Cooch Behar Chronicles 2013 Issue | Page 30

INFERNO:

DAN BROWN

INFERNO is a 2013 mystery thriller novel by American writer Dan Brown and the 4th book of the 'Robert Langdon' series, following ANGELS AND DEMONS, DA VINCI CODE, and THE LOST SYMBOL. The book was released on May 14, 2013 by DOUBLEDAY publisher. Instead of a religious thriller, Dan Brown this time involves a lunatic environmental scientist who decides to cull the human herd. It is a fiction novel with some intriguing original facts which keeps the readers’ eyes glued to the pages till the very last line.

Set in the heart of Italy, the main plot of the story revolves around the Havard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, being drawn into a harrowing world centred on one of history’s most enduring and literary masterpieces...Dante’s Inferno. Langdon experiences a nerve-wrecking adventure along with his female companion, and fights the battle with his ingenious intellect that leads him through a web of classic art, futuristic science, and architectural secrets of famous monuments. Taking help from Dante’s dark epic poem, 'The Divine Comedy' , Langdon races against the clock to complete the picture of his incomplete puzzle-game before it is too late.

Previously in all his bestsellers, Dan Brown has masterfully fused history, art, codes, and symbols. In this riveting new thriller, Brown returns to his element and has crafted his highest stake novels to date. Brown has created a fast paced roller-coaster ride for the source of a genetic hack delivered to everyone on the planet via a highly contagious airborne virus. As in the previous novels, Brown sticks to his style of presenting his readers with a thrilling adventure masterpiece and making his characters decipher hints and clues hidden in the treasures of the world’s art and literature, fighting intrigue and deception.

Inspite of great response from the readers, there were some flaws in the plot. Using Florence and Dante as the scaffolding for this idea for his new book seems to be an odd choice. Also, some critics commented that- “the occasional attempted parallels between the disparate subjects, such as overpopulation - recreating Dante’s hell on earth - seemed forced as a result and the fascinating Renaissance ideas and the wonderful historical facts supporting the story seemed superficial”.

FOR THE BOOK WORMS