Inferno - Dan Brown

4/5 stars

There are a couple of reasons why I rated Inferno 4 on 5. Firstly because after Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, I think my expectations from Dan Brown were pegged way too high for him to live upto. In all fairness, the book was excellent, fantastically researched and the threads plaited together neatly in the end. The other reason for my rating was the sheer volumes of facts. The waves of historical and current day facts overwhelmed me every now and then, drowning me sometimes and leaving me gasping for breath. I think he overdid the descriptive part of his novel, but I also think he compensated for that with the strong storyline. The villainous Bertrand Zobrist and his brilliant schemes leaves one in doubt about the true nature of his villainy. The female protagonist Sienna Brooks is a complicated tangle of brilliance, quick thinking, the inherent and deep desire to do good and the long lengths travelled to make that good happen. The characterization is beautifully done and yet what struck me most was the theme central to the story. It is a situation I myself think often about. It is a problem that evokes strong opinions and emotions in me - the exponentially growing human population and the imminent collapse of our society if it continues unchecked. I relate to this problem intensely and as such I found myself drawn into the story effortlessly. The remaining aspects of symbolism, ancient history and art embellished the story beautifully to round it off into a great thriller.

If you are reading the book, my advice to you would be to read it as a standalone and try your best to not compare it to Dan Brown's other works. That might be a tad difficult if you are a Dan Brown fan like myself, but as a reader, it's imperative to be able to judge the merits and demerits of the book fairly and without biases. Happy reading!