Scan barcode
aceinit's review against another edition
3.0
I can't actually say anything about this book without spoiling it. I am, in fact, going to dive right into this one by revealling the ending.
So, don't read anything after the cut unless you don't mind spoilers.
Okay?
Okay.
First things first: Kudos to Dan Brown for actually pulling the trigger and having the intrepid and slightly overeducated hero NOT save the day. Because, let's face it, books, movies, TV, all that stuff made to entertain...it's highly predictable. The hero beats the bad guy and gets the girl. The bomb is disarmed seconds before it goes off. The good guys WIN.
Except, in Inferno, they don't. By the end of Brown's 4th Langdon novel, the world as we know it has been forever altered on a genetic level and society as we know it is about to shift radically.
And that, my friends, is ballsy. Especially after the bummer of a letdown that was the ending of The Lost Symbol. In that novel, Brown gave us Hope.
In Inferno, we get the end of the world as we know it.
Okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement. But Brown's mysterious, madman antagonist does successfully unleash a virus programmed to rewrite the human genetic code and reduce the world's population radically for all of future times. And he does it in such a way that, well, the entire desperate search to find and contain the virus is a moot point anyway, because the thing has already gone global by the time Landgon is brought on the job.
Like I said, ballsy.
I should hate this novel for a number of reasons, but the truth is, I found it fascinating. The typical chase through historic cities via a trail of hidden symbols is secondary to the genetic terrorism aspect of it. And, in truth, I found myself skipping over all the lovely little nuggets of history and culture to get back to Zobrist's part of the story.
I had no idea I was a fan of doomsday fiction. I learned something today.
After starting the novel at a breakneck speed by having Langdon waking up in a hospital and run for his life, Brown sets a breakneck pace that actually grows more interesting once it’s revealed that Langdon has already halfway solved this particular puzzle before the novel even begins…he just has no memory of doing so. Retracing steps he has no idea he’s already walked before makes you realize that not everything is what it seems, but Brown takes these mistaken assumptions a step too far about 2/3 of the way through the book, and it’s here that Inferno went from being a great read to a book that could’ve been so much better.
It tries to make itself too clever and too surprising. It doesn't NEED the added twists concerning Langdon as an unreliable narrator and, subsequently, who is really on whose side regarding the Provost's faction, Zobrist and the WHO. The reveal of "everything you thought you knew about who to trust and who is really doing what is a lie" was unnecessary, irritating, and ultimately detracting from a story that was doing just fine without all the sudden realignments and misunderstandings.
Were it not all the unnecessary Inferno would’ve been a solid 4-star book that would've rivalled Angels & Demons as my favorite Langdon novel. As things stand, it is a fast-paced, decent read and a step above its predecessor, The Lost Symbol. But it could’ve been so much more if it hadn’t gone and overcomplicated matters.
So, don't read anything after the cut unless you don't mind spoilers.
Okay?
Okay.
Spoiler
First things first: Kudos to Dan Brown for actually pulling the trigger and having the intrepid and slightly overeducated hero NOT save the day. Because, let's face it, books, movies, TV, all that stuff made to entertain...it's highly predictable. The hero beats the bad guy and gets the girl. The bomb is disarmed seconds before it goes off. The good guys WIN.
Except, in Inferno, they don't. By the end of Brown's 4th Langdon novel, the world as we know it has been forever altered on a genetic level and society as we know it is about to shift radically.
And that, my friends, is ballsy. Especially after the bummer of a letdown that was the ending of The Lost Symbol. In that novel, Brown gave us Hope.
In Inferno, we get the end of the world as we know it.
Okay, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement. But Brown's mysterious, madman antagonist does successfully unleash a virus programmed to rewrite the human genetic code and reduce the world's population radically for all of future times. And he does it in such a way that, well, the entire desperate search to find and contain the virus is a moot point anyway, because the thing has already gone global by the time Landgon is brought on the job.
Like I said, ballsy.
I should hate this novel for a number of reasons, but the truth is, I found it fascinating. The typical chase through historic cities via a trail of hidden symbols is secondary to the genetic terrorism aspect of it. And, in truth, I found myself skipping over all the lovely little nuggets of history and culture to get back to Zobrist's part of the story.
I had no idea I was a fan of doomsday fiction. I learned something today.
After starting the novel at a breakneck speed by having Langdon waking up in a hospital and run for his life, Brown sets a breakneck pace that actually grows more interesting once it’s revealed that Langdon has already halfway solved this particular puzzle before the novel even begins…he just has no memory of doing so. Retracing steps he has no idea he’s already walked before makes you realize that not everything is what it seems, but Brown takes these mistaken assumptions a step too far about 2/3 of the way through the book, and it’s here that Inferno went from being a great read to a book that could’ve been so much better.
It tries to make itself too clever and too surprising. It doesn't NEED the added twists concerning Langdon as an unreliable narrator and, subsequently, who is really on whose side regarding the Provost's faction, Zobrist and the WHO. The reveal of "everything you thought you knew about who to trust and who is really doing what is a lie" was unnecessary, irritating, and ultimately detracting from a story that was doing just fine without all the sudden realignments and misunderstandings.
Were it not all the unnecessary
Spoiler
loyalty deceptions,the_gothic_nerd's review against another edition
5.0
Definitely a must read. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Wasn't expecting anything less from Dan Brown.
chloe_norman01's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
amatorlibrorum's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tildy08's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting premise. Not Brown's usual type of Robert Langdon novel, which is good, because I kind of found the others as a bit repetitive. Basically this novel is about a race against time to find a bio-terrorist who wants to release a plague on the human population in order to help control population growth. Very interesting idea, obviously far-fetched (as most of Robert Langdon novels are) but interesting nonetheless.
ladymaiq's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Not a book for those of light heart, this edition of Dan Brown's series is tense and fast paced. Following along can be difficult with a surge of plot twists and development. However, a wonderful read that keeps you at the edge of your seat wanting to know what happens next.
siddharth64's review against another edition
5.0
It was an amazing plot with twist and turns everywhere. Just loved it!
gk4894's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
amy123456789's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
samcurler13's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5