Inferno

A Novel

By: Dan Brown

Narrated by: Paul Michael

THE #1 WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER FROM THE ICONIC AUTHOR OF THE DA VINCI CODE AND THE NEW ROBERT LANGDON THRILLER, THE SECRET OF SECRETS

“A book-length scavenger hunt . . . jam-packed with tricks.” —The New York Times

“[A] cinematic blockbuster.” —USA Today

Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon awakens in an Italian hospital, disoriented and with no recollection of the past thirty-six hours, including the origin of the macabre object hidden in his belongings. With a relentless female assassin trailing them through Florence, he and his resourceful doctor, Sienna Brooks, are forced to flee.

Embarking on a harrowing journey, they must unravel a series of codes, which are the work of a brilliant scientist whose obsession with the end of the world is matched only by his passion for one of the most influential masterpieces ever written: Dante Alighieri’s The Inferno.

Look for more Robert Langdon novels:
The Da Vinci Code
The Lost Symbol
Origin
The Secret of Secrets

Critic reviews

“A book-length scavenger hunt.... Jam-packed with tricks.” —The New York Times

“Fast, clever, well-informed.... Dan Brown is the master of the intellectual cliffhanger.” —The Wall Street Journal

“One hell of a good read.... As close as a book can come to a summertime cinematic blockbuster.” —USA Today

“A diverting thriller.” —Entertainment Weekly

“Brown isn’t just a novelist; he’s a crossover pop culture sensation.... Inferno is the kind of satisfying escapist read that summers were made for.” —The Boston Globe

“Harrowing fun threaded with coded messages, art history, science, and imminent doom.” —Daily News (New York)

“[Brown is] the planet’s most dastardly thriller writer.... Inferno moves with...velocity, excitement, and fun.” —The Independent (UK)

“An adventure ride through a literary text.... [A] sweeping spectacle.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“A fast and furious race.” —The Plain Dealer

"A master of the breathless, puzzle-driven thriller.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch

“What Brown does in a way that appeals to millions of people around the world is tell stories that remind us there’s more to the world than meets the eye.” —The Huffington Post

Formula Exhausted. Next !!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this to a friend who is planning a trip to Venice,
Istanbul and Florence. They will not need a guidebook.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Stephen Cannnell

Which scene was your favorite?

The end.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

This book is a movie script, so I would not need to go to the movie.
Should also be on travel channel.

Any additional comments?

This movie script is akin to Mission Impossible meets Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The premise is ridiculous, the author took his FODOR's and spliced in totally
irrelevant travel and historical facts. It is a Mile Wide and an Inch deep.
If you like to travel, read this book. Otherwise, never mind!

The narration is spectacular !

Mission Implausible

THOSE MEAN REVIEWERS

It is amazing how attached we get to certain authors. Having read and loved, three great books by DB (Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, and Deception Point) and with Inferno just coming out, I thought I couldn't lose. Then I read the reviews and I could not believe how mean these arrogant reviewers were treating the Great Dan Brown. I took it personal. I figured they were spoiled and trying to be self important at Brown's expense. I would listen and write a scathing review on the reviewers. I have now noticed that one of those lengthy manifestos as been removed. Through the first twenty chapters I thought I was so in the right. The book really started out gang busters.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, INDIANA LANGDON, DR. PHIL, SOYLENT GREEN, OR SNAGGLEPUSS.

After a while I found my mind wondering. I found the mystery, not that mysterious. I was getting tired of the constant chasing and the I know something and I am not telling you stuff. Then the silliness set in. You know, like jumping out of an airplane without a chute and surviving. The book started to sound like an old episode of Mission Impossible, which was a good show in it's day, but watch it now and it's terrible. They brought up the old theme of overpopulation. This was a theme in the 50's and 60's and none of the things those fear mongers predicted came close to being true. I started to see all the staging for the movie, I almost expected to see blocking (Exit Stage Left Even). Langdon starts to want to father/love? a woman he has known for only a few hours. (Because she is beautiful, the smartest woman in the world and she is misunderstood.)

THE PLOT THINS

So like the plot in the book, my ability to lambast the reviewers did not happen.

YET

There is some good stuff in this book. Brown is still a master at putting words together. You get a really cool tour of Florence. There is a little science, such as eugenics. The last couple of hours has so many twists and turns you will get dizzy.

Narrator is excellent

Why do I keep listening to Dan Brown books?

You'd think I'd learn. "DaVinci Code" was great. Everything else Dan Brown writes is just a poor copy of that formula.

I did enjoy the first 2/3 of this book and I think Dan Brown enjoyed writing the first 2/3 as well. From that point, though, realizing he had written himself into a corner, he looked over to bookshelf with the last 6 books and sighed "well, I can always do THAT again."

Paul Michael does a very good job again. His reliability matches Dan Brown. In Paul Michael's case, this reliability is a good thing. In Dan Brown's case, reliability breeds contempt.

Don't do what I did...learn from your mistakes and pass on this one.

Good Fun (again)

I liked this more than Angles and Demons but less than The Da Vinci Code. This has some familiar patterns but his is no more formulaic than most mystery writers and is more stimulating than most. There are some pretty far fetched story elements which I found weakened this story. The characters are all pretty enjoyable, but there was less deep development than The Da Vinci Code. I enjoyed the art and literary history and the story was fast moving and exciting with some unexpected twists. This is not a great book, but it was definitely worth the time. The narration was excellent.

Predictable and Long

What did you like best about Inferno? What did you like least?

Interesting facts and allusions to other literature that are now on my list to read.

It was way too long.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

consolidated it to 75% or less of its current length.

Which character – as performed by Paul Michael – was your favorite?

Agent Bruder.

Was Inferno worth the listening time?

Barely... Thank god for the ability to increase narrator speed.

Any additional comments?

He mentioned the book "Logan's Run" defiantly going to read that.