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A review by ravenousbibliophile
Origin by Dan Brown
2.0
Score: 2.5/5
Blurb: Person of Interest meets Angels and Demons, and they get lost in translation.
The pinnacle of Dan Brown's literary achievements thus far have been (and perhaps forever will be) the mysterious and intriguing plots and symbolism of The Da Vinci Code and Angles and Demons -personally, I enjoyed the latter more than the former - and they reached the pinnacle in my opinion because Dan Brown through Robert Langdon attempted to bridge the gap between ancient zealotry and modern inclusivity by means of a balance between intrigue, knowledge and social commentary. Lately however, with books such as Inferno and Origin, the balance has greatly shifted towards social commentary, leaving plot, symbolism and knowledge somewhat out of alignment.
As Inferno tried to address one of the major problems ailing mankind (population explosion), so to does Origin (religious dogmatism) and it tries to do so by once again trying to showcase Science and Religion, or more accurately Technological Science and Religion to be two sides of the same coin. The problem is that it's already been done and dealt with to a great extent in Angles and Demons. Furthermore, given the final pages of Inferno which would (and should) have global repercussions, the events of Inferno are never given a mention, even though the final revelation in Origin provides the perfect platform to seamlessly blend events of the previous book.
Another rather shocking element in the book was Robert Langdon's naivety when considering the lengths to which religious organizations would go in order to maintain their supremacy. A man with Langdon's life experiences should be the first one to forewarn someone of the dangers of religious zealots.
All in all, Origin felt disjointed and predictable. It tried to sell an old wine in a new bottle and attempted to jazz it up with descriptions of elaborate technological innovations and scientific breakthroughs, which while grounded in reality, fail to become strong plot devices. Dan Brown still retains the ability to hold a reader's attention, but one can stare at Mona Lisa's smile for only so long before moving onto contemplate the intensity and intelligence behind Baldassare Castiglione's eyes.
Blurb: Person of Interest meets Angels and Demons, and they get lost in translation.
The pinnacle of Dan Brown's literary achievements thus far have been (and perhaps forever will be) the mysterious and intriguing plots and symbolism of The Da Vinci Code and Angles and Demons -personally, I enjoyed the latter more than the former - and they reached the pinnacle in my opinion because Dan Brown through Robert Langdon attempted to bridge the gap between ancient zealotry and modern inclusivity by means of a balance between intrigue, knowledge and social commentary. Lately however, with books such as Inferno and Origin, the balance has greatly shifted towards social commentary, leaving plot, symbolism and knowledge somewhat out of alignment.
As Inferno tried to address one of the major problems ailing mankind (population explosion), so to does Origin (religious dogmatism) and it tries to do so by once again trying to showcase Science and Religion, or more accurately Technological Science and Religion to be two sides of the same coin. The problem is that it's already been done and dealt with to a great extent in Angles and Demons. Furthermore, given the final pages of Inferno which would (and should) have global repercussions, the events of Inferno are never given a mention, even though the final revelation in Origin provides the perfect platform to seamlessly blend events of the previous book.
Another rather shocking element in the book was Robert Langdon's naivety when considering the lengths to which religious organizations would go in order to maintain their supremacy. A man with Langdon's life experiences should be the first one to forewarn someone of the dangers of religious zealots.
All in all, Origin felt disjointed and predictable. It tried to sell an old wine in a new bottle and attempted to jazz it up with descriptions of elaborate technological innovations and scientific breakthroughs, which while grounded in reality, fail to become strong plot devices. Dan Brown still retains the ability to hold a reader's attention, but one can stare at Mona Lisa's smile for only so long before moving onto contemplate the intensity and intelligence behind Baldassare Castiglione's eyes.