Origin: A Novel

As a long time Dan Brown fan, I was eager to read his latest. I was not disappointed! Getting "into" the story was a bit tedious, but the language was so beautiful that I was not bothered at all. The premise is outstanding and so appropriate for today's world. As a Christian, I found myself questioning and/or agreeing with so many of the concepts put forth. But, as a Christian, I was joyful and having so many things said that I personally feel need to be said! Our hero does not disappoint. True, there is not as much physical action in this book as usual; but, the action scene within the cathedral was breathtaking! Once again we find a new fact our his life revealed. Who knew he was a collegiate swimmer. . .and a diver at that! His female companion was not at active as we are accustomed to seeing, but she is so knowledgeable that she proves her worth. I was so disappointed when she dropped the phone into the courtyard opening. . .I could just hear all of the male readers thinking, "Just like a female!" This was a real turning point too. The Prince is a central figure although we do not meet him until very near the end. I had gotten the idea that he was a weak man and kept himself cloistered away in the face of possible danger only to find that was not the case. The Palmarian church was so intriguing to me. I found myself shocked at such a possibility only to realize that in the present climate of the church so many things are possible and this is certainly one of them. I was truly, truly mesmerized by the last two chapters and see myself returning to read them over and over. Winston is amazing! Because I am somewhat of a realist, I found myself shaking my heard from time to time; however, again I realized what kind of technological world we are living in today and changed my mind. For readers who are techies this will be a real feast: for those of us who appreciate technology but do not always understand it, this is not only entertaining but informing. Dan Brown has done it again! The tour is not so widespread being contained in Spain; however, the landmarks are compellingly described and utilized to move the plot forward in a most artistic manner. I am doing further research on some of the sanctuaries described because I am intrigued by the history I have learned. I highly recommend this work. The average reader is concerned about tomorrow and his/her place in it. Brown's artistry brings that home to us in a most compelling way. Read it! I encourage all readers to read every word, especially the last two chapters. Well done,Dan Brown\!

From an Amazon book page, an excerpt of a description of Dan Brown's book: "Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science......Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust....before the world is irrevocably altered." Sounds exciting, right? But this was a blurb for "Inferno", Brown's previous book. In many ways it could also apply to 2017's "Origin"(OR).I'm not suggesting that Brown uses a cookie cutter framework to produce his books, but having read all of the Langdon series, I am struck by some common ingredients. So, off the top of my head, I have attempted below to list familiar elements common to some, if not all, of the five books. I would imagine that most Origin readers have read one or more of the preceding books and might enjoy a quick refresher, since it is seven years since the most recent release. Perhaps you will find a few I have missed...1) Treasure Hunt. Coded clues leading to other clues. Ultimate destination unknown. Via whatever transportation is available from private jets to a driverless Tesla (OR) - Brown does load up his books with latest technology.2) Travelogue. The focus in OR is Barcelona but we also get to visit Bilboa, especially the Guggenheim Museum there. I'm not a museum guy but check out Bing Images of that place or YouTube videos of the suspended ferry crossing the nearby river, and perhaps like me you will add it to your list of "Places to Visit Before...." Maybe you would also like to see Budapest's Szechenyi Chain Bridge to which lovers have secured padlocks professing their love. Or Parc Guell!3) An Attractive Woman as co-star. Young, Intelligent, Beautiful, somewhat virginal. No sex, no bad words in a Langdon. Just a few dead bodies, murders and suicides, maybe too many suicides in OR; the last was not credible for me.4) Bad Guys. Not always clear who they are, nor whom they work for. Often not the people you were expecting.5) Action Scenes. Especially ones that will look great on film. How about helicopters plucking surrounded heroes off the roofs of buildings? Not really great climaxes though - OR gets rather talky at the end.6) Teaching Moments. Usually art, science and technology, in OR lots on quantum computers and software advances to improve forecasting future events. Stay with it, very interesting. But also the Palmariana Church and their popes, and statistical physics.6) Religion/Theology. often the Catholic Church is the subject and not always kindly; sometimes clergy are suspects in the most convoluted of plots. But remember that Langdon thinks of himself first as a scientist. Toward the end of OR, Langdon is asked, "Do you believe in God?"7) Treating Readers like Mushrooms. A whispers something to B. B gasps. Totally blown away. Can't believe it. The scene ends, the Reader has no idea what was shared. But don't worry, 200 pages later all will be made clear. It felt to this Reader that occurred at least a half dozen times, and it started to get on my nerves. The good news is that as the end approaches, the reader has several open questions awaiting explanation and making for a certain amount of fun in making "educated" guess as to what all the secrets are, including who is the Regent?The plot of OR is fairly simple and straight forward. A former student of Langdon, a world renowned scientist, claims that he has the answer to the two basic questions that man has been searching for since the beginning of time: Where do we come from? and Where are we headed? (Given that the title of the book is "Origin", when I first heard the two basic questions I immediately assumed that Origin was the first of two books and that there would be a sequel titled "Destiny" But not to worry. Both questions are answered in "Origin". OR are they?) A worldwide presentation has been scheduled. But something happens, and the video with all the answers is not shown. Langdon and co-star must find it and share it with the World.Did I like it? Yes, but.Dan Brown books are always entertaining and I learn a number of new things - see numbers 2 and 6 on the list above. I look upon them though as entertainment, and I enjoyed making lots of footnotes, looking at other resources to check some of Brown's descriptions and claims. Critics love to rip him as a not very good writer but I think they miss the point. Check out recent reviews in the New York Times and Washington Post; they are very different. I feel one critic "gets" Brown and his audience and the other critic.... well, draw your own conclusions. (Hint to readers - don't waste your time going to a newspaper's website and trying to do a search. Go to Google and, for example, search for "NYT Origin review".I don't know if there'll be another Langdon - in seven years? - but if there is I'll probably read it. I wonder though how much longer Tom Hanks will play Langdon.

This book kept my attention the entire time. Thrilling and inteligent and kept my attention the entire book until the end

Yes it is somewhat à know recipe. Brown in doing again and you know it will end well. But the messages sent are not new, just to be reminded. Twists and surprises are there and you can still predict mist of it. It is not the end, it is how he gets there by tying it all together.I would read it again, this is how I rate my books and why the 5 stars shine on this.

Ótimo, o livro. Também o preço e o envio. Plenamente satisfeito!

Parecería ser un ataque a la religión, pero en realidad la conclusión es lo opuesto. Es una novela que pone en perspectiva el avance de la tecnología y los valores humanos.

En conjunto, "Origen" es un thriller apasionante que combina misterio, historia, ciencia y filosofía en una historia cautivadora. Continúa la tradición de Dan Brown de mezclar hechos históricos con ficción, llevando a los lectores a una aventura intelectual y llena de adrenalina.

Dan Brown is one of those authors that divides opinion; like Marmite you either love or hate his books.  I fall into the love category and have been looking forward to reading Origin for a while.  Robert Langdon is back and finds his life in danger again after attending an event in which a friend, Edmond Kirsch, is going to reveal a scientific breakthrough.  The evening does not go as planned and Robert finds himself trying to find the truth behind the discovery.  Yes, it is the same formula as his previous books, but it is a formula that works and still kept me on the edge of my seat.  Every time Dan Brown releases a book there seems to be a lot of articles in the media and on social media where his writing is attacked, a lot of these from other writers and highbrow reviewers.  I really don't understand this as it doesn't happen to many other authors, and lets face it we all like different books which keeps discussions interesting; I do wonder if there is some jealousy in this due to his success.Origin is set in Spain, and the plot is set over one night.  The focus of this book is religion versus science and the age old question of 'where do we come from' and 'where are we going' as human beings.  Science goes straight over my head, I am more of a history, literature and arts girl, but I found this really interesting and fairly easy to follow. There was obviously a lot of research involved in this book, and it really pays off with its detail and understanding of the topics covered.  The attention to detail is also apparent in the setting of this book.  Spain, and its wonderful cities and architecture are brought to life, especially the works of Antoni Gaudí; the unfinished Sagrada Família and the Cast Míla and all their artistic motifs.We see a slightly different side to Robert Langdon in this book as he is out of his comfort zone in the world of modern art and science; something I felt I could identify with.  But he is his usual dashing self, solving the clues to save the day.  His companion in Origin is the beautiful Ambra Vidal, director of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and fiancé to the Prince of Spain.  I loved her independence, intelligence and feistiness; she knows her own mind and what she wants from life. Obviously they find themselves on the run from the authorities, not knowing who to trust and in danger, from 'The Regent' who wants them dead before they uncover Edmond Kirsch's discovery.  This combination makes for a fast paced, intelligent, compelling read.If you like Dan Brown's formula then this book will not disappoint.  It is action packed, tense, suspenseful, and intelligent in its plot; its always  good to learn something new as you read a novel.  It is comforting to see Robert Langdon back doing what he does best, and the new characters are complex, flawed and you are never sure who to trust and there are plenty of red herrings.  I really hope there will be more in this series; if you haven read any of the books then I suggest you start at the beginning with Angels and Demons. In my opinion Origin is another brilliant book from Dan Brown, pure escapism.