Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
"Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure.
Kirsch, who was one of Langdon’s first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence. As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever.
Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.
Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace itself . . . and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery . . . and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us"
Origin is the fifth installment in the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown.
I love me a good Dan Brown book, and out of all of his book this one was my least favourite. That does not means that this a bad book, because Dan Brown knows how to write a good book. This book just took a direction that I personally do not like with certain plot points.
Brown managed to craft a fantastic and immersible story. He interweaved fact and fiction so seamlessly that everything that is said and done in this seems plausible. While I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, the main plot of the book does happen to be something that I don't really like to read about. Abuse of power, especially from the point of view of the church, in order to do things that go against their code of conduct drives me insane.
I didn't like that it took a while to get into the mystery solving and running around part. One of the reasons that I like this series is because the other books dealt with secret societies. This book focused more on science and technology. It definitely went for showing the effects of social media and the technological advancements of the with the addition of an AI. But, as I said, I prefer the focus to be on architecture, archaeology and history. I just felt like this book drifted away and maybe would be more fitting for his other series.
Another minor thing that bothered me was that if this takes place after Inferno, why were there no mentions of the events from that?
If you like the rest of the books in the series, this won't disappoint you (or I hope not).
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