Book Review: Inferno

 

Books, like movies, are very subjective. One person will think it is great, while another will detest it. Some people will always hate any novel Dan Brown puts out simply because of the subject matter in the Da Vinci Code, and others will let each book stand on its own merit. I am not going to spoil the plot in the review. The best way I can describe this one without doing so is to say that the pacing and tone are very much similar to the Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol. The subject matter of the book is different. It does have the "race against time" aspect that the other books do, but it is much more centered around an ethical debate than it is around religion. There is a throwaway line about the Vatican hating Langdon, but outside that, the rest of the religious discussion is centered around the meaning of Dante's Inferno, and trying to figure out where something is hidden based on the messages in that book.

Like with the other books Brown works plot twists into this one. Where he succeeded in the other books however by keeping them to a minimum, he feels the need here to not only put in multiple twists but then twist those twists. It does get a little contrived and silly. If you can take the position that hey it is just a book and does not have to make perfect sense, then I think you can still enjoy it. If something like that would bug you then I think you should probably skip it. He does work a lot of geography, mythology, and science into this book, and I think those aspects are well-researched and presented without stretching them too much. There definitely needs to be some suspension of disbelief with the science part of it, but it is not so far outside the realm of possibility that it makes the story totally unbelievable. Although I think it gets closer to that line toward the end of the book when all is revealed.

I think if you really like Brown's other books, then you can also enjoy this one. While some of the plot points get contrived and silly (mainly the who is working for whom and which side people are on, character motivations, etc) toward the end, it did not take away from my overall experience. I did not feel like I wasted the time reading it. If you have been lukewarm on his other books, then this one may bug you.