A review by frednamode
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

A good portion of the book hinges on ambigrams being the most miraculous inimitable creation, yet when we meet them they are anything but. They are barely legible unless you’ve some idea of the word you are looking for - any 13 year old with a tumblr account has seen better ambigram tattoos that Brown offers us in this book 
the characters felt flat, especially the only female lead who was used as a romantic interest and a plot device, her body unnecessarily sexualised at all manor of occasion from the moment we meet her, to the very last page of the book. 
The plot dragged on to a very predictable plot twist to avoid making any political statement. 
 
Okay for an airport read I guess 2/5 
 
Also the science falls flat wrt the antimatter. You cannot convince me that a bomb which would destroy an entire city would be stopped by a mile or two of air. Unlike an explosive that fires shrapnel and therefore is majorly limited by air resistance, gravity & other forces, antimatter would easily burn through the very low density air and get to the people below. Even if there was extreme cloud cover, that wouldn’t be as effective as a big thick vault. It’s about the number of particles needed for antimatter annihilation not the distance between them. 
Brown needs to spend less time kissing his own ambigram and more time talking to a physicist
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