Angels and Demons: Dan Brown [Minor Spoilers]

Angels and Demons: Dan Brown

When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol -- seared into the chest of a murdered physicist -- he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati... the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth.

The Illuminati has surfaced from the shadows to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy... the Catholic Church.

Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces he has hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.

Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair... a secret location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.

An explosive international thriller, Angels & Demons careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war...

~http://www.danbrown.com/

Hello, and once again I’m here with another review, this time it’s Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown, the very first novel starring the Harvard Symbologist, Robert Langdon.

Langdon comes from a unique background rarely seen in other novels, for example, you’ve all heard of wizards, assassins, aliens and Space Marines, but who’s heard of a symbologist? From Harvard?

Now, you’re thinking, how does Dan Brown tie in a Harvard Symbologist, the reappearance of the Illuminati, and a plot to destroy Vatican City? Well, let me tell you this, he does. And he doesn’t just do it well, he does it very well. Too bad I read the Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol, the next two books on the series before this. However, it still didn’t spoil me of the ending.

Dan Brown is possibly one of the smartest authors out there, and not only is he smart, he knows how to write a page-turning novel.

I found that the pace was very fast, mainly because I was desperate to get to the end to work out what the conclusion was. Would Vatican City get destroyed, or would Langdon and Vetra manage to save the day?

Yes, it was that unpredictable. Sure, I knew that Langdon wasn’t going to die because I’d read The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol, but the other characters, I had no idea. That aside, the twists in this story were excellent, as well as the background. I should point out, that if you lose your bookmark, or page, and lose out on the story, maybe skip a few pages or so, you won’t understand what’s happened, so you’ll have to go back and find where you were.

Despite this, Angels and Demons was an amazing read, and I can’t wait to read Digital Fortress, unfortunately not starring Robert Langdon but, based on what I’ve read, I have high expectations.

But I also had high expectations for The Chapter’s Due.

Also, may I point out, there’s a lot of gory details in this novel, and a bit of romance, but they still all make Angels and Demons interesting – they don’t ruin it.

Rating: 10/10 – I’ve been giving away a lot of 10’s recently, but I feel everything is deserved as normal.

Should you buy this book? You don’t need me to tell you that.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment: James Patterson

WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE Do not put this book down. I’m dead serious – your life could depend on it. I’m risking everything by telling you – but you need to know.

STRAP YOURSELF IN for the thrill ride you’ll want to take again and again! From Death Valley, California, to the bowels of the New York City subway system, you’re about to take off on a heart-stopping adventure that will blow you away...

YOUR FAITHFUL COMPANIONS: Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel. Six kids who are pretty normal in most ways – except that they’re 98% human, 2% bird. They grew up in a lab, living like rats in cages, but now they’re free. Aside, of course, from the fact that they’re prime prey for Erasers – wicked wolf-like creatures with a taste for flying humans.

THE MISSIONS: Rescue Angel from malicious mutants. Infiltrate a secret facility to track down the flock’s missing parents. Scavenge for sustenance. Get revenge on an evil traitor. And save the world. If there’s time.

Okay everyone, be braced for my first, non-40k review ever. And it seems only fair that I start with a re-read of my favourite books... In the World (Cookie for anyone who gets the reference).

Alright, meet Max. She's fourteen, and the oldest in her family of mutant bird kids (see blurb), and she's also on the run from Erasers, again, see blurb. The Erasers themselves are trying to bring the Erasers back to The School where they have their earliest memories of childhood.

Yes, that's right, I did say School. Although, it's not any normal school. It's a Labatory where scientists perfom illegal experiments on human DNA. The Avian Protanagists of our novel, Max, Fang, Iggy, The Gasman, Nudge and Angel have spent the first few years of their lives in The School, and they've escaped. They're now living in Colarado, when the Erasers return and kidnap the youngest flock member - Angel.

And they have to rescue her from a secret facility.

This book's hilariously funny, with plenty of non-stop action to keep you on the edge of your seat, leaving you eagerly awaiting for more. It's James Patterson's first young adult book, based of his When the Wind Blows, and its so popular it's being made into a film in 2013. Ker-Ching! Oh, I really hope the world doesn't end in 2012.

Oh, ever thought that girls are weak? Read this book, then you'll change your mind for certain.

If you've read any of James Patterson's other books, you'll notice that this still has the tremendously short chapters that his novels are known for, so be ready for that.

Also, Each charachter is unique and boasts different personalites, all shoved together to make a wonderful novel. You get Max, witty, brave and sarcastic. Nudge, who talks too much for her own good. You get the blind-but-deadly Iggy, and the stinking-but-deadly Gasman, who both have a fasination for bombs, and as stated by Max herself, know more about bombs than possibly anyone on the planet. How they aqquired this information is left for the reader to guess. Internet?

Oh, did I mention the mind reading Angel? The mysterious Fang? The ruthless leader of the Erasers, Ari? Jeb Batchelder, the flock's "Father figure" during the time that he was there, and Ella, who has far more in common with Max than she might imagine, but you'll have to wait until Book 3 (Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports), to find out. Oh yeah, Ella's human. So's her mother, Doctor Martinez.

High Point: Well, the humour basically, and the amazing idea that JP has come up with.

Low Point: A bit of an overload on fights. Patterson uses an Eraser attack as an excuse to keep the reader motivated to find out whether they escape or not. And it worked, with me at least.

Rating out of 10: 10/10

Should you buy this book?: What? You don't have it already?

We're Expanding

Hey guys, I'm back with one notice. I'm expanding into non-black library books to review. The First Book that'll be non black library should be a re-read of Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, a personal favourite. also, after that my Ultramarines books should've arrived, so expect reviews for The Killing Ground and onwards in the UM series.

Also, to all those non-40k readers that are browsing, this'll be good news :).