Review: Dan Brown – Inferno

With over 200 million sold copies, he is one of the most successful thriller authors of all times. Now Dan Brown is back with his new mystery adventure Inferno.

Laura Rietz

Dan Brown fans will be pleased to find two things from the author’s previous books Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code in Inferno: a setting full of historical and religion tradition, and Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor of symbology who again has to find his way through mystical symbols.

This time the book explores a dangerous secret behind the literary masterpiece of Dante’s Inferno, the poem that describes Dante’s journey through the nine circles of hell.

Minor blemish

Sometimes, Brown gathers information for a story for two years before actually writing it. That Dante Alighieri was born and raised in Florence, where the novel is set, only shows Brown’s strong reputation as a thorough researcher.

Therefore it is a minor blemish that we have seen some aspects of the story outline before, such as Langdon being a possible suspect in a murder case, an attractive woman accompanying him and an unforgettable lunatic stalker.

Dan Brown gets away with it because later in the book, he sends the professor in a completely unexpected direction. The book contains everything a reader longs for: breathtaking action, a network of human intrigues and a lot to learn about the past.

The main ingredient of a page-turner

Most importantly, though, and something impossible not to connect with Brown, are the conspiracies. They are what make Inferno another successful page-turner. In logical and complex ways he applies conspiracies to historical events.

He is able to explain much-debated mysteries even better than the Catholic Church itself and this is what the readers want: riddles and answers. After a rather disappointing Lost Symbol, forerunner in the Langdon series, Inferno could be the return of the ingenuity Brown lovers are used to. 

Setting change recommended

Despite the gripping story development, a different setting for the following books would be a fresh change. All previous ones were based in Europe. Brown should get out of his comfort zone and approach Asian or South American history. He could be our master bringing light into the Mayan conspiracies. 

But there is hope at the end of the tunnel. The author recently mentioned his plans to write 12 further books featuring Robert Langdon. 

Inferno is released on May 14.