A Book A Week

With only seven novels to his name, Dan Brown is one of the most-read authors of all time. His novel The Da Vinci Code became an instant bestseller, a worldwide phenomenon, and cemented his Robert Langdon series as must read fiction. Following that smash hit, Brown's next two novels were met with a more mixed reaction. Hollywood even skipped an adaptation of The Lost Symbol in favor of the better-reviewed Inferno. Complaints aside, there is no denying Brown's ability to engage a wide audience with his fiction. Having read each of his other novels, it was only a matter of time before I would pick up his latest, Origin.

Edmond Kirsch is about to announce a discovery that he believes will change the world. The billionaire futurist is known for his revolutionary and often controversial inventions and innovations, but his latest is set to be his most impactful. The eccentric futurist has been working on the age-old questions, "Where do we come from and where are we going?". Finally, Kirsch believes he has the answers. Before he presents his revelations to the world, he consults with three leaders of the world's main religions, each of who is certain that Kirsch's breakthrough threatens thousands of years of theology.

Robert Langdon is brimming with anticipation for Kirsch's announcement. Kirsch was one of Langdon's students, and the two have cultivated a long friendship built upon their mutual intellect. Kirsch has partnered with the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to host his unique presentation and has promised that Langdon will share an integral part in it. The interactive demonstration begins with the precision and spectacle that Kirsch excels at, but things soon take a tragic turn. With the entire world tuned in, Kirsch's evening turns to complete pandemonium. With chaos surrounding him, Langdon must step in and work to ensure Kirsch's discovery is not lost forever.

Critics of Dan Brown will say that all of his books follow a similar narrative formula, are too far-fetched, and come off as pretentious. There is certainly truth to each of these complaints, but I feel like those naysayers miss the point. At the outset, Origin teases a revelation that has earth-shattering ramifications. Brown is writing about big topics and ideas, specifically the battle between science and religion and where the two intersect. It is this very big thinking that made his early books so much fun to read. Sure, the odds of one man being involved in five controversial and history challenging situations is a bit unbelievable, but in suspending our disbelief we are taken along one heck of a ride. I'd argue that this is the first novel since The Da Vinci Code to actually deliver on its promise. More so, the topics that help drive the drama of this book are all more timely than ever. While Origin will never pass for high-brow literature, it certainly succeeds as a page-turning thriller that will keep you enthralled and make you ponder its themes long after the last page. 

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2019, 7)

"Hope not ever to see Heaven. I have come to lead you to the other shore; into eternal darkness; into fire and into ice."
- Dante Alighieri, Inferno

Inferno begins with a jolt. Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) finds himself in a hospital bed with severe head trauma and all of the side effects that accompany it. As Langdon suffers through the sensitivity to light and loud noises, director Ron Howard presents the scenario with fast cuts and sudden volume surges. We become immersed in the moment, feeling every bit as disoriented as Langdon feels. As he struggles to regain his focus, Langdon's thoughts are interspersed with dreamlike visions of humans suffering from horrible afflictions and the outline of a mysterious woman who is covered by a flowing veil.

Langdon barely has time to realize that he is in Florence, Italy before the police arrive. Rather than asking questions, they begin to shoot at him. Thankfully his doctor (Felicity Jones) rescues him and gives him refuge at her apartment. As the events from the previous hours begin to come into focus for Langdon, so do the strange visions he's been having. With various parties using extreme measures to stop him from discovering answers to questions that he's not exactly sure of, Langdon must rely on his intellect and the kindness of a woman he just met to save himself and potentially the entire world.

In this third film adaptation of Dan Brown's bestselling Robert Langdon series, Ron Howard and company rely on many of the same techniques that made the previous films a success. It is impossible not to get sucked into the fast paced mystery, even when the plot becomes far from believable. Like the previous installments, Inferno combines history with an engaging thriller that kept me entertained from beginning to end. This time, the history involves the story of Dante's vision of Hell. For a subject that seems to be so spiritual, this movie comments far less on religion than the other ones did. As always, Tom Hanks shines in his role and Felicity Jones plays a character who holds her own as an equal to Hanks. The ending of the film differs slightly from the novel, but I wasn't as bothered by that as much as I have been by changes in other adaptations. The shortest film in the series, Inferno is a tightly paced, sometimes silly, but thoroughly enjoyable film.

"There're not many angels around anymore. Not in my work."

The Virgil Flowers series by John Sandford is one of my all time favorites. Flowers, a quirky investigator who has his own way of going about his job, is one of the most charismatic and unconventional leads in a popular mystery series. His long hair, obscure music group t-shirts, and cowboy boots make him instantly recognizable by wardrobe alone. His reputation as maverick investigator who solves "the hard ones" places him in some of the most dangerous situations that the state of Minnesota has to offer. Storm Front finds Flowers in an investigation that has stakes reaching far beyond the jurisdiction of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Elijah Jones is in the biggest trouble of his life. For years, Jones has cared for his wife who suffers from Alzheimers. Now, as he faces his own terminal cancer diagnosis, Jones sets a plan in motion that could potentially keep his wife cared for long after he has died. During a recent archeological dig in Israel, Jone's team discovered an ancient artifact that seemingly alters history dating back to the Bible. He smuggles the artifact home to Minnesota in the hopes of auctioning it to the highest bidder and securing the wellbeing of his wife for years to come.

Enter Virgil Flowers. He is busy investigating a petty case of local fraud when his boss Lucas Davenport gives him a call. Shortly after, Flowers is at the airport picking up an Israeli expert who he will assist in retrieving the artifact. But Israel is not the only party with interest in the relic. The history and religion altering implication of the ancient stele has a host of parties from around the world racing to retrieve it. From an American television personality to a notorious terrorist, it seems like everyone wants to get their hands on the artifact. This leaves Virgil in a unique situation. Is an ancient rock really worth dying for?

As with the previous novels in this series, it is really fun to read about Virgil Flowers working out a case in his unique way. John Sandford writes with a crisp urgency that makes Storm Front a real page turner. That being said, this is the first novel in the series that I didn't come out of wanting more. The plot of this book strays a bit to far from reality for me. The globe spanning historical implications of the premise seem more fitting to Dan Brown's Robert Langdon than Virgil Flowers. Flowers seemed so out of place, in fact, that I found myself more interested in the subplot of antique lumber fraud than the main story. Some have suggested that Sandford may have employed another author to help him write this novel. Whether this is true or not, Storm Front, is an installment that does not reach the height of the novels that preceded it. For the sake of his fantastic character, I hope this novel does not mark the beginning of a decline in what remains one of my favorite series.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.

(2016, 27)

Dan Brown reached commercial and critical acclaim when he released his controversial and entertaining novel, The DaVinci Code. In the book, he combined combined a fast paced thriller with elements of ancient European history, making controversial conjectures about the Catholic church in the process. Brought together by his character, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, Brown gained an instant following and was regarded as an author at the top of his game.

But then the third novel in the Robert Langdon series, The Lost Symbol, was released, and Brown's star seemed to have faded. Gone was the tight pacing and seamless integration of historical details. The Lost Symbol, while commercially successful, seemed like an example of an author going through the motions. The convoluted plot and unnecessary tangents of American history, really fell flat, paling in comparison to the previous two installments.

With the memory of The Lost Symbol still fresh on my mind, I was cautiously optimistic that Inferno, the fourth and latest Robert Langdon novel, would be an improvement. The novel sees Langdon return to Europe, this time finding himself in Florence. There is only one problem . . . he has no idea what he is doing there!

As the novel begins, Robert finds himself in a Florentine hospital bed. Suffering from amnesia, Langdon has no recollection of the events leading up to his current situation, but he is haunted by the image of an elderly, white-haired lady who seems to be suffering in a fiery cave. The action is kicked into high gear when a menacing Goth woman, think Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, breaks into Langdon's hospital room, killing his doctor and leaving Langdon and the beautiful Dr. Sienna Brooks running for their lives. Now, Langdon must rely on his unique intellect to rediscover his actions of the last day and to escape the assassins who threaten his life.

After the disappointment of The Lost Symbol, Inferno marks a return to form for author Dan Brown. Like the previous novels there are moments of unbelievability, but Brown deftly makes up for these narrative shortcomings by keeping the pace moving and the historical information flowing. Brown builds his story upon the classic Inferno by Dante Alighieri, taking Langdon and Brooks through his own modern circles of Hell. By returning his focus to Europe's rich and mystical history, Brown crafts another thriller that is as equally smart as it is entertaining.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads.

(2013: week 38, book 33)

Dr. Kate Philo is on an arctic expedition to discover frozen lifeforms. She works for a team of scientists who study cell reanimation. Basically, they have the technology to bring small frozen lifeforms, mostly krill, back to life. As with all science, the process is not full proof. In fact, the creatures come to life for only a short period of time before dying again for good. But the young doctor is optimistic at the promises of the project. So much so that she gave up her university position, which she really loved, to take on the expedition full time. One day the team, sailing under the banner of the Carthage Institute, comes across an unusual find. They come upon a giant "candidate berg" that has the largest carbon signature ever recorded. As they begin digging into the berg, they expect to find some sort of sea creature like a seal. But as the divers dig deeper into the ice, they see something poking out that they never expected to find . . . a human hand.

To say journalist Daniel Dixon is ambitious would be an understatement. He has spent his career searching for that one high-profile story to propel him to the top of his field. It is no wonder then that he agreed to be the sole journalist to cover the Carthage Institute. He has seen the reanimation of krill with his own eyes, and was aboard the ship when the team, led by the beautiful Dr. Kate Philo, discovered the frozen remains of a human man. Now the leader of the institute, Dr. Erastus Carthage, has called upon Dixon to be the sole reporter, as the institute, recently renamed the Lazarus Project, attempts to reanimate their largest subject to date. But Daniel Dixon has an ulterior motive. Yes, being the sole reporter for the historic attempt to bring a man back to life will bring his writing international exposure, but Daniel believes there is more to the story than meets the eye. In fact, he is certain that the Lazarus Project is nothing more that an elaborate hoax, meant to bring fortune and political power to its founder.

Dr. Erastus Carthage is not a nice man. As the head of his privately funded institute and as the leading scientist on cell reanimation, he has become accustom to getting his way, no matter what. With the discovery of a frozen human, he prepares himself for the windfall that is sure to come when he brings the man back to life. But he knows this will not be easy. The project has it's fair share of detractors. Many protest the project, claiming that God and only God has the power to revive human life. Carthage is certain of his science and the powerful possibilities that reanimation of human life could present. He is aware of the various thoughts for and against his work and will stop at nothing to see his work through.

In The Curiosity, author Stephen P. Kiernan masterfully blends science, morality, and romance into a stunning novel. Each chapter is told from the perspective of either Dr. Kate Philo, Daniel Dixon, or Dr. Erastus Carthage, allowing the reader to delve deeper into the motivations of each character and their reactions to the actions of the others. Kiernan explores the issue of morality in science and the lengths that people are willing to go to fulfill their ambitions. Despite the exploration of some potentially controversial themes, Kiernan never pushes an agenda upon the reader, opting instead to let the characters and events speak for themselves.

The novel is hard to place within one genre, reading as a kind of cross between At The Mountains Of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft, Dan Brown's Deception Point, and Eowyn Ivey's Snow Child.  The novel presents a strong romantic thread to it's plot, about halfway through. Fortunately, Kiernan devotes as much effort to building a believable romance as he does in convincing us that reanimation could actually occur. In the end, The Curiosity is a masterful novel, equally entertaining and heartbreaking. It will force you to reevaluate some of your own beliefs while never leading you to a definitive answer. In the end, readers are sure to devour this thought provoking novel and still be thinking about it for weeks to come.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads.

(2013: week 28, book 28)