Inferno by Dan BrownMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Inferno is the latest novel by writer Dan Brown. The story's main character is Robert Langdon, a professor of Religious Iconology and Symbology at Harvard University. He has also been the main character in Dan Brown's previous novels Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and The Lost Symbol.
The focus of Inferno is on the work of Dante Alighieri. There are so many references to the painting of Dante's Inferno by renowned painter Botticelli, Dante's travel through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise in the Inferno, and even features Franz Liszt’s Dante Symphony. The clues that help Langdon solve the very complicated and seemingly convoluted puzzle lies in Dante's most famous work.
Dan Brown's Inferno (Robert Langdon #4) begins with a man jumping off a tower in Italy. Robert Langdon wakes up from a nightmare in a hospital room with a major headache and is unable to remember what has happened and why he has stitches on his head. He is told by his doctors -- Dr. Marconi and Dr. Sienna Brooks -- that he may have amnesia. He seems to be having visions of a terrifying scene where there are dead bodies all over the place and a veiled lady asks him to "seek and find."
However, as Langdon is starting to come to terms with what the doctors are telling him, a woman enters the hospital and tries to kill him. Robert is able to escape with the help of Dr. Sienna Brooks. And that becomes the beginning of a very dangerous and deadly chase between Langdon and his pursuers.
Dan Brown (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A man called the "provost" (the head of The Consortium) needs to find Langdon fast. The provost has a very important client who has paid The Consortium a lot of money to make sure that he is able to do his life's work in secret. Because The Consortium is known to keep its promises to its clients, the provost is trying to do everything in his power to make sure the client's wishes are fulfilled.
The client is Bertrand Zobrist is a very famous biochemist and is an ardent believer in Transhumanism which is a philosophy that states humans should make use all of the available technologies in order to engineer their own species stronger. It basically means survival of the fittest. Zobrist believes the dramatic rise in the human population will lead to the extinction of the human species in less than a century unless there is a way to control the growth. Too many people to feed means a drain on resources until there will be nothing left and humans will die out. Bertrand is of the belief that the Black Death (the plague), responsible for the deaths of countless people in medieval Europe, paved the way for the birth of the Rennaisance. Thus, a newly-designed plague will be the best solution to the problem.
Zobrist's ideas make the head of the WHO very nervous and uncomfortable. Dr. Elizabeth Sinskey knows he must be stopped at all costs. But Zobrist has disappeared and Sinskey needs help to find him and to thwart his plans.
All these characters, and more, come together to help weave a very fascinating and exciting story. Dan Brown is able to put together an intriguing book. Inferno is "unputdownable." There are numerous and totally unexpected twists and turns that will surely keep readers glued to the story. I find the book totally absorbing.
Inferno is a must read and I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.
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