Saturday 15 March 2014

Inferno - Dan Brown

Date of Reading: 30/12/2013
Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Doubleday
Place: New York
Year: 2013

          Why do you read Dan Brown? Is it for the intricate, heart throbbing journey through Robert Langdon's mind or are you attracted to the final turn and the destination that saves the world from an imminent catastrophe? If ever such question has popped up to you, 'Inferno' is the answer.
         As always Dan Brown takes us to another detour of Italy, through its high artistic culture which offers a plethora of intricate meanings to the ever curious minds. I never had much taste for Dante, or anything related to him but the novel had me glued to the spot till the end. Well, isn't that why we call it popular fiction and the former the classic!!!
         Robert Langdon wakes up in a hospital in Florence without any memory of his last two days and how he got from Harvard to Italy. An attack at the hospital springs him to action and he escapes with Dr. Sienna who was attending him at the time. He finds a cylinder inside his jacket pocket which displayed a modified version of Boticelli's painting Map of Hell. As a request for help brought an attack from US consulate, both of them follow the the clues to Palazzo Vecchio, the museum.

       The director recognises Langdon and mentions his arrival in the previous night with Ignazio Busoni, the director of II Duomo to see Dante's death mask. Now they find that it is stolen and the video footage shows Landon taking that out. A call from Ignazio's office informs that the director died of heart attack and he left a message to Robert giving him the directions to Florence Baptistry.
Dante's Death Mask
        There they find the mask which is inscripted with some secret messages. Jonathan Ferris, who claims to be from WHO saves them from the scene and they follow the riddle to Venice, where Langdon is captured but Sienna manages to escape.
        He is brought before Elizabeth Sinskey, the director general of WHO and the mystery of the two days unfolds. They are here to stop a virus created by Zobrist, the brilliant geneticist who speaks vehemently against over population. He has committed suicide on the completion of his project which is supposed to be some deadly plague to annihilate the human race. Sienna was his lover and the attack at the hospital was her plan to trick Robert.
Dan Brown
        Langdon leads them to Istanbul where inside the huge cistern they find that the virus has been spread from the water soluble bag. He gets hold of Sienna who explains that the virus induces infertility but that won't mean the end of our race as there will be many who can adapt to the new condition and survive it. She accepts the offer of Sinskey to work together in implementing preventive measures. 

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