Origin by Dan Brown

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Corgi (12 July 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552174165
• ISBN-13: 978-0552174169

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend the unveiling of an astonishing scientific breakthrough. The evening’s host is billionaire Edmond Kirsch, a futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a controversial figure around the world.

But Langdon and several hundred guests are left reeling when the meticulously orchestrated evening is suddenly blown apart. There is a real danger that Kirsch’s precious discovery may be lost in the ensuing chaos. With his life under threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao, taking with him the museum’s director, Ambra Vidal. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.

To evade a devious enemy who is one step ahead of them at every turn, Langdon and Vidal must navigate the labyrinthine passageways of extreme religion and hidden history. On a trail marked only by enigmatic symbols and elusive modern art, Langdon and Vidal will come face-to-face with a breathtaking truth that has remained buried – until now.

Review

Dan Brown is one of those authors that divides opinion; like Marmite you either love or hate his books.  I fall into the love category and have been looking forward to reading Origin for a while.  Robert Langdon is back and finds his life in danger again after attending an event in which a friend, Edmond Kirsch, is going to reveal a scientific breakthrough.  The evening does not go as planned and Robert finds himself trying to find the truth behind the discovery.  Yes, it is the same formula as his previous books, but it is a formula that works and still kept me on the edge of my seat.  Every time Dan Brown releases a book there seems to be a lot of articles in the media and on social media where his writing is attacked, a lot of these from other writers and highbrow reviewers.  I really don’t understand this as it doesn’t happen to many other authors, and lets face it we all like different books which keeps discussions interesting; I do wonder if there is some jealousy in this due to his success.

Origin is set in Spain, and the plot is set over one night.  The focus of this book is religion versus science and the age old question of ‘where do we come from’ and ‘where are we going’ as human beings.  Science goes straight over my head, I am more of a history, literature and arts girl, but I found this really interesting and fairly easy to follow. There was obviously a lot of research involved in this book, and it really pays off with its detail and understanding of the topics covered.  The attention to detail is also apparent in the setting of this book.  Spain, and its wonderful cities and architecture are brought to life, especially the works of Antoni Gaudí; the unfinished Sagrada Família and the Cast Míla and all their artistic motifs.

We see a slightly different side to Robert Langdon in this book as he is out of his comfort zone in the world of modern art and science; something I felt I could identify with.  But he is his usual dashing self, solving the clues to save the day.  His companion in Origin is the beautiful Ambra Vidal, director of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and fiancé to the Prince of Spain.  I loved her independence, intelligence and feistiness; she knows her own mind and what she wants from life. Obviously they find themselves on the run from the authorities, not knowing who to trust and in danger, from ‘The Regent’ who wants them dead before they uncover Edmond Kirsch’s discovery.  This combination makes for a fast paced, intelligent, compelling read.

If you like Dan Brown’s formula then this book will not disappoint.  It is action packed, tense, suspenseful, and intelligent in its plot; its always  good to learn something new as you read a novel.  It is comforting to see Robert Langdon back doing what he does best, and the new characters are complex, flawed and you are never sure who to trust and there are plenty of red herrings.  I really hope there will be more in this series; if you haven read any of the books then I suggest you start at the beginning with Angels and Demons. In my opinion Origin is another brilliant book from Dan Brown, pure escapism.

 

Thank you for reading my review of Origin by Dan Brown, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this or his other books.

 

 

 

 

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