“Physicist Leonardo Vetra smelled burning flesh, and he knew it was his own.” — Prologue
Angels & Demons is my first Dan Brown book and will certainly not be the last.
The novel had me glued to my seat, turning those pages furiously and playing the guessing game right until the end. You won’t believe who the culprit is. It is a little over-the-top, but still… Set in Vatican City, this intriguing thriller is full of drama. Robert Langdon is a Harvard specialist in religious symbolism (those who have read The Da Vinci Code would be familiar with him). He is called in by a Swiss research lab when Dr Leonardo Vetra, the scientist who discovered antimatter, is found murdered with the word “Illuminati” branded on his chest.
Langdon is sceptical when he first receives the call from the lab director, Maximilian Kohler. However, he is stunned when he sees the fax showing the word “Illuminati.” What makes it even more intriguing is that his telephone number is unlisted, so how do these people know where to find him? Next thing he knows, he’s on board an aircraft travelling from Boston (USA) to Geneva (Switzerland), all within an hour.
Why is Dr Vetra murdered? His death is connected to the substance that he—together with his beautiful daughter, Vittoria—had created. They made a frightening discovery: a lethal amount of antimatter sealed in a vacuum flask. This highly volatile creation has been stolen and will explode in six hours unless its batteries are recharged. Langdon and Vittoria set out for Vatican City, where the conclave to elect a new pope has just begun. At the same time, four principal papal candidates, namely Cardinal Lamasse, Cardinal Guidera, Cardinal Ebner, and Cardinal Baggia, are missing.
The assassin plans to kill them one by one. Each will be branded with one of the other four Illuminati elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Unknown to the outside world, the frantic search for these important individuals begins. At the same time, the Swiss Guard also searches Vatican City for the antimatter; if it explodes when the time is up, everything will turn to dust. While searching for the missing cardinals, Langdon, with Vittoria’s help, tries to uncover clues tied to ancient Illuminati meeting sites and runes. The assassin has even marked Vittoria for his lustful pleasure and is bent on capturing her for his enjoyment after his mission is accomplished.
There are some interesting religious arguments in the story:
“. . . When you lie out under the stars, do you sense the divine? Do you feel in your gut that you are staring up at the work of God’s hand?” Langdon took a long moment to consider it.
“Do you believe in God?” Vittoria was silent for a long time. “Science tells me that God must exist. My mind tells me that I will never understand God. And my heart tells me I am not meant to.”
There are so many twists and turns; the book made me dizzy. It is indeed fast-paced. I will be reading Dan Brown’s other works, including The Da Vinci Code, which has gotten Christians worldwide discussing the book.
Updated on 21 March 2020: Finished reading the book.
