Dan Brown has devised a winning formula for writing successful novels and it is one that is obvious to anyone who has read either the Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons. Yet again, the same pattern emerges in the plot. Robert Langdon is called to investigate a grisly kidnapping involving a severed hand adorned in ancient symbols. Wasn't it an eyeball in Angels and Demons? And there was a kidnapping and a race against time using clues and symbols to find a concealed bomb in that book. I wonder what the race will be here - an artifact to discover or someone to save before it is too late? Of course, Langdon's background in deciphering ancient symbols will lead everyone to the exciting climax and conclusion. And just for interest, there will be a lovely female counterpart to liven things up in the romantic arena and a hard-nosed political official to deal with like Director Inoue Sato. Along the way, we'll learn some history and science, some of which will be actual fact.
Now usually, I'd be the first to lose interest with the repetition and predictability of such an endeavour. However, the suspense and fast-paced intrigue evident in Brown's writing is always an exciting combination. Short, riveting chapters filled with clues and symbols move between events and characters and enable us to piece the story together like a giant puzzle. And, it's always fun to try to predict the final outcome. Like guessing the gender of an unborn baby, we feel a definite pleasure in saying, "I knew so-and-so was the bad guy all along!"
No comments:
Post a Comment