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bethaniekay 's review for:
Inferno
by Dan Brown
I was leery to read this book. I was a huge Dan Brown book at one point, as I really loved DaVinci Code, Angels & Demons, and even Digital Fortress and Deception Point. But then he lost me at the Lost Symbol, which I thought was terrible. Fortunately, Inferno is more in line with previous Dan Brown books - and for that, I'm relieved.
Inferno is a typical Dan Brown story in that it's set in some lovely, historical, charming European cities (Florence, Venice, and another that I won't reveal), which I find always makes for an enjoyable read. The book is very fast-paced, chapters are short (which I love), the characters are interesting, and there aren't too many of them to keep track of. The story itself is a thrill-ride, and you want to read just one more chapter (ok, one more!) to find out what happens next. There are multiple instances of smoke-and-mirrors, with a bunch of bait-and-switch thrown in there and some surprises you didn't see coming, along with maybe a couple that you did. Just when you think you are starting to figure things out, though, another monkey wrench is thrown in there. It all comes together fairly 'neatly' in the end - meaning, most of the questions are answered by the final page. Well, except for the big question about what actually did/would happen to the world if these events in this book really played out in society? The premise of the story will be unpopular with some people, especially God-like/religious people, but who cares. An open mind will be necessary to process this story. I actually thought the premise was quite interesting and thought-provoking, if a bit (a lot) frightening. Makes you really think -- what if?
All in all, I enjoyed this read. Maybe not quite as much as DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons, but it's certainly on par, and I'll recommend it to others who have enjoyed this author previously.
Inferno is a typical Dan Brown story in that it's set in some lovely, historical, charming European cities (Florence, Venice, and another that I won't reveal), which I find always makes for an enjoyable read. The book is very fast-paced, chapters are short (which I love), the characters are interesting, and there aren't too many of them to keep track of. The story itself is a thrill-ride, and you want to read just one more chapter (ok, one more!) to find out what happens next. There are multiple instances of smoke-and-mirrors, with a bunch of bait-and-switch thrown in there and some surprises you didn't see coming, along with maybe a couple that you did. Just when you think you are starting to figure things out, though, another monkey wrench is thrown in there. It all comes together fairly 'neatly' in the end - meaning, most of the questions are answered by the final page. Well, except for the big question about what actually did/would happen to the world if these events in this book really played out in society? The premise of the story will be unpopular with some people, especially God-like/religious people, but who cares. An open mind will be necessary to process this story. I actually thought the premise was quite interesting and thought-provoking, if a bit (a lot) frightening. Makes you really think -- what if?
All in all, I enjoyed this read. Maybe not quite as much as DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons, but it's certainly on par, and I'll recommend it to others who have enjoyed this author previously.