Inferno: A Novel (Robert Langdon Book 4)

The story starts with a sedate Robert Langdon waking up in a Florentine hospital unaware of where he is, or how he’s arrived. Things heat up quickly when the assassin, Vayentha shows up and starts shooting hospital staff—her true target being Langdon himself.He escapes assisted by Sienna, a doctor treating Robert Langdon’s apparent amnesia while trying desperately to save the professor from the unexpected death so many hospital staff have just succumbed to.They dash through alleys. Langdon still woozy from the medication, falls more than once as Vayentha gives chase. After racing through a winding labyrinth of European streets and alleyways, Sienna finally helps Langdon into a waiting taxi, and they speed off, ducking their heads in the backseat, under gunfire from an assassin’s pistol.This exciting opening is just what we’ve come to expect from Robert Langdon novels, and author, Dan Brown never lets us down in Inferno.I enjoyed Inferno’s suspense and fast pace. The book was a cycle of deceptions and how they played out in Robert Langdon’s faulty cognition until much later in the novel when all was finally revealed—a bit too conveniently if you ask me.The narrative focuses on the diabolical plans of a man of murky intentions as he tries to save the world from itself, leaving Robert Langdon, Sienna and the Director of The World Health Organization to piece together the puzzle of his fiendish plot.Inferno is however built from the bones of The Da Vinci Code. There is mystery, an allegation of criminal guilt toward Robert Langdon—the book’s protagonist, globetrotting and a kooky conspiracy that only the world’s most genius art professor, with a preclusion for symbology could solve. That said, this story ain’t no Da Vinci Code.The suspense is in tact and the chase scenes too—so are the lengthy history lessons and travel brochure’s overwrought in every Dan Brown novel I’ve read, admittedly only two. But this story espouses a sinister agenda that isn’t exposed until damn near the last page, just like a true suspense thriller should. The difference being that Da Vinci Code supported themes of religious freedom, tolerance and difference, but those are just concepts.The shocking revelation at the end of this novel could have real world implications as it may support the agenda of some secretive and despotic trans-humanists. And yes there is a spoiler coming in later paragraphs about just what that sinister plot is. So only read on if you don’t mind spoilers. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. But first lets take a look at character in Inferno.I feel so distant from Langdon and his experiences. He is a flat, never changing character who can be expected to be the same in nearly every scenario. The only emotional connection he seems to portray is an “ungrounded” feeling he experiences during the rare times he doesn’t “get” something, or a bit of romantic candor for Sienna, this adventure’s travel mate.There were moments of supreme thrill during action sequences and the suspense was sufficient to keep the pages turning, but the overall effect was disappointing because I felt disconnected from Langdon. That disconnect translated to the character’s responses to the action of the plot.He seemed to only act out of moral duty like a stoic proxy determined to correct an egregious error rather than an impassioned hero who was personally connected to the developing situation. Even after discovering just how diabolical the antagonist’s plans were, Langdon only slightly registered a feeling. It was the same thing I felt when reading this character, an ungrounded disconnect. Like a ship buoying up and down as the sea’s churning lurched it. And this was 90% of the way through the book, according to my kindle reader.Throughout this novel I couldn’t help but think the emotions were lacking. The only real emotional tug I felt was when reading Sienna’s back story, which made me somewhat sympathetic toward her due to her life-long isolation and Stockholm-syndome-like attraction to the villains plot.Sienna offered great interests to readers as an eccentric genius and surgeon/actress, but her eventual moral conflict and role reversals were a bit much for my taste and occurred to quickly for the effect to settle in. She came off a bit unbelievable. I’m surprised that an author as touted as Dan Brown could possess such renown for novels featuring such inconsistent characters.Zobrist was passionate when speaking with Dr. Sinskey about his plan. The narrator alluded to him having a charismatic persona, but in scenes where he should have stolen the show, scenes where he was revealed to be bisexual and in love with a male character, even he didn’t deliver the powerful emotions I would have liked to see in this work.A bit too unbelievable was the provost’s dream factory cruise liner, as I call it. A man who dabbles in glorified street performances that are meant to secure the most secretive and wealthy people on earth from both public and private scrutiny is a far fetched concept, even in fiction. This guy with his turgid demeanor and high-tech yacht was a bit Willy Wonka meets the Wizard of Oz. You have to remember he works in the private sector. He isn’t CIA or MI6, yet his authority is so far reaching and his connections so numerous that he brandishes more power than the director of the World Health Organization. I’m just saying.Brown is known more for his twisty plots and suspense than for conveying powerful emotion, but his characters suffer as leveled sketches, rather than round personalities. An author of his reputation for delivering highly readable fare should be fill his characters with pathos and panache. It appears that his over reliance on careful plotting may be the reason that the extensive research he does for each of his novels doesn’t translate into rounder characters. Inferno was is different.The thematic statement emerged in the end and it was frightening. The narrator seemed to suggest that world depopulation, even by dastardly deeds, is an imminent necessity to secure the survival of humanity.Not only does that statement emerge only within the last 20 pages of the novel, but it comes as a unexpected strike to the face, after this suspenseful narrative winds the globe taking readers on a thrill ride, only to drop them off at the feet of a heavy handed, and summative narrator challenging them to try the concept of enforced sterility as a means of population control on for size. The other 500 or so pages of the novel may have been a subtle attempt by the narrator to develop the problems of overpopulation aimed at allowing the reader to decide if the unethical practice may be a good alternative to environmental collapse before the final appeal. Admittedly, I may be reading too much into narrative.The cavalier and mishandled appeal shows the fictional leader of the World Health Organization espousing this view—a stark reversal of the opinion she had given only a page or two earlier where she was a staunch opponent to the sterility plague that had infected the world’s population. Maybe an attempt at adding fictional authority to an unlikely appeal to readers’ cognition?There was a moment where it seemed the author himself was speaking directly to the readers about a team of real world scientist manufacturing a dangerous strain of H5N1 (Deadly flu in common parlance) just for academic pursuits. The reference shows a picture of an out of control human science industry, misappropriating technology without invoking wisdom to guide their efforts. It comes off as evidence of the notion that human beings are morally obligated to use technology for the purpose of producing a post human race, based on trans humanism theories.The narrator supported the idea that an international and intellectual global elite should make forced population control a reality. Whether Brown was going for this effect or not, it is an eerie thought to think that those conspiracy theorists on YouTube may be right. Hell, they were right about the government wiretapping all of our phone lines, but nobody believed that until the Snowden papers were released.Scary thematic statement aside, the heavy-handed and lights-up-in-the-middle-of-a-concert approach to addressing the theme was jarring and inconsistent with the rest of the narrative.Despite the inconsistencies in the novel, I enjoyed the thrill ride until the end where I found myself wondering, “Is Dan Brown really saying we should support depopulation through genetic tempering?” Go figure.If you like suspenseful stories filled with chases and codes to be cracked, you’ll love Inferno. If you’re more of an emotional arch and round characters delivered in close perspective type, but you still need some mystery, I’d suggest Paula Hawkins’s The Girl On The Train.

Dan Brown's newest novel, "Inferno," sends symbolist Robert Langdon on another mad dash adventure stretching from the Mediterranean to the Bosporus. I've given it a 5-star rating, because, as usual, Brown delivers on all fronts: interesting subject matter that is painstakingly researched, compelling characterizations, action squared, a plot that moves easily from one scene to the next and drags you along no matter how late it is, inclusion of interesting historical facts, lush settings, and a denouement that leaves you thinking not only about the novel, but about real life. And, of course, top notch proofing and editing.In other action thrillers, I sometimes feel as though I'm reading a movie script. The action is the focus, rather than the plot and/or characters. Not so with Brown. Here's an author who can handle the never-ending action, the constant danger, the exhausting, breakneck chase, the result of which will not only determine the life and death of the main characters, but perhaps the survival of human life on earth as we know it. The reader WANTS to go on this ride. Wants to feel the unrelenting adrenaline rush, the heart stopping suspense. You want it; you get it; you love it.For those Robert Langdon fans, this time the action races through the the famed houses of worship of Italy and Turkey, chasing clues from Dante's 14th Century epic poem, "The Divine Comedy," and specifically, the portion titled "Inferno." However, this time there is no religious conspiracy, no sacred quest. This time the subject matter involves the predicament we all find ourselves in: burgeoning world population vs. decreasing resources.In my youth, there was a movement known by the acronym "ZPG." Over the past couple years, whenever the overpopulation issue is mentioned, I've asked if anyone remembers what this stood for. Anyone under the age of about 45 or so does not. (Zero Population Growth) So this novel hit on an issue that has been of concern to me now for over 4 decades. But, that's another conversation.The book is nearly 500 pages long (462 to be exact). Long read. This has been a busy month for me, but I still managed to read every day -- in fact, I needed to read every day, as this book is full of the most fascinating twists and turns. Not only twists in the plots, but actually twists in who the individual characters are. Brown masterfully doles out bits and pieces of the solution to his puzzle all along the way, but still manages to surprise you when a character turns out to be the exact opposite of what you believed him or her to be. I'll admit to having one huge, and upon rereading, obvious clue go right over my head. When that part of the revelation came, I had to go back and do a -head/desk- over my oversight! :-) Tricky. And I loved it.So, I didn't read it all in one day or even in one week. Brown's novels are works to be savored. There is so much fascinating history, interesting concepts and wonderful mysteries that I have to stop every so often just to properly absorb what I've read. I need to taste the delightful flavor of each morsel of the literary puzzle. No. I take my time with Brown's novels. I drag out every Lucius paragraph, longing for the ultimate conclusion all while hoping it will never end.So, don't I have any complaints? Now, if you usually read my reviews, there usually something.For instance, starting on page 300, when Langdon and others are in the boat in Venice and come to the realization that the "plucker of bones of the blind" in Zobrist's poem referred to Saint Lucia, and their boatman began relating the legend of Saint Lucia, why didn't they ask him the identity of the doge who cut the heads off horses (another reference in the poem)?My other disappointment is in the extremely short timeline. If one starts with Langdon awaking in a hospital with memory loss, there are less than 2 days (actually less than 36) hours, I believe, in which this madcap race through the best known tourists sites of Italy to the Haga Sophia and beyond in Istanbul. It includes chases, conversations, motorbikes, boats, and just like Steve Martin and John Candy -- planes, trains and automobiles! Langdon has an injury and short term memory loss. There are two well organized forces chasing him. Yet, in all those hours, which are painstakingly chronicled, the only mention of eating or sleeping comes at the bottom of page 375. Langdon does get to splash some water on his face and change clothes back about chapter 7, but this is after what has already been a long (and for Langdon) forgotten night in a country he cannot remember either traveling to or why he might have done so.While I certainly don't expect a break in the action for the bathroom, I do expect to see scene that includes a hastily eaten meal, a quick shower -- something to indicate there was time to brush the teeth, revive the system with food, clean up. Pretty basic physical requirements for someone who will be in close, very close, contact with others throughout this adventure. I needed to see something to allow me to believe that an injured man suffering from retrograde amnesia would have the the physical and emotional stamina to do what he does, at the speed of light, for a prolonged time. I was also surprised that only one character in the novel -- and there are several who either know him or know of him -- notices that Langdon does not look his usual dapper self. I found the timeline exciting -- but maybe not so believable as one that allowed even one more day and at least one meal!However, Brown's descriptions of the places visited in the novel are rich and full. One of my favorite sections comes on page 300, the third paragraph in Chapter 84:"This was a world divided, a city of opposing forces -- religious, secular; ancient, modern; Eastern, Western. Straddling the geographic boundary between Europe and Asia, this timeless city was quite literally the bridge from the Old World . . . to a world that was even older.Istanbul."You run this race thinking you know what's at stake and what will happen if the 'good guys' don't win. You don't. Believe me, the revelations never stop coming. And, best of all, it will make you think.

And another book with the lead character of Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon. This time he has to solve a puzzle that has many riddles and codes to understand.I am impressed by the quality of storytelling that Dan Brown puts into his books. Many years ago I read his The Da Vinci Code, was blown away by it’s content and abandoned my daily newspaper to read novels instead. Inferno has the same intensity as The Da Vinci Code and the storytelling dazzled me again. My interest was maintained throughout as there are tonnes of background to enjoy. I got so much reading pleasure from this very long read that runs to 528 pages.I enjoyed this thrilling adventure which has lots of twists and turns together with many lies, plenty of deception and a lot of reasoning. This conspiracy develops at a good pace and Dan Brown quotes numerous examples from the past to back up his novel. Inferno was written in 2013, long before Covid-19 but it makes you wonder considering all the references to China in this story and what happened in 2020 globally in real life. Inferno is an intelligent read that poses the scary question of what mankind can do about overpopulation and the future of our planet and species. Along the way the reader learns a lot about art, history, numbers, religion and symbols.I enjoyed reading Inferno and found it very entertaining. I liked how Robert was able to find hidden secret passages and there was even a hint of romance between Robert and Sienna Brooks. Looking back I consider Inferno to be an OUTSTANDING 5 star read. This book has it’s critics but I found it fun and very engaging.

On the whole, I'm a fan of Dan Brown's books, but I think his early works are the best. This book 'Inferno' follows his usual writing style, format, and layout. His stories are always well-written and clearly, a lot of research goes into them. This book certainly raises some complex and difficult issues around mankind's growing population and the earth's limited resources, and all of this get's entwined in religion, symbols, Italian history, and the works of Dante.I have to agree with some other reviewers, at over 600 pages long this book could so easily have been 400 pages if Dan Brown was to simply stick to the story instead of going off on a history lesson every other page, which, whilst interesting, starts to become annoying and distracting after 350 pages, leading you away from what is actually happening in the story he's trying to tell. I found myself skipping through paragraphs in an attempt to get back on track with the actual story.

Great plot premise. Beautiful descriptions of a city I dearly love and a fascinating meander through the art and history of the Renaissance. Sadly, mixing these elements together in a novel didn't seem to work. Robert's cartoon-like escapades around Florence quickly became tedious. The double-crossing, two-faced and morally dubious nature of Dan Brown characters is too predictable. ****Spoiler alert*** I didn't mind the 'less than Hollywood' outcome and it stopped the book becoming an all out predictable stinker, but the last couple of chapters focused on the wrong things and were an anti-climax. I would have liked to come back a year later in an epilogue to see the real life challenges faced by the WHO in the aftermath. If you like Dan Brown books, you'll probably find this one a bit meh. If Dan Brown is new to you, you'll probably be a bit confused by the random travelogue and history lessons dotted throughout and ultimately feel disappointed by the morally ambiguous ending.

Not his finest hour, more same old, same old. Eccentric American know-it-all professor of symbolism is called in to interpret messages based on the work of Dante which will lead to the discovery of something which will change the world. Oh, yawn! This time there is relevance in that it concerns over population and authorities failure to tackle the problem. Curiously unexciting. More a travelogue to certain places in Florence and Venice. If you are going there it might be of interest. The hero Langdon comes across as cold. Needless to say he discovers all and...well if you like this kind of book I won't spoil the end. However, be warned, at times it reads like a lecture to particularly thick students who have to be given the information over and over again. It feels like padding and slows down the action. Sorry, not one of my favourites.

Bertrand Zobrist, a brilliant scientist has designed and made a horrifying plague designed to kill off a massive portion of the human population because in just a few generations he fears the human race will be on the verge of extinction due to over population of the planet.Robert Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital having lost his memory and stitches in the back of his head where he is told he was shot. Very soon after he wakes a female assassin bursts in trying to kill Robert. Barely escaping with the help of doctor Sienna Brookes they try to work out why he has lost his memory and why someone wants him dead.Enlisted by Brookes to find and stop the release of the plague, Langdon and Dr Brookes flee across Italy, Venice and finally Turkey in their pursuit of the horrifying plague, aided by clues from Dante Alighieri‘s inferno but pursued by killers every step of the way.Inferno (to me) is not the best of the Robert Langdon books but it is very good with non stop action, plenty of descriptions of different places and science with a pretty good twist.Read and enjoy. Well worth 5 stars.