RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌑
Published: October 03, 2017
Publisher: Doubleday
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 461 pages
“… but if there is one thing I have learned in my long life, it is that faith always survives, even in the face of great hardship.”
SYNOPSIS:
Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon’s first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence. As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret. Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace itself . . . and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery . . . and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us. Origin is Dan Brown’s most brilliant and entertaining novel to date.
THOUGHTS:
The Robert Langdon series is one of those entertaining books that I love no matter how flawed the story is. I know it is not perfect and I’ve been hearing a lot of things about how mediocre the story and the plot is. But I love it nonetheless. I enjoyed how Dan Brown weaves facts into fiction; it is informative and entertaining at the same time. You can see that the author has researched the details of the places and the arts that has been mentioned in those books. But what I love most of all about these books is it would make you think and ponder about things.
It’s also funny how most of the plots of these books are about questioning religions and faith but as for me, after reading everything about these books it always strengthens my faith.
The thing about this book is it is so timely that it’s scary. The technological advancement that we see in our generation today is truly unimaginable to the previous generations. And with the advancement of science and technology it would truly leave you asking about faith especially if you come to a country or place where religion has a huge impact in the society that you lived in.
I was so ready for this book to blow my mind, to shock me or to leave me hanging with untold secrets that are not meant to be told. But it did not happen. The revelation at the end does not even shake my faith one bit. I end up raising my eyebrow. The other books in this series lives me wondering about the what-ifs if Dan Brown’s plot twist is real, but it did not happen in this book. Maybe if I am more of a science lover I would appreciate it more but it did not appeal to me AT ALL.
The beginning of the story is always the fun part; the mystery of how the heck did Robert Langdon gets involved in that mess and how he could get out of it. I also love the hunt for the password and all the chasing. But the ending, the big reveal does not do it for me.
However, I feel like I am changing my stand with regards to the plot twist about the revelation of the culprit. Because as I write this book review, I realized the impact of what Dan Brown wants to give to the readers by giving that turning point to the story. With that plot twist, people will definitely be aware of how dangerous the culprit is in the world today. And I can say that there is a possibility that this might occur in the near future because like what the book says, we are fast approaching the age of technological advancement.
All in all, I still enjoyed this book but this is definitely my least favorite Robert Langdon book.
Let me know your thoughts about this book if you have read it! Do check this book out, I still recommend it.
Till next time!
Maria❤
A Daughter of Parchment and Paper 