Brown’s angels and codes

Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code created a stir when it was first published. It has also been translated into nearly all the major languages of the world.

Many think it’s Da Vinci Code that made Brown famous. True, the book is good but so are his other works. Maybe the controversial theme of the book arrested people’s attention. What many don’t realise is Brown’s other books, though not so controversial, are as interesting.

Robert Langdon, who is the protagonist of Da Vinci Code, is a professor and symbologist. The character is based on one of Brown’s friends.

Among Brown’s other novels, Angels and Demons is the best. It is about Langdon’s first adventure and is kind of a prequel to Da Vinci Code. It is an exhilarating brain thriller.

In the book, Langdon is called to a Swiss research facility to analyse a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. He discovers a plot, by a centuries old underground brotherhood called the Illuminati, to destroy the Vatican.

The Illuminati has stolen antimatter, the most powerful energy source known to man. Antimatter releases energy with 100 per cent efficiency and does not cause pollution or radiation. The only problem is it ignites if it comes in contact with anything, even air. A gram of antimatter can destroy cities the size of Hiroshima. The Illuminati plan to use it to destroy the Vatican. So the question is can Langdon save the Vatican?

Read Angels and Demons to find out.

Who knows after reading it, you might refer to Brown as the author of Angels and Demons and not as that of the Da Vinci Code.

Subba, Class XI, Modern Indian School