Origin: (Robert Langdon Book 5) Hardcover – January 1, 2017

Spoiler alert: This review discusses the plot and the philosophical questions and controversies underlying it.I give this book two stars only because Dan Brown is still skillful at constructing a decent plot structure and managing his narrative pace. In my opinion, however, it is the worst novel he has ever written. The ending and “the culprits” were fairly easy to predict very early on. Brown telegraphed the secrets Robert Langdon and Ambra Vidal would reveal even as Langdon went through his usual machinations of deciphering various symbols while on the run.As is the case with all of Dan Brown’s novels, the page before chapter one states that “All art, architecture, locations, science, and religious organizations in this novel are real.” This may be technically true, but Brown twists the reality behind the above to suit his purposes and, at times, grossly distorts the underlying truths and meanings of art, science, religious institutions, and locations.A few examples are in order, although pointing out every discrepancy between what is real and what is fabricated would take a book in itself. First, the narrative states that Michelangelo’s David is effeminate because of its pose. The truth is that Michelangelo was forced to position the David as it now stands because it was necessary to carve around various flaws in the column of marble he had selected for the piece. The David is real, of course, but not the information about its carving or its resulting presentation.Second, the ultraconservative Palmarian Church is indeed a Catholic schismatic sect that broke away from the Church in 1978, not recognizing any further popes in Rome but rather electing its own. It is not, however, a thriving sect that has hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide who donate veritable fortunes to keep conservative Catholicism alive, which is what the book claims as fact. It is estimated that the sect has fewer than 1,000 followers left and continues to shrink. It has only thirty nuns and a pope who left to get married. That’s conservative? In Origen, the Palmarian church is a popular and wealthy driving force helping to drive Brown’s plot on several fronts. What Brown has written about the church is not in any sense “real.” At the very end, he pulls back and says the church was just a financial scam, but that’s not entirely true either.But let’s move onto a third example, one that is inferred from both science and religious institutions. This is the biggie.The book plainly states in multiple chapters that there are only two possibilities: either God created man fully-formed or else Darwinian evolution is correct and negates the possibility that there is a God. Catholic doctrine and most Christian denominations have no argument with science, nor is there any belief that Darwin’s theories preclude the existence of God. The Catholic Church (and its theology) openly acknowledges that the creation story in Genesis and much of the Old Testament are genre fiction and not to be taken literally. The entire premise of the book is that once evolution and its corollaries have been proven correct, such as how the first DNA was created in the primordial oceans, then God can no longer exist. With the exception of many fundamentalist and evangelical Christians, this view is not shared by most Christians, and Genesis is not taken literally by believers.Brown has made his entire plot revolve around this central question of evolution and the creation of the first living cells. Okay, so what if a lightning strike caused certain molecules to form into one-celled organisms, meaning that God didn’t come from heaven on a chariot and place Adam and Eve in the Garden? Other questions must be answered. Who made the oceans? The planet? The galaxies? Who is responsible for the Big Bang? Brown, who gives enormous shout-outs to New Atheists such as Hawking, deGrasse Tyson, Dawkins, and others, tries to limit the entire debate over the existence of God to a point that is not in contention within Catholicism. The plot, presented as philosophical fact, and its assumption that definitive proof of evolution will put an end to all religions, is absurd—and is most definitely not fact. (Evolution was presumed as fact by most scientists long ago, and religion didn’t die.)But consider that little sentence at the beginning of the book again: “All art, architecture, locations, science, and religious organizations in this novel are real.” The author has skillfully manipulated his readers into buying into believing that science and religion cannot coexist, a central theme to the book without which there can be no plot. Once the reader believes that little innocent-looking sentence, then the whole philosophical premise of the book is entertained as being a valid argument that will topple religion.Brown has been hammering away at religion for several years by inserting twisted facts into his plots, and this is a tour de force in inviting the reader to step inside his world of scientific rationalism. But one cannot prove the “supernatural” with “natural” sciences. Science itself admits that beyond an event horizon of a black hole or the instant before the Big bang, physical laws—and physics itself—no longer exist. In Origen, Brown has pulled out all of the stops and tried, once and for all, to bludgeon religion to death with science that modern Catholicism does not repudiate. He has failed miserably and instead has given his readers a diatribe, not an engaging novel of suspense.So why is this so troubling? I, for one, am tired of trying to read an enjoyable thriller without being hit over the head constantly by the axe Brown has to grind with religion, the Catholic Church in particular. Without contributions from Catholic scholars and monks, learning would not have survived the Dark Ages due to monasteries preserving classical Greek philosophy, and many of the greatest scientific breakthroughs have been made by Christian men and women of faith. Even today, there are millions of scientists who belong to organized religions, scientists who do not believe that science and religion are mutually exclusive.The character of Robert Langdon remains undeveloped after six Langdon novels, which would qualify most writers for an immediate rejection slip. Yes, we know that he swims every morning, wears a Mickey Mouse watch, has an eidetic memory, and grows irate and frustrated at all people who do not have every nuance of history, art, architecture, and symbology committed to memory. In this latter respect, Langdon never fails to grow aggravating to me and patronizing and condescending to other characters. Yes, Langdon is an uber scholar, but as a human being he is flat, one-dimensional.And speaking of Langdon, his role in this novel is minimal. He is more of a bystander as Brown preaches his gospel of atheism. He solves a few riddles, but he certainly doesn’t advance the plot.The copy editing for the book (as with other Brown novels) is bad. Hundreds of compound words are split into two, such as “crossfire.” In the novel we are told that two characters are in “a cross fire.” That literally means that they are somehow threatened by a burning cross. Words are hyphenated that shouldn’t be. Commas are thrown about haphazardly, and sentences that need commas to prevent a misreading have none.The constant use of italics (and Spanish sentences) is especially annoying. Sentences are italicized at the drop of a hat to show thoughts, alarm, emphasis, etc. These are all valid uses of commas, but they are used thousands of times in the book, and I couldn’t always tell when a sentence was expressing a thought, emphasis, surprise, or all of the above. This overuse of italics slows the reading process and at times makes it unclear who is thinking or speaking.In terms of using italics to indicate a rise in vocal inflection, there is no rhyme or reason to where the italics are placed. I read many sentences out loud, but they sounded ridiculous and sing-song. The incorrect vocal emphasis compromises the dialogue in hundreds of places.As usual, Brown revels in describing architecture and art, but his description of architecture was way over the top here. It was pervasive throughout the book and extremely repetitive in spots. I suspect Brown couldn’t resist the descriptions since they are mostly framed as architectural explanations that reinforce the atheism or paganism of the architect. There’s such a thing as too many chambers, staircases, crypts, balconies, and spires. At times, I felt as if I were reading Architectural Digest.And then there is the anticlimactic ending that runs for seventy-five mind-numbing pages (a video presentation to shock the world into giving up belief in God). The science is shaky at best, and the presentation jumps from one scientific conjecture to another. I felt as if I were sitting in a college auditorium, forced to listen to a longwinded and slightly far-fetched lecture. It’s tedious in the extreme and seventy-five pages of more didacticism and philosophy mixed in with science that again twists facts combined with computer simulations that are both nebulous and a bit hard to swallow.But wait! Langdon at the last minute asks where physics came from? Who made the laws of science? Maybe there is a higher power after all. Nah. Science is the new religion. Or, well, maybe they can work together. Nah, science is the new religion. But maybe God exists and the fault lies with fundamentalists and evangelicals. No, science is the new religion. The ending is garbled from a narrative perspective, but the message has been driven home. God, according to the narrative, is irrelevant either way. Only science can save the world.I think Mr. Brown would be well advised to put Robert Langdon on the shelf for a while and write other novels, ones similar to Deception Point or Digital Fortress. When the formula is always so preachy, determined to prove an anti-religious belief ad nauseum, the patience wears thin.Unfortunately, Brown’s thrillers have become a platform for not-so-thinly veiled attempts to refute God and religion. It has become tiresome. Origen hardly qualifies as fiction because of its heavy-handed rant against religion. As noted, his books are not really based on facts, but he has snookered millions of readers into believing that he and his alter ego, Robert Langdon, know arcane secrets and truths. They don’t.

I wish I could give this 3.5 stars, but it doesn't warrant 4 in my opinion. I love Dan Brown's novels, his writing style, and his extensive use of history/tech in most of them, and I always learn something when I read his books. Robert Langdon is one of my favorite fictional characters. However, as this series moves on, it's more of the same. Brown has a plug and play format that he follows, and as I read this book, it's basically Robert Langdon at some educational/art venue where a friend/colleague, etc. asks for his presence only to witness a murder or event that threatens the world. < insert new villain here that is on a mission from God because his/her family was wronged>. Run to this historical place, find something they were looking for, find it quickly and then all is right again. There was supposed suspense, in that you want to find out what in the world Langdon's friend had to say before his murder--and of course, you have to wait until the end to find out. But I skimmed a lot of it because it was just more of the same. By the end of the book, I wasn't particularly enlightened by the so-called "discovery that would change the world." And, the side plot (that actually seems like part of the larger plot) of the Prince and Bishop was a distraction. The only part that was remotely interesting was the use of "Winston" in the novel. I was hoping for something more original from Dan Brown, especially after paying $15.00. I wish he'd return to the days of Digital Fortress. He's such a talented writer, but if this is his whole mantra for novel writing, I'm not sure I'll buy the next one.

When "The Da Vinci Code" came out I found it to be a well crafted tale of science and religion battling a secret that if it came to light, the very foundation of all religions would be shaken until the tree was emptied of all its fruit. It was a convincing struggle that involved a partnership of a man and a woman thrown together to discover and alert the world to the final message left by a man recently murdered in a major European city. There search for the "Holy Grail" required them to travel to other locales and follow the clues left for them to decipher. The message they were looking for was hidden in an ancient cryptex which required a password to safely unlock it. Once opened, it would reveal the hidden information that could destroy the Catholic Church and all that it has stood for.Please understand that (at that time) I felt that "The Da Vinci Code" was one of the most refreshing and interesting novels that I have ever read. It is a blockbuster of a novel that was made into a highly successful film that grossed about $224 million worldwide. HOWEVER, "Origin" follows almost the exact same formula using the same basic premise but involving a modern supercomputer instead of an ancient cryptex. If you buy and read "Origin" you will be reading essentially the same story with updated technology using Spain as the locale instead of France. As I realized that this book was just essentially a rework of the same formula used in "The Da Vinci Code", it become a bit tiring for me to finish.Once again, an interesting and well written novel with characters moving around and through beautiful European locales. The struggles of science and religion continue with the whole world waiting for which discipline would win out. Don't be surprised if a sequel is waiting in the wings. The author left enough 'clues' to pave the way for some type of continuation of the story line. I feel like Dan Brown let me (and other loyal readers) down. Time to change formulas.

If you've read one Dan Brown / Langdon book, you've read them all. And the first couple of times, it's fine, but now, it's tedious.The formula is simple:* Put Langdon in a bizarre situation (usually to do with an ex-colleague / student / long-time academic friend)* Throw in an eligible female lead* Have some sinister goings-on with a character with particularly nasty predispositions* Do stuff that relies on Langdon's convenient eidetic memory* Overly describe obscure aspects of history / location that don't really add much to the plot* Have a fairly predictable ending.So yeah, sorry... but I think it's time to try something else.

Yeah, that’s how I see Dan Brown now after reading this book. At what point was I convinced? When “Langdon” mentioned CNN as being the only respectable news outlet and how “Langdon” thought the alternative media only asks cryptic questions or some such opinion.In the book, he also argued for open borders. Plus, all the villainous characters are conservative or religious. I also got fed up with Edmond - the dead genius atheist - whose trail Langdon followed to uncover the secret that would turn the world upside down.Too many cliches.So, I think Dan Brown is a puppet, sorry, and his days are numbered now that globalism is in the process of crumbling. I’m sure he will still have his readers who’ll keep the flame of globalism alive but they will be fewer and fewer as time goes on.

This is by far his worst book. Full of tedious 'facts' and spurious descriptions that add nothing to the (very tenuous) plot. Feels like it would have benefited from a serious edit. The twist at the end was fun, and the last few pages were like we were back to the good old days, but the rest could have been cut hugely. Really disappointing.

IN ONE OF HIS INTERVIEW'S DAN BROWN STATES THAT "THE PROBLEM IN MAKING BOOKS INTO MOVIES IS THAT IMAGINATION  BECOMES LIMITED. BEFORE THE HARRY POTTER MOVIES EVERY KID WHO READ IT HAD HIS OWN VERSION OF THE WIZARD HERO BUT AFTER THE MOVIES CAME OUT EVERY KID IMAGINED THE SAME DANIEL RADCLIFFE FACE. BOOKS NO LONGER REMAINED OPEN TO ONE'S IMAGINATION." I WOULD AGREE ,AS I STARTED IMAGINING TOM HANKS IN A SUIT WITHIN THE FIRST FEW PAGES OF DAN BROWN'S LATEST NOVEL ORIGIN. BUT THE OTHER CHARACTERS I COULD PICK AND CHOOSE FROM THE VAST ARRAY OF HOLLYWOOD'S ACTORS I LIKED. I COULD STILL IMAGINE THE NEXT PAGE'S HAPPENING OR VISUALISE HOW I WOULD REACT IF I WERE IN THE SCENE. HENCE DESPITE THE MOVIES , ONE'S IMAGINATION STILL RUNS FREE MR.BROWN! AS AN ARDENT ADMIRER OF DAN BROWN'S WRITING MY SPIRITS WERE DAMPENED AFTER READING INFERNO BUT I STILL BOUGHT A COPY OF ORIGIN ON THE VERY DAY OF IT'S RELEASE HOPING FOR A MORE POSITIVE THEME.  HAVING SEEN HIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE I SOMEHOW SENSED THAT SHARJAH WOULD BE FEATURED IN THE BOOK AND IT WAS.  ALSO I THOUGHT THAT THE RECURRENT QUESTION OF SCIENCE VERSUS GOD WOULD BE EXPLORED IN SOME NEW WAY ALONG WITH THE TIMELESS QUESTION WHERE DO WE COME FROM ? “Human creation and human destiny. They are the universal mysteries.”BUT THIS BOOK RUNS MUCH DEEPER.THE WASHINGTON POST , THE TELEGRAPH, THE GUARDIAN AND THE NEW YORK TIMES HAVE GIVEN VERY SCATHING REVIEWS TO THE BOOK BUT THE REAL REVIEW IS IN THE SALES FIGURES AND THE RECEPTION FROM THE MASSES IT IS AIMED AT. THE CRITICS EVEN NOTIFY TOM HANKS FOR HIS UPCOMING MOVIE SHOOTING IN SPAIN AND COMMENT ON THE BOOK'S FORMULA. THE REASON FOR A FORMULA BEING REPEATED BY SOMEONE IS THAT IT WORKS. IT IS A THRILLER SET IN A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY WITH GREAT HISTORICAL MONUMENTS EXPLORING EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS. HISTORY +BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE + SMART DAMSEL IN DISTRESS + SOLVING CODES + CONTROVERSIES + UNDERDOG GEEKY HERO OVERCOMING ALL OBSTACLES DESPITE CLAUSTROPHOBIA & THE WORLD AGAINST HIM ETC = MILLIONS OF BOOK COPIES SOLD ALONGWITH MOVIE RIGHTS.“In your world of classical art, pieces are revered for the artist’s skill of execution—that is, how deftly he places the brush to canvas or the chisel to stone. In modern art, however, masterpieces are often more about the idea than the execution.“ THIS INSIGHT FROM THE BOOK IS A VERY SIMPLE WAY TO EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT OF MODERN ART TO THOSE WHO ARE PERPLEXED BY IT. I liked the way he has approached modern art by making Bilbao museum the starting point for the story. The description of ideas behind modern art is a gateway for people who do not appreciate it perhaps and I for one have added the Guggenheim museum to my bucket list.ON MY PART, I AM FASCINATED BY THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF MONUMENTS AND THE VARIED THEORIES DAN BROWN SHARES USING LANGDON HIS ALTER EGO PERHAPS. I DO NOT MIND THE DESCRIPTIONS ABOUT CITIES AND MONUMENTS WHICH IS WHAT THE CRITICS ABHOR THE MOST IN HIS BOOKS. LEARNING ABOUT A PLACE DURING A STORY IS MORE INTERESTING THAN PICKINGUP A TRAVEL BOOK. I READ HIS BOOKS SLOWLY, SEEING VIDEOS AND PICTURES OF THE PLACES AND READING A BIT ABOUT THEM BEFORE MOVING ONTO THE NEXT MONUMENT. HE MOVES FROM MONUMENT TO MONUMENT AND CITY TO CITY SOLVING A PUZZLE. I AM AS A READER INTRIGUED BY THE PUZZLE AS MUCH AS BY THE ARTWORK AND PASSAGES OR POETRY SHARED DURING THE QUEST. Getting a fresh perspective about works of Nietzsche and William Blake as an interwoven part of the tale makes it DEEPER THAN A SIMPLE THRILLER. DAN BROWN STEPS CAUTIOUSLY INTO ISLAM for a brief moment AND MOVES INTO THE Familiar territory of Christianity for the rest of the book. He shares the controversies of the Christian world in interesting  plot twists.I like the manner in which he deals with religious fanaticism subtly and even provides a solution of sorts “that the human mind has the ability to elevate an obvious fiction to the status of a divine fact, and then feel emboldened to kill in its name. He believed that the universal truths of science could unite people—serving as a rallying point for future generations.” “That’s a beautiful idea in principle,which is why Edmond hoped science could one day unify us,” Langdon said. “In his own words: ‘If we all worshipped gravity..."In making up artificial intelligence as a main character Dan Brown shows the contentious cusp between present and future possibilities. To quote“ assess a machine’s ability to behave in a manner indistinguishable from that of a human“ makes it sound achievable. The concept of building intelligence that can be near human but not humane is intriguing and scary both. “the human brain is a binary system—synapses either fire or they don’t—they are on or off, like a computer switch. The brain has over a hundred trillion switches, which means that building a brain is not so much a question of technology as it is a question of scale.“ I WONDER IF THE FUTURISTIC UPGRADED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGANCE WINSTON WHO PUTS SIRI TO SHAME IS BEING DEVELOPED SOMEWHERE.THE "SMART DAMSEL IN DISTRESS SOLVING CODES" THEME RECURRS HERE AND I WONDER HOW HIS NOVELS WOULD FARE IF THE FEMALE LEAD WOULD BE A MUCH OLDER MARRIED LADY OF GRANDMOTHERLY AGE OR MAY BE EVEN A MALE SCIENTIST? DESPITE THE PLATONIC FRIENDSHIP PORTRAYED, A RAVISHING FEMALE LEAD ADDS AN ELEMENT OF WOW DEFINITELY. THOUGH STATED AT A DIFFERENT POINT IN THE STORY ,AN AUTHOR HAS TO TAP INTO BASIC HUMAN TENDENCIES AT SOME POINT BECAUSE IN DAN BROWN'S OWN WORDS "humans, despite being God’s most sublime creation, were still just animals at the core, their behavior driven to a great extent by a quest for creature comforts." MOST READERS' ATTENTION WOULD BE DRAWN TO ATTRACTIVE FEMALE LEADS IN TROUBLE AND IN HIS NOVELS IT IS BEAUTY WITH BRAINS.THERE IS A TENDENCY TO INCLUDE INTERNATIONAL CHARACTERS TO GET WIDER AUDIENCE AND AN INTELLIGENCE OPERATIVE OF INDIAN ORIGIN MAKES AN APPEARANCE BUT I HOPE DAN BROWN CHOOSES A BETTER INDIAN NAME NEXT TIME.I HAVE READ ALL OF DAN BROWN'S BOOKS AND MY RATINGS WERE THE HIGHEST FOR THE DIGITAL FORTRESS FOLLOWED BY DA VINCI CODE FOLLOWED BY ORIGIN FOLLOWED BY DECEPTION POINT FOLLOWED BY ANGELS AND DEMONS FOLLOWED BY THE LOST SYMBOL FOLLOWED BY INFERNO. I HATED THE NEGATIVE THEMED INFERNO THE MOST . ALL IN ALL HIS RECENT BOOK"ORIGIN" IS A PLEASANT READ AND I WOULD RATE THE PLOT AS 3.5/5 AND THE WRITING AS 4/5 BECAUSE I LIKE TRAVEL AND MYSTERY BOTH AND DAN BROWN MARRIES THEM IN QUITE A DECENT NARRATIVE. I ALSO LIKED THE WAY I WAS FORCED TO THINK OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE FUTURE IN MYRIAD HUES AND NOT JUST AS AN AID TO HUMAN KIND.

Utterly boring! Slow, ponderous, rambling and decidedly uninteresting. I've read all of Brown's books and they vary considerably in quality. Origin is, by far, his most dismal effort. The storyline is lifeless, unexciting and, at times, a bit soul destroying. I eventually lost the will to live three quarters of the way through. I just couldn't summon up the patience to continue, or any interest in the eventual outcome. This is a dour, uninspiring book, and I wouldn't recommend it to those who thrive on 'unputdownable' thrillers. Origin is eminently putdownable and could be the answer for those who have difficulty sleeping.

I decided to treat myself to the new Dan Brown book called “Origin” and I wasn’t disappointed.This is the fifth book in the Robert Langdon series. The other books in the series are:- “Angels and Demons”, “The Da Vinci Code”, “The Lost Symbol” and “Inferno.” Every single one of these are excellent reads. :-)Robert was asked by an ex-student of his to attend a presentation at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.Edmond Kirsch and Robert have always kept in touch. The last time he saw him was almost a year ago when he was interested in some information that his old professor could help with.Edmond told Robert that the presentation would change the world of how we think about evolution.That’s all I’m going to say about at story as there’s no way I want to spoil it for anyone who wants to read the book.The author has done another excellent job with this story. It’s full of action, fast moving and has some twists. As usual, the author has given his characters plenty of depth.I’ve found this book to be a compulsive, exciting and enjoyable read. I really struggled to put this down, (just like all his other Robert Langdon books).LOL, I was reading this when I should have been sleeping. That’s how addictive I found this book, (like his other books in this series)If you haven’t read any of this series, may I suggest you read them in the order that they were written, (like I mentionedin the earlier part of my review), not how they were filmed, (I wasn’t keen on the way they did that).I’m really hoping that the author will carry on and write another story about Professor Robert Langdon. I’m sure many fans, just like me, would be over the moon if he was to do that. :-)I can highly recommend this book, (and the entire series).

<No Spoilers>To start with, 3 stars mean 'I liked it' but not 'loved it'. This is due to the immense drag in the middle of the book. This must be the first Dan Brown book in which I literally fell asleep in between! I woke up after thirty-minutes only to realize I'd passed out reading a Dan Brown! I just couldn't believe it, but sadly that's what happened.The reason for sleep - I felt the author was literally trying to 'show' the reader each and every detail (Issue = Too much detail) of the art forms, the museum, and places involved (most of them I have personally visited.) The descriptions write-up is very apt and great and the places chosen are immensely interesting, but that's not what I picked up the book for -> That is the issue, a big one. The story in between just goes off track on the spiral staircases or Gaudi's out of the world architectural art forms or wonders.What I liked:-The question of existence/origin involved gripped me at once, which included the tug of war between science and religion-The way the author answered and handled the 'theme' question of the book in many plausible ways leaving no pros and cons out of any aspect - scientific, religious and neutral.-The overall mystery and plot. I did guess quite a few things, still, it was an interesting plot.What I didn't like:-Too much drag with the detailing of the same place again and again-Too many details about the places. Although I admire the research the author has done to put it all on paper, but when am reading a thriller, I really want the story to be moving. If I'm bemused by a place within a few lines, I'll research it later, not in between a nail-biting thriller. These details mellowed down the effect of mystery created and I really wanted to get past those descriptive passages to read what happened next.

SAME OLD RUBBISH.These tales are getting more like a Scooby Doo episode every time. The original idea for The Da Vinci Code was refreshing and the excellent storyline kept your interest even though the book was badly written.However, now that we are in to episode 5 it's gone stale. The plot is the same, Langdon gets drawn in to a situation, He should just call the police or the authorities and get everything sorted but no, he and the obligatory pretty girl embark on a pointless chase to save the world and eventually, after 90% of padding, the world is saved, the baddies are dead and Langdon will live again in episode 6 and we all go out and buy it.

Firstly, you need to remember that Dan Brown makes a living from making things up, despite the trailer in the book stating that all of the science currently exists.I was very sceptical after the first few pages about the content, and suspected just another book playing upon the vagaries of religion. However, as the book developed I was drawn more and more into the anticipation of the release.The ending proved quite plausible, even though he doesn't drift too far into the future. The ending is not only possible, it's already well on the way.You'll need to read it to find out where we are going ...

With many citations to the famous New Atheists, it will certainly float their follower's boats. Furthermore for those up to speed with the latest advances in Artificial Intelligence or those anticipating the future upgraded versions of Amazon Alexa they should relish this book as well. Whilst the plot may be quite foreseen at times this was not a big concern because, despite this, the exact path the book takes it is still exciting and well worth reading to find out. For those from a religious conviction, I suggest you read this book to the end as all in all I would say the book is as much a critique of religion as it is a promoter of the great attributes faith and spirituality has to offer.

this latest installment is compelling from page one. loved it a complete rolercoaster of a ride. it made it better that there wasnt quite so much of the car chasing of the other robert langdon books. it makes you think because of the wat technology is moving it all sounds to plausable excellent researched great additionto the series.my only tiny criticism is that there is no mention in this new world of the end of inferno where the virus had been let out to randomly sterlise to cut world population would also effect human development.

I am an avid follower of Dan Brown, who was first introduced to me by the manager of my local supermarket (where I worked) who gave me a copy of “The Da Vinci Code”.In “Origin” Dan Brown excels himself. The storyline alone is compelling but the backdrop - Spain’s beautiful architecture and fascinating history - is new to me and I spent as much time on my computer, researching these, as I spent reading Dan’s book.I recommend “Origin” to anyone who seeks to answer the hitherto unanswerable questions: ‘Where do we come from?’ and ‘Where are we going?’.

The book is very enjoyable, and written in the usual Dan Brown manner with a fast pace and continuous small hooks and surprises to keep you wanting to read on.It has lots of real world references to spanish architecture as the characters visit famous museums and churches. This does seem a bit pretentious. It also appears that the author has read a Winston Churchill biography recently as there are lots of fairly random Churchill references.The actual plot to be fair is pretty ludicrous on reflection , and the style is pretty much the same as the other Dan Brown books with lots of death and murder in famous, religious locations but if you are looking to kill some time on a plane, train etc then this is the book for you.I honestly don't know why this guy is so successful !! But he is !!

This book is neither well written, or has an interesting story line. It is predictable and the very thin plot is drawn out. Dan Brown has written a book that is more of a listing of things he found out during research on arts and architecture, rather than using them to move the book forwards, as he did in da vinci code or even Angels and Demons. His books has become gradually worse since those two, and this is the worst yet.Browns characters are very one-dimensional, and where he tries to be controversial, as a reader, one has already guessed what the punch is and found it a bit embarrassing.Skip this book as it will not be worth whatever you pay for it. Re-read the da Vinci code instead.

This reads like a 'made for movie' novel. Bereft of the puzzle-solving charm of earlier titles, Dan Brown seems unable to let go of Robert Langdon, a protagonist that has become a caricature of himself. Gone is the engaging intellectualism of Angels & Demons and Da Vinci Code, now replaced by a series of comical chases more resembling a fusion of Indiana Jones and Benny Hill.Moreover, there now lies such transparent mainstream agendas behind Brown's writing. Yes, it's clearly written with Hollywood in mind, but shameless too are it's emphasis on product placement; not merely content with relentless plugs for items I shall not stoop to listing here, the book continues the author's penchant for describing, in unnecessarily irrelevant detail, landmarks (famous and not) that will see a significant upturn in interest. At times this novel comes off like a trip advisory blog. His technocratic leanings are obvious too, pushing onto its readers (and soon movie-goers) agendas relegating the role we should be playing. Brown here celebrates nihilism.As far as an actual narrative goes, start at chapter 91, for everything before that is windy bluster.