This one crept up on me as I didn't know a new Robert Langdon book was due out. I have to admit, I am a sucker for Dan Brown books. Yes, I know all of the knocks about his books, but damn if they are not entertaining. Like Tom Cruise movies, sure there is a lot of baggage there on good ol' Tommo, but I do like his movies. Not to say that Dan Brown has baggage like TC does, but you know what I mean. The knocks on his style and such are there.Which finally brings us to "Origin". Let's be honest, his last outing, "Inferno", was fairly forgettable. I did like it but it seemed like it was well worn material and quite formulaic. "Origin" fits pretty much into the same formula going back now to "Davinci Code" but in some respects, that's what you come in for. You've got your chase, your conspiracy, your puzzle solving and your female partner. Check, check, check and check. This books fits into the "Dan Brown style" and if you like that sort of thing, then you won't be disappointed.
This time around, we are again dealing with the Church, however this time in Spain. A world famous tech billionaire and avowed atheist, who just happens to have been a former student of Robert Langdon, is about to give a presentation, broadcast to the world amid much fanfare, on a discovery that will shake the foundations of religion. Dr. Langdon has been invited to the live presentation and of course, things go awry and the race is afoot again.
A little different but basically more of the same. Spanish art and architecture take center stage in this one so those topics are interesting especially if you are not all that up to speed on those topics, or forgotten them from your freshman art history class like I did. The mystery wasn't all that difficult to unravel and I had it pegged pretty early on, though the mystery around Langdon's old pupil's "discovery" was fairly new to me. Fairly solid entry in the series.
My Grade: B
LL
