape scenes..
those are big books but you'll love reading it to the very end..

[stevethedog]

Like other readers of the Da Vinci Code, I wanted to read other books written by Dan Brown. What surprised me was that the Angels and Demons book wasn't the book that took him to the top of the NYT best seller's list.

I read the Da Vinci Code and probably rate it as a 4 in reading and excitement. I rate A&D a 5. This book clipped along in such a breathless speed of action, suspense, and drama that I was up into the wee hours of the morning, my eyelids drooping, too into the plot to put the book down.

The only part of the book that I was somewhat dissapointed in was when two characters jumped out of a helicopter that was supposedly 1 - 3 miles up in the air, neither seemed to have parachutes, but both survived and landed in very convenient spots for the plot. That tiny part of the plot was not at all believable, but I forgive Mr. Brown because the rest of the book was so absolutely delicious.

What delighted me even more -- just as I thought the climax had been reached (and for the most part, it was the major climax), there were a few more minor climaxes. (I was wondering why there were another hundred pages or so after the best part of the book!).

I think that last scene (Chapter 137) in the book was insisted upon by market driven publishers who felt that all good books had to have a gratuitious sex scene to make the book complete.
Come on -- 'publishing industry' -- wake up! An awesome, potentially best-seller book can be considered 'complete' and 'marketable' without a sex scene. This scene wasn't even necessary to make me want to lean back and smoke a cigarette afterwards from the book's overall excitement.

There are the first few chapters of Dan Brown's next book, "Deception Point" in the back of the paperback A&D book I had. I can't wait to buy that next book to see what exciting plots and twists have been devilishly written by Mr. Brown.

Edited by stevethedog, 08 April 2008 - 07:34 PM.

[lethologica]

stevethedog, on Apr 8 2008, 12:28 PM, said:

Like other readers of the Da Vinci Code, I wanted to read other books written by Dan Brown. What surprised me was that the Angels and Demons book wasn't the book that took him to the top of the NYT best seller's list.

Maybe it was cuz Angels And Demons was such a good book that they decided to promote Da Vinci Code? I don't know probably something like that.

Angels And Demons is my favorite book. I actually read Angels And Demons first and then The Da Vinci Code...Angels And Demons, in my opinion, is better. I was gonna start on Deception Point but after those two books, I kinda got sick of his style of writing. It was just too much the same.

I might read the book later in life though...

[Bluebear]

I am working on my Norwegian exam, and one of the things we have to talk about is an author and one of his books. I have chosen Dan Brown, and "Angels and Demons." And here is the problem; It has been a long time since I red it, and when I read summaries online they never reveal the end. So it would be really nice if someone had a link or could give me a short summary of the book and what happens. I remember a lot of it, but the end is unclear... I have only got about 2-3 minutes to give a summary.

It would be great if someone could help me.

Edited by Bluebear, 06 May 2008 - 04:47 PM.

[pritamkumar90]

well i personally think that da vinci code was kinda better than angels and demons...I couldn't close the book at all. The suspense and riddles and the puzzles were so intriguing and the whole storyline was breathtaking.....Definitely one of the best books i've read so far.

A&D on the other hand was also an amazing book but i preferred da vinci code to it....