Inferno: A Review

 Rating: 3.39 out of 5


 Author: Dan Brown










Inferno is the latest installment in the Robert Langdon series. I was really impressed with Angels and Demons but after that The Da Vinci code and The Lost Symbol were disappointing. Hence I did not have high hopes from this one. And I wasn't surprised. Although, it is better than The Lost Symbol but not as good as Angels and Demons. 

The plot is based in Italy and Turkey. The premise deals with Dante Alighieri's historical work The Divine Comedy. The protagonists have to decipher the clues using the said work of Dante to save the world. The writing style is well sluggish. In some of my past reviews I have complained of authors not having researched the premise well but In this case Brown has over-researched the locations and facts, so much so that the story loses its pace and one ends up flipping pages at some points. 

 The story begins when Robert wakes up in a hospital in Florence but he has no memory of how and why he is there. His doctor, Sienna Brooks, helps him solve the mystery and why everyone is out for his blood. Sienna Brooks is the super genius girl who had a difficult childhood and does not want anybody to know about her and her genius. Robert Langdon is confused about a lot of things. He, even while running for is life, does not fail to point out certain facts about the said locations in the story which personally I found extremely annoying. I mean if I have the international military running after me I wouldn't care about the Hercules or Michelangelo!!!! Bertrand Zobrist is the genius-gone-mad of the story. He is the mind behind the chaos. He is more of a prop than a character in the story because he does not play much of an active role in the story. It's his creation that has everyone worried. Elizabeth Sinskey, WHO chief who can't bear children (this fact has been emphasized a lot in the story for no clear reason), was warned by Zobrist before all this began and is now after Langdon (later in the story her stand becomes clear). There are many other characters in the story but more than characters they are just props who act as they are told. 

The story is like a roller coaster. Initially there is a lot of excitement, a lot of energy but as it progresses all that is lost and one ends up with a disappointing ending. There are some twists and turns in the story but the writing style combined with the overdose of scenic descriptions and facts just makes for a lousy read. The plot had a lot of potential but sadly does not amount to something special. 

Hence, it's a decent read but you have been warned.