Review of Inferno by Dan Brown (2013) (Robert Langdon Series)
Bottom line: Take all the negative aspects of Dan Brown’s writing, leave out the good stuff, and add in a very thorough self-guided walking tour of Florence.
Rating: Not Recommended
Blurb:
In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.
Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.
Review:
I have been on the waitlist for Dan Brown’s Inferno since its release in May, and finally picked it up from the library last week. I was really disappointed. Dan Brown’s books at their best are like an action movie – completely unbelievable, non-stop roller coasters with twists and turns and lots of suspense – combined with a fun puzzle to solve. This book was not that. There was so much detail given about settings, names of artists, museums, writers, works of art, etc. that my eyes glazed over frequently. There were so many twists and turns that it just felt tedious – oh, wait, now we’re trusting that person. Ok, now we’re not? Wait, are we again? Am I done yet? Nope, only a couple hundred pages left. The scavenger hunt from clue to clue that characterizes a Dan Brown novel felt entirely forced – there was absolutely no reason for the bad guy to leave the trail of clues in the first place. I had a really hard time caring about any of the characters, they were exceptionally wooden, uninteresting, and unrelatable. In addition, a great author will provide misdirection and red herrings while still providing the clues the reader needs to solve the mystery. In that type of book, you get to the final reveal and you’re saying, “OH! I get it! That makes complete sense and is why X, Y, and Z happened earlier!” Brown has to rely on essentially lying to the reader or using code names so he can shock them later on with the truth. Although he often uses such tactics, it felt particularly bad in this book. Also, there were a lot of heavy handed rants about overpopulation and utilization of resources. Lastly, though I won’t critique Brown’s actual writing style, I will say that if you read this book, watch out for all the whispering that happens in odd places. If I were to wake up in a hospital and the doctors were whispering to me I would be supremely annoyed.
As you may have gathered from the previous paragraph, I wasn’t a huge fan of the book. It was an ok read, but there are so many better books out there. In general, I enjoy Dan Brown’s books, but this one just felt tedious and forced. There were some fun moments – for me the best part was that the final destination ended up being a place I’ve been, so I was able to picture that scene very vividly. If you’re going to read a Dan Brown, I’d recommend The Da Vinci Code or Deception Point. Both are ridiculous yet fun, while Inferno was simply ridiculous.
Available: Amazon, Barnes and Noble
The Da Vinci Code: Amazon, Barnes and Noble
Deception Point: Amazon, Barnes and Noble
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