Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Completion Date: 09.07.2010
Rating: *
Number of Pages:569

Most Memorable Quote -

"All faiths are admonitions that there is something we cannot understand, something to which we are accountable...with faith we are accountable to each other, to ourselves, and to a higher truth. Religion is flawed, but only because man is flawed. If the outside world could see this church as I do, looking beyond the ritual of these walls, they would see a modern miracle...a brotherhood of imperfect, simple souls wanting only to be a voice of compassion in a world spinning out of control."
-- This is when Camerlengo Carlo Vestra is speaking to the world about the Illuminati and the faults of science. This quote is actually quite accurate about the nature of religion, I find. There isn't a religion on the Earth today that is perfect -- men spin in prejudice, politics, weakness . . . no man is infallable, and religious organizations and opinions are formed by men. However, perfection is not what's important in religion. Religion is a moral compass; it is a source of hope, of love, of service . . . despite all error or uncertainty, religion is the root of so much good in this world, and is beautiful.

So, uh. Yes. That is my religious thought of the day. Does that have anything to do with Angels and Demons, the book? No, not really.

On a more related note, I quite enjoyed Angels and Demons! At first I thought I was going to like The DaVinci Code better, as that one's about the history of art, which I find fascinating. However, as I read myself deeper into the Angels and Demons symbology, plot twists, and pure action-packed-goodness, it simply encaptured me.

Now, let me clarify, this was not the best book I've read in my life. Not even close. I know that last paragraph was raving (and goodness gracious, YOU try to come up with as intricate a work of fiction while mixing in so many hard facts and detailed history -- I mean, seriously!) but there were plenty of flaws with this book. Dan Brown is a freaking genius when it comes to the storyline -- the detail, the twists and turns, the characters -- it's all top notch! I simply find that he could probably find more eloquent ways of putting across the mass amounts of information that he shoves into your face. I mean, you hardly notice this because the plot is enough to excite you and keep you enthralled, but his writing style is certainly simple.

Angels and Demons is altogether a good book. Is it my favorite? nah. But it's really, really good.

As a final note, I really wish I could think like Dan Brown. He must be such a smart guy. Sadly, however, my intellectual level is probably about the same as a puppy. Eh, but such is life. Maybe I'll just write a book about what it's like to be completely, utterly, ridiculously ordinary.

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