Angels and Demons $9.99 $8.99

by Katie Davis

New York Times bestselling author Dan Brown is definitely not a "one-hit wonder" of thriller fiction. Though it was his novel, The Da Vinci Code, that first caught the public eye, his earlier work, Angels & Demons, is now also a worldwide success and has been recently adapted as a major motion picture. This suspenseful page turner is certainly not for those who'd prefer a quiet book to doze off to on a Sunday afternoon.

The peaceful life of Robert Langdon, a forty-year old professor of symbology at Harvard, is brutally interrupted when he receives a mysterious five am phone call and disturbing faxed image of a man killed and branded with a puzzling symbol. Looking for answers, Langdon immediately goes to the scene of the crime, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland, only to discover that thousands of people and millions of dollars worth of precious artifacts are at risk of being annihilated in Vatican City.  Time is running out. Accompanied by an intriguing, young, nuclear scientist, Vittoria Vetra, Langdon rushes to Rome where the two of them are forced to stretch the limits of their knowledge of history, art, and cryptology in order to stop the horrific events that will occur hour by hour if they do not succeed.

Throughout the novel, Dan Brown's confident voice takes charge of the page so that readers gladly accept every plot twist and turn he throws our way. Though centered on Langdon, Brown employs many points of view, from cameraman to cardinal, which greatly enriches the fabric of the story and effectively muddles the line between villain and ally, keeping us guessing until the astounding finish. His extensive use of historical and religious details does not appear at all textbook-like in nature, but instead the information is so deeply entangled in the exhilarating events that we forget we're actually learning something after all. Through Angels & Demons, Dan Brown brings to life the wonders of the ancient world as never before, forging an unforgettable connection between the constructions of the past and their undeniable impacts on the future.

 

THE WESTIN EXCELSIOR ROME

ANGELS & DEMONS PACKAGE

Decode secret messages and solve puzzles hidden in ancient sculptures and texts in the 'Path of Illumination,' the official Angels & Demons tour.

Make your stay in Rome a once-in-a-lifetime literary experience! 

Click on the demonic angel for all the details.