Review - Origin by Dan Brown

Origin by Dan Brown

Published 3rd October 2017 by Bantam Press

Star Rating - ***.5

Goodreads Challenge - 2/50

Synopsis (from Goodreads)
Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend the unveiling of a discovery that ‘will change the face of science forever’. The evening’s host is his friend and former student, Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old tech magnate whose dazzling inventions and audacious predictions have made him a controversial figure around the world. This evening is to be no exception: he claims he will reveal an astonishing scientific breakthrough to challenge the fundamentals of human existence.

But Langdon and several hundred other guests are left reeling when the meticulously orchestrated evening is blown apart before Kirsch’s precious discovery can be revealed. With his life under threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape, along with the museum’s director, Ambra Vidal. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret.

In order to evade a tormented enemy who is one step ahead of them at every turn, Langdon and Vidal must navigate labyrinthine passageways of hidden history and ancient religion. On a trail marked only by enigmatic symbols and elusive modern art, Langdon and Vidal uncover the clues that will bring them face-to-face with a world-shaking truth that has remained buried – until now.

My Thoughts
I've read and enjoyed all of Dan Browns's other novels, especially the ones in the Robert Langdon series and I've been meaning to get to this one for a long time. I wasn't disappointed but it wasn't my favourite in this series, I felt it was a little lacking in some areas. 

If you've ever read any of the other books in this series then this plot will be very familiar to you. Most of Dan Browns books follow the same basic plot line and, for me, that's okay as that's what makes me enjoy his books. I did feel this one was a little bit lacking in some areas though. There wasn't as many puzzles and as much problem solving as there has been in previous books. We spent a lot of time in the same place and this meant it sometimes dragged a bit in places. As usual there are a lot of quite heavy historical, religious and scientific themes and sometimes these became a bit too technical for me. That being said, I felt the ending was adequate. There were a few twists and turns along the way and some of the outcomes were unexpected. 

I felt that the writing was quite slow to start which is a shame as I usually fly through Dan Brown's books. However, this did pick up about half way through and became a bit pacier and page turning. As I said earlier there is quite a lot of technical language used. As well as this at times the writing was quite fact heavy, again especially in the beginning. You were given a lot of information and explanations and sometimes I found myself getting a bit lost. I did manage to catch up though and I was okay in the end. 

I always enjoy Robert Langdon's character in these books. He's not your normal reckless protagonist, he's a logical thinker and often thinks before acting which you don't usually see in certain types of characters. I quite enjoyed the rest of the cast of characters too. There were a few morally grey characters and there were times throughout this novel where you didn't know who to trust. 

Overall I enjoyed this one for what it was which was your standard Dan Brown novel. It was nothing groundbreaking but if you've read and enjoyed his other books then I think you would like this one. 

Overall Rating (3.5*)