Sunday, September 9, 2012

Kernel's Library: Discover the Secrets of the Illuminati

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown Book 00030: Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
Title:
- Angels & Demons

First Publication:
- May 2000 by Pocket Books

Trivia:
- A film adaptation of this book was released on May 15, 2009 that will serve as the prequel of the hit movie Da Vinci Code.
- The title of the book is also presented as an ambigram on the hardcover book jacket, and also on the inside cover of the paperback versions (An ambigram, also sometimes known as an inversion, is a graphical figure that spells out a word not only in its form as presented, but also in another direction or orientation)


Awards:
- New York Times bestseller
- A Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book Booklist Editors' Choice




Dan Brown's works received their renown when he published his second Langdon thriller, The Da Vinci CodeAngels & Demons is the book that started the ingenuity of his work, although this is his lesser-yet-still-appreciated work. This book tackles not-so-dangerous "waters" compared to that of Da Vinci Code's, so I guess despite its still enjoyable thrill it didn't achieve the level of fame achieved by its sequel, which caused uproars to some sectors.



Here is the synopsis of Angels & Demons from the jacket:

"When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol -- seared into the chest of a murdered physicist -- he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati... the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth.

The Illuminati has surfaced from the shadows to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy... the Catholic Church.

Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces he has hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.

Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair... a secret location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.

An explosive international thriller, ANGELS & DEMONS careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war..."


Grade: A-

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