Written as the first
book of the series that includes the astounding hit, the Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons certainly shares all of the excitment, intrigue, plot twists and cliffhangers that the second book boasts of.
The hero of both books, Robert Langdon, a dashing Harvard symbologist, receives a call in the middle of the night and is whisked off to a top secret research laboratory in Switzerland to investigate the murder of a loved physicist, who has a groteque symbol branded onto his chest. It is a word, which can also be read upside down, is a mark of an
ancient brotherhood known as the Illuminati, one of the most terrifying and powerful organizations of its time. Langdon's worst fears are realized when he is notified by a messenger of the Illuminati that a bomb of unimaginable magnitude is hidden deep within the Vatican City, on the eve of the holy conclave to select the next Pope. The Illuminati are on a mission to destroy its most hated enemy, the Catholic Church.
Langdon, along with the beautiful Vittoria Vetra, daughter of the murdered scientist, embarks on a desperate hunt across the length of Rome to uncover the secret lair of the Illuminati before the Church's
time runs out.
The pace of this book is almost frantic, and one can only berate oneself for not being able to read fast enough, let alone even thinking about putting it down for even a second. This book is just as carefully researched as the Da Vinci Code, full of amazing details; taking you almost literally on a journey across Rome's most ancient sites. The ending to the story is spectacular - with a twist that you are almost guaranteed to gasp at - in many people's opinions, it packs a punch that even the Da Vinci Code could not equal.
One thing is certain; Dan Brown certainly never fails to impress.
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