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adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
رواية "الأصل" لدان براون كانت تجربة ممتعة جدًا، مليئة بالغموض والمغامرة التي أحببتها جدًا 😍. من اللحظة الأولى شعرت أنني دخلت عالم مليء بالألغاز، والتشويق، والأحداث الغريبة التي تجعل قلبك ينبض بسرعة. دان براون يعرف تمامًا كيف يمسك القارئ ويجعله يعيش كل لحظة وكأنه جزء من القصة، وهذا ما أحببته في الرواية أكثر من أي شيء آخر.
لكن، رغم كل هذا الغموض والتشويق، هناك بعض الأمور التي شعرت أنها أثقلت تجربة القراءة. المعلومات كانت أحيانًا غير واضحة أو معقدة بطريقة تجعلني أحتاج للتوقف والتفكير قبل أن أفهم ما يريد المؤلف إيصاله. التفاصيل المعمارية كانت كثيرة جدًا، وأحيانًا شعرت أن الرواية تتحول إلى درس معماري أكثر من كونها رواية مشوقة. كل هذه التفاصيل جعلت بعض المشاهد ثقيلة بالنسبة لي، رغم أنني أحببت رؤية الأماكن وفهم التصميمات بشكل دقيق، إلا أن كثرتها أحيانًا أبطأت وتيرة الأحداث.
الغريب في الرواية، بالنسبة لي، هو كيف أن الأحداث الغامضة والمغامرة توازن كل شيء آخر. التفاصيل المعمارية والفنية، رغم كثرتها وغرابتها أحيانًا، تجعل عالم الرواية أكثر واقعية وتشعرني بأنني أعيش كل لحظة مع الشخصيات. كل لغز، كل تحرك، كل كشف عن سر، كان يجعلني أتعجب وأفكر: "واو، ماذا سيحدث الآن؟" وهذا شعور لا يمكنني إنكاره، لقد أعطاني متعة حقيقية أثناء القراءة.
الأسلوب ممتع جدًا، والحبكة مليئة بالتشويق والغموض، والمغانرة التي عاشتها الشخصيات جعلت كل لحظة في الرواية مليئة بالإثارة. رغم بعض النقاط الثقيلة أو المعلومات المعقدة، الغموض والتشويق جعلاني أستمر في القراءة بلا توقف.
بالنهاية، بالنسبة لي، أعطي الرواية ⭐⭐⭐. ليست مثالية، التفاصيل كثيرة ومعقدة أحيانًا، لكن الغموض والمغامرة واللحظات المشوقة جعلت القراءة ممتعة جدًا، وشعرت أن دان براون نجح في خلق تجربة فريدة تجمع بين الغموض، المعرفة، والمغامرة في عالم مليء بالألغاز والأحداث المثيرة.
لكن، رغم كل هذا الغموض والتشويق، هناك بعض الأمور التي شعرت أنها أثقلت تجربة القراءة. المعلومات كانت أحيانًا غير واضحة أو معقدة بطريقة تجعلني أحتاج للتوقف والتفكير قبل أن أفهم ما يريد المؤلف إيصاله. التفاصيل المعمارية كانت كثيرة جدًا، وأحيانًا شعرت أن الرواية تتحول إلى درس معماري أكثر من كونها رواية مشوقة. كل هذه التفاصيل جعلت بعض المشاهد ثقيلة بالنسبة لي، رغم أنني أحببت رؤية الأماكن وفهم التصميمات بشكل دقيق، إلا أن كثرتها أحيانًا أبطأت وتيرة الأحداث.
الغريب في الرواية، بالنسبة لي، هو كيف أن الأحداث الغامضة والمغامرة توازن كل شيء آخر. التفاصيل المعمارية والفنية، رغم كثرتها وغرابتها أحيانًا، تجعل عالم الرواية أكثر واقعية وتشعرني بأنني أعيش كل لحظة مع الشخصيات. كل لغز، كل تحرك، كل كشف عن سر، كان يجعلني أتعجب وأفكر: "واو، ماذا سيحدث الآن؟" وهذا شعور لا يمكنني إنكاره، لقد أعطاني متعة حقيقية أثناء القراءة.
الأسلوب ممتع جدًا، والحبكة مليئة بالتشويق والغموض، والمغانرة التي عاشتها الشخصيات جعلت كل لحظة في الرواية مليئة بالإثارة. رغم بعض النقاط الثقيلة أو المعلومات المعقدة، الغموض والتشويق جعلاني أستمر في القراءة بلا توقف.
بالنهاية، بالنسبة لي، أعطي الرواية ⭐⭐⭐. ليست مثالية، التفاصيل كثيرة ومعقدة أحيانًا، لكن الغموض والمغامرة واللحظات المشوقة جعلت القراءة ممتعة جدًا، وشعرت أن دان براون نجح في خلق تجربة فريدة تجمع بين الغموض، المعرفة، والمغامرة في عالم مليء بالألغاز والأحداث المثيرة.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Puede que Dan Brown no sea un escritor ejemplar. Sus historias siguen siempre el mismo esquema, sus personajes son todos iguales (no hablemos de Robert L., un maldito pedante insufrible) y su prosa no es la más rica.
Pero creo que nadie puede negarle esa capacidad que tiene de divertir y de enganchar. De terminar un capítulo de tal forma que tengas que seguir inmediatamente con el siguiente porque te mueres de curiosidad. Sus novelas son especialmente ágiles, entretenidas y te despiertan interés por los distintos temas que trata en ellas. Cada escritor tiene su punto fuerte, y este es el de Dan, que a pesar de que la novela cojee en bastantes cosas, su historia te cautive.
De la novela poco más puedo decir. Si te gustaron las anteriores... Te gustará esta, porque es bastante parecida. A mi me ha mantenido enganchada, y aunque algunas cosas me las veía venir bastante, en general me ha sorprendido, así que no puedo darle menos nota.
Pero creo que nadie puede negarle esa capacidad que tiene de divertir y de enganchar. De terminar un capítulo de tal forma que tengas que seguir inmediatamente con el siguiente porque te mueres de curiosidad. Sus novelas son especialmente ágiles, entretenidas y te despiertan interés por los distintos temas que trata en ellas. Cada escritor tiene su punto fuerte, y este es el de Dan, que a pesar de que la novela cojee en bastantes cosas, su historia te cautive.
De la novela poco más puedo decir. Si te gustaron las anteriores... Te gustará esta, porque es bastante parecida. A mi me ha mantenido enganchada, y aunque algunas cosas me las veía venir bastante, en general me ha sorprendido, así que no puedo darle menos nota.
While I still enjoy how Brown weaves together a great story through controversial ideas and modern science/philosophy, the action scenes of the Langdon of Angels & Demons and DaVinci Code are gone as Langdon is over 60 now. He still throws in a beautiful women to help him solve the puzzles though.
Better than average plot for Brown, but not his best by far. If you like Brown, this book should not disappoint. If it is your first Dan Brown book I would read DaVinci or A&D first.
Merged review:
While I still enjoy how Brown weaves together a great story through controversial ideas and modern science/philosophy, the action scenes of the Langdon of Angels & Demons and DaVinci Code are gone as Langdon is over 60 now. He still throws in a beautiful women to help him solve the puzzles though.
Better than average plot for Brown, but not his best by far. If you like Brown, this book should not disappoint. If it is your first Dan Brown book I would read DaVinci or A&D first.
Better than average plot for Brown, but not his best by far. If you like Brown, this book should not disappoint. If it is your first Dan Brown book I would read DaVinci or A&D first.
Merged review:
While I still enjoy how Brown weaves together a great story through controversial ideas and modern science/philosophy, the action scenes of the Langdon of Angels & Demons and DaVinci Code are gone as Langdon is over 60 now. He still throws in a beautiful women to help him solve the puzzles though.
Better than average plot for Brown, but not his best by far. If you like Brown, this book should not disappoint. If it is your first Dan Brown book I would read DaVinci or A&D first.
Typical Dan Brown - hooks you in, drags you along and then lets you down. I think I'm done reading Langdon books.
Okay, spoiler alert for this review – for both this book and others in the Robert Langdon series, as I found it impossible to summarise what I liked/didn’t like about Origin without straying into spoiler territory.
Right. Second disclaimer. I love Dan Brown’s Tom Hanks Robert Langdon series. And I think, in some ways, this book has every hallmark of those novels. It has a European city packed with symbolism. It has lots of puzzles that Robert has to work out. It has a female companion who winds up on the run with him. It has revelations about science and religion that each side are trying to either reveal or hide away. You know what you’re getting when you pick up a Dan Brown book.
But this is the first one where I’ve seen that as more of a bad thing.
I’ll stay positive for the moment, though. This is so easy to read – I love the way Dan Brown condenses pretty complex and grand subjects and makes them so simple to digest so they don’t distract away from the plot. It would be so easy for him to stray into giving a history lesson on Gaudi or the string of churches they visit or the complicated issues around creationist theories or technology or the cosmos. But, for the most part, he doesn’t do that. He’s not the best writer – I don’t go to a Dan Brown for stellar prose that blows me away – but he does the job of making the plot exciting and compelling. And I do have a soft spot for Tom Hanks, whoops I mean Robert Langdon. Seriously though, I can’t see ANYONE else as Robert Langdon.
I know I said this follows the staples of a Langdon novel (and it does. A lot.) but there were also other elements which separated it. And this is where we’re going to stray into some more negative feelings I had for it. In the previous four novels, the focus has been around more traditional art and poetry – in Da Vinci Code, you obviously have Da Vinci, in Angels and Demons, you have lots of classical religious references, and in Inferno, you have Dante. In Origin, he tries a more modern approach, with surrealist art and futuristic (or maybe not so futuristic) technology. Although I thought it was nice to see him doing something slightly different, I think that’s where it kind of falls down a bit, especially as Langdon feels pretty lost whereas in the other books, he’s been in his comfort zone.
The whole focus of the story is on Langdon and Ambra Vidal, recently engaged to the prince of Spain, trying to release futurist Edmund Kirsch’s presentation to the world after he is assassinated during an unfinished livestream of it. I felt like this central goal was kind of different to the breathless and exciting chases in Da Vinci Code, or the race against the clock to save the priests in Angels and Demons. It just didn’t feel as gripping, and really, REALLY put all the eggs in the basket of how good this presentation reveal would be. So it had to be good. Really good, especially when at every five pages, Dan Brown mentions how earth-shattering it’s going to be to the worlds of science and religion, even going so far as to wipe out the notion of God.
But I didn’t find the actual reveal that shocking. The ‘big revelation’ is essentially that the age of humans is coming to an end and there will be an age of technology where humans and machines will merge. Both within the narrative of the actual book and in the wider world and popular speculation, I didn’t find that to be that mind-blowing. I love science-fiction and stories about androids and AI, and that is a pretty standard assumption in that genre. So maybe because I read a lot of that, I wasn’t that surprised? But, even within Origin itself, Dan Brown is constantly dropping hints to the development of technology, especially through the other central character in the book, Winston, who is a hyper-intelligent supercomputer built by Kirsch (*cue me seeing how long it took for Robert Langdon to mention HAL9000* – page 243 in my copy, by the way). I immediately got the impression that the revelation would be centralised around intelligent technology. My other problem was that earlier on in the book, he had mentioned another possible suggestion for the reveal which was about far-off distant planets sending seed-pods to start life on earth. I found that just as interesting, if not more, than the actual climax.
Now, to Winston himself. Okay, I’ll admit it. One huge way to get me interested in a book or film or game is to stick an almost human-esque AI in it. I have an incredibly soft spot for android characters, and the complications around their identity and morality. Blame Arthur C Clarke. The other twist in this book (oh, there are a lot) is that the ‘Regent’ giving orders to kill Kirsch is Winston. Although Dan Brown doesn’t go completely into ‘scary rogue AI’ cliché territory, it was, again, still a bit obvious. I’m starting to think that maybe I’m getting used to the tropes he uses, and so it doesn’t surprise me that much anymore. If you’ve read Dan Brown, you know that the person he first implicates in the conspiracy is NOT the actual villain, and the person (or in this case, computer) he doesn’t IS the one behind it all.
All that being said, I did actually enjoy it. I do really like the Robert Langdon novels – you don’t have to invest too much in them and I love the breadth of subjects he tries to cover, and the way he frames quite huge debates. Plus they are just so EASY and fun to read. But I felt like this one was maybe the worst of the five. Not worst as in godawful. But worst as in...no Mona Lisa.
3.5/5 stars
Right. Second disclaimer. I love Dan Brown’s
But this is the first one where I’ve seen that as more of a bad thing.
I’ll stay positive for the moment, though. This is so easy to read – I love the way Dan Brown condenses pretty complex and grand subjects and makes them so simple to digest so they don’t distract away from the plot. It would be so easy for him to stray into giving a history lesson on Gaudi or the string of churches they visit or the complicated issues around creationist theories or technology or the cosmos. But, for the most part, he doesn’t do that. He’s not the best writer – I don’t go to a Dan Brown for stellar prose that blows me away – but he does the job of making the plot exciting and compelling. And I do have a soft spot for Tom Hanks, whoops I mean Robert Langdon. Seriously though, I can’t see ANYONE else as Robert Langdon.
I know I said this follows the staples of a Langdon novel (and it does. A lot.) but there were also other elements which separated it. And this is where we’re going to stray into some more negative feelings I had for it. In the previous four novels, the focus has been around more traditional art and poetry – in Da Vinci Code, you obviously have Da Vinci, in Angels and Demons, you have lots of classical religious references, and in Inferno, you have Dante. In Origin, he tries a more modern approach, with surrealist art and futuristic (or maybe not so futuristic) technology. Although I thought it was nice to see him doing something slightly different, I think that’s where it kind of falls down a bit, especially as Langdon feels pretty lost whereas in the other books, he’s been in his comfort zone.
The whole focus of the story is on Langdon and Ambra Vidal, recently engaged to the prince of Spain, trying to release futurist Edmund Kirsch’s presentation to the world after he is assassinated during an unfinished livestream of it. I felt like this central goal was kind of different to the breathless and exciting chases in Da Vinci Code, or the race against the clock to save the priests in Angels and Demons. It just didn’t feel as gripping, and really, REALLY put all the eggs in the basket of how good this presentation reveal would be. So it had to be good. Really good, especially when at every five pages, Dan Brown mentions how earth-shattering it’s going to be to the worlds of science and religion, even going so far as to wipe out the notion of God.
But I didn’t find the actual reveal that shocking. The ‘big revelation’ is essentially that the age of humans is coming to an end and there will be an age of technology where humans and machines will merge. Both within the narrative of the actual book and in the wider world and popular speculation, I didn’t find that to be that mind-blowing. I love science-fiction and stories about androids and AI, and that is a pretty standard assumption in that genre. So maybe because I read a lot of that, I wasn’t that surprised? But, even within Origin itself, Dan Brown is constantly dropping hints to the development of technology, especially through the other central character in the book, Winston, who is a hyper-intelligent supercomputer built by Kirsch (*cue me seeing how long it took for Robert Langdon to mention HAL9000* – page 243 in my copy, by the way). I immediately got the impression that the revelation would be centralised around intelligent technology. My other problem was that earlier on in the book, he had mentioned another possible suggestion for the reveal which was about far-off distant planets sending seed-pods to start life on earth. I found that just as interesting, if not more, than the actual climax.
Now, to Winston himself. Okay, I’ll admit it. One huge way to get me interested in a book or film or game is to stick an almost human-esque AI in it. I have an incredibly soft spot for android characters, and the complications around their identity and morality. Blame Arthur C Clarke. The other twist in this book (oh, there are a lot) is that the ‘Regent’ giving orders to kill Kirsch is Winston. Although Dan Brown doesn’t go completely into ‘scary rogue AI’ cliché territory, it was, again, still a bit obvious. I’m starting to think that maybe I’m getting used to the tropes he uses, and so it doesn’t surprise me that much anymore. If you’ve read Dan Brown, you know that the person he first implicates in the conspiracy is NOT the actual villain, and the person (or in this case, computer) he doesn’t IS the one behind it all.
All that being said, I did actually enjoy it. I do really like the Robert Langdon novels – you don’t have to invest too much in them and I love the breadth of subjects he tries to cover, and the way he frames quite huge debates. Plus they are just so EASY and fun to read. But I felt like this one was maybe the worst of the five. Not worst as in godawful. But worst as in...no Mona Lisa.
3.5/5 stars
Where have we come from ? Where are we Going ?
Two Questions that still remains a mystery. The Religion will give answer that will lead to God and Science will stand by its Darwinian theory of evolution.
Unless... A computer geek , Billionaire, a Futurist decides to change it all. Claiming due to his past performance of exactly predicting events in future, Edmond Kirsch tells that the world, that he has precisely answered both the Questions.
An Event is organized to unveil the truth, but not everyone is happy with the claims and some people decides to stop him.....Kill him.....
Amidst all the euphoria is Robert Langdon, a close friend and teacher of Edmond Kirsch is also invited. A Right man at a Right place. Like Bruce Willis of Die Hard, and like all previous books of Dan Brown, Robert Langdon- a Symbology Professor is always present, where some unfortunate event has to occur. And....then ... it happens.
Like Most of the Brown's book, this one is too filled with lots of Symbology, Arts, Literature and Cryptology , Religion, Churches...In Addition, Brown has introduced AI in the book too, which makes it really thrilling.
Like all his books, the plot remains in constrained time frame of 24 hours. And makes you turn the pages faster.
Nowhere , I found the book loose it's grip and like every book, it will keep you on the edge and wondering about the course of events to happen.
If you are a Dan Brown Fan and have not been disappointed by any of his previous books, this one too will keep you overwhelmed.
Two Questions that still remains a mystery. The Religion will give answer that will lead to God and Science will stand by its Darwinian theory of evolution.
Unless... A computer geek , Billionaire, a Futurist decides to change it all. Claiming due to his past performance of exactly predicting events in future, Edmond Kirsch tells that the world, that he has precisely answered both the Questions.
An Event is organized to unveil the truth, but not everyone is happy with the claims and some people decides to stop him.....Kill him.....
Amidst all the euphoria is Robert Langdon, a close friend and teacher of Edmond Kirsch is also invited. A Right man at a Right place. Like Bruce Willis of Die Hard, and like all previous books of Dan Brown, Robert Langdon- a Symbology Professor is always present, where some unfortunate event has to occur. And....then ... it happens.
Like Most of the Brown's book, this one is too filled with lots of Symbology, Arts, Literature and Cryptology , Religion, Churches...In Addition, Brown has introduced AI in the book too, which makes it really thrilling.
Like all his books, the plot remains in constrained time frame of 24 hours. And makes you turn the pages faster.
Nowhere , I found the book loose it's grip and like every book, it will keep you on the edge and wondering about the course of events to happen.
If you are a Dan Brown Fan and have not been disappointed by any of his previous books, this one too will keep you overwhelmed.
So disappointing.
The entire book could be summarized in like 200 pages max without the continuous obstacles that doesn’t serve the plot at all.
2 stars for the plot twist about winston even though I saw it coming a mile away.
The entire book could be summarized in like 200 pages max without the continuous obstacles that doesn’t serve the plot at all.
2 stars for the plot twist about winston even though I saw it coming a mile away.
Didn't think it is his best book, takes a little while to get going but is still good. Would recommend.