[Book review]: Origin by Dan Brown

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Genre: Thriller, action, mystery

Blurb

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum in 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 realises 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.

 

My review

Origin is a great, fast-paced, intellectual read. I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in a week (a record for such a slow reader like I am). All the characters are well-developed. Even the “bad guy”, Admiral Luis Avila, made me feel sorry for him as the circumstances of his past led him to a deadly trap.

Reading about the locations of some scenes (Bilbao, Madrid, Barcelona, etc.), I felt like I wanted to visit them.

Winston feels compelling and believable. I’m sure Mr. Brown took some ideas for it/him from “2001: Space Odyssey” film, a ’60s sci-fi masterpiece by Stanley Kubrick.

Despite some “holes” in the plot, the book is still gripping and extremely well-researched as all of Dan Brown’s books.

In the end, it leaves this uplifting feeling that our humanity is evolving in something bigger and better, and the future of humans is much brighter than we tend to think.