I’m a big, no, a huge Dan Brown fan, so it’s no surprise that I didn’t waste any time snagging a copy of his new book – Origin. This is my honest review of the book and it might surprise you.
Dan Brown’s Inferno was pretty dark and it didn’t end in a very ala Robert Langdon fashion to me. Therefore, waiting for four years, I was pretty stoked for Origin. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm evaporated fairly quickly after only a few chapters. Robert Langdon is asked by a former student of his to fly to Barcelona where the student, now a very rich tech guy will make the announcement of the century guaranteed to shatter our beliefs in religion! Bold, intriguing and promising are some of the words that come to mind when I read the book jacket. That, however, didn’t stick. The first two hundred and some pages, read like a science journal – dry, complex, and too hard to follow. When it didn’t Brown switch into what I could only describe as talking down to the reader long explanation of the arts and architecture in painstaking details. It sounded in my head as though I was made to read a pompous magazine in the doctor’s office that did little to nothing to drive the plot.
Robert Langdon, who by the way is a beloved character of mine, is crippled in this book. He does little deducing work. His voice isn’t as dominant as in previous books which I found odd. Robert Langdon and his knowledge is why I personally buy the books!
Origin lacks action driven plot, and at times is dragging at least until you reach Act III of the book, where the readers start to see some movement and chase. That’s only if you stick around to read that far.
And there are other problems that need to be addressed. For one, Inferno ended with a deadly bio virus being released into the air. A virus so deadly it could turn into a pandemic in a matter of hours. I didn’t expect Origin to be a continuation to Inferno, but some kind of an explanation of how the virus was contained could have been added. After all, humanity was facing near extinction.
Overall, I have to give it three stars. It wasn’t my favorite Dan Brown book. I admire the time he takes to research his books and the effort. I think the book is still worth buying to add to your personal collection. I’m not ready to give up on Robert Langdon and nor should you.
Dan Brown’s Inferno was pretty dark and it didn’t end in a very ala Robert Langdon fashion to me. Therefore, waiting for four years, I was pretty stoked for Origin. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm evaporated fairly quickly after only a few chapters. Robert Langdon is asked by a former student of his to fly to Barcelona where the student, now a very rich tech guy will make the announcement of the century guaranteed to shatter our beliefs in religion! Bold, intriguing and promising are some of the words that come to mind when I read the book jacket. That, however, didn’t stick. The first two hundred and some pages, read like a science journal – dry, complex, and too hard to follow. When it didn’t Brown switch into what I could only describe as talking down to the reader long explanation of the arts and architecture in painstaking details. It sounded in my head as though I was made to read a pompous magazine in the doctor’s office that did little to nothing to drive the plot.
Robert Langdon, who by the way is a beloved character of mine, is crippled in this book. He does little deducing work. His voice isn’t as dominant as in previous books which I found odd. Robert Langdon and his knowledge is why I personally buy the books!
Origin lacks action driven plot, and at times is dragging at least until you reach Act III of the book, where the readers start to see some movement and chase. That’s only if you stick around to read that far.
And there are other problems that need to be addressed. For one, Inferno ended with a deadly bio virus being released into the air. A virus so deadly it could turn into a pandemic in a matter of hours. I didn’t expect Origin to be a continuation to Inferno, but some kind of an explanation of how the virus was contained could have been added. After all, humanity was facing near extinction.
Overall, I have to give it three stars. It wasn’t my favorite Dan Brown book. I admire the time he takes to research his books and the effort. I think the book is still worth buying to add to your personal collection. I’m not ready to give up on Robert Langdon and nor should you.