Inferno


©2013 by LeeZard
Two words immediately come to mind when I think about Dan Brown’s latest book Inferno, formulaic and enlightening. Formulaic because hero Robert Langdon hooks up with a beautiful young woman (again) and, utilizing his didactic memory and world-renowned knowledge of art and symbolism, (again) travels through Europe hunting a threat to mankind. Enlightening because Brown includes historical references and current scientific theory to further his story.
None of the above should be construed as negative criticism. Brown is so good at his craft that he makes the formula work (again). I sped through the 461 pages in two-and-a-half days. And, despite the formula, Brown includes enough twists and turns as the novel reaches its climactic conclusion to keep the reader turning the pages. It works.
I won’t give away enough to spoil your enjoyment of Inferno. Hopefully I will give away enough to make you want to read this enjoyable thriller.
The book’s title refers to Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, his vision of Hell in The Divine Comedy. The central plot revolves around the very real probability that the human population will one day outstrip the earth’s ability to support it. The ensuing chaos would be beyond catastrophic. Hero Robert Langdon is searching for a genetically engineered “solution” created by a supposedly mad genius that decides to take matters into his own hands. The genius uses Dante’s classic work as the metaphor for his solution and Dante's Death Mask as a map to its location.

Dante's Death Mask
I’ll leave the synopsis there; it spoils nothing for you.
As for the book’s enlightenment, it is nearly as enjoyable as the plot. Brown informs us at the outset that, “All artwork, literature, science and historical references in this novel are real.” There is a dazzling array of those references - too many to enumerate here. Suffice it to say for starters that he takes us on art and architectural tours of such places as Florence, Venice and Istanbul. Add to that the science and politics behind population growth and control and you can find plenty to learn in Inferno.
St. Mark's Basilica in Venice plays a key role in Inferno




If you liked/loved any (or all) of Brown’s previous books, you will feel the same about inferno. If you’ve never read his books, Inferno will probably make you want to go find them.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Michael Jackson Ain't All That

Image
©2009 by LeeZard LeeZard is already burned out on the Michael Jackson brouhaha. I’m sorry, boys & girls but Michael Jackson isn’t (wasn’t) Elvis. He wasn’t The Beatles or Frank Sinatra. Let’s put aside, for the moment, Jackson’s penchant for diddling little boys, the apparent denial of his Blackness and whatever other “foibles” soiled his fable. As an icon, he doesn’t measure up to the “A” list above. Why? Is Leezard just being contrary? I don’t think so. While MJ fans argue that his record sales are the equal to those of the Beatles and Elvis, the “official” count shows otherwise – by at least a quarter-of-a-million (that will certainly change as MJ sales have skyrocketed since his death). But, anyone can diddle with numbers (much better than diddling with little boys!). Let’s take two examples from my generation and look at the bigger picture, starting with The King (MJ was merely “The King of Pop”). Elvis changed everything. It’s not out of reach to say he jump-started the Rock ...
Read more

Woodstock, Sort Of.......

Image
©2009 by LeeZard Millions of people will tell you they were at Woodstock in 1969. Only about half-a-million are telling the truth. I am one of them. I was a young (22) Washington, D.C.-based correspondent for a fledgling radio network operated by Metromedia. At the time, Metromedia was the single largest owner of non-network (ABC, CBS & NBC) affiliated radio and TV stations in the country. In those days, by the way, the FCC allowed only a maximum ownership of seven AMs, seven FMs and seven TV stations by a single company. Everyone had heard of this Rock & Roll festival near the small town of Bethel in upstate New York but nobody was prepared for the historic event it would become. On Friday August 15, 1969 I flew to New York City to attend a friend’s Saturday night wedding. At about 6 a.m. Saturday morning the phone rang at my parents’ house (where I was staying). It was my boss in D.C. “It’s a disaster up at that Rock thing in New York – 20-mile long traffic jams; nobody can g...
Read more

Back in the Saddle

Image
Hi. It’s me, Rip Van Somerstein. I haven’t posted here for a year. I’ve avoided reading, listening and watching any real or fake news for most of that time. I’ve been distracted by the single worst year of my life. That’s the past. It’s time to bring my cynical and critical eyes/fingers back to the keyboard and the so-called real world. Unfortunately it’s a lot of the same crap I left a year ago only in many cases it’s worse. What’s-his-name (whn) is still squatting in the Oval Office surrounded by his criminal buddies, many of whom have been indicted. I can’t wait to see which one will flip first. It seems like school shootings are more frequent – if that's even possible. I’m constantly seeing flags at half-staff. It sickens me. I have no thoughts and prayers going out to the victims’ families. That’s bullshit. SOMEBODY PLEASE DO SOMETHING!   Which reminds me, Congress still has its collective head up its ass with the 2018 mid-term election fast approaching. From my p...
Read more