Origin

Have now read all of the Dan Brown Robert Langdon series, and the two earlier novels as well. Although some critics disparage his style, I find the short chapters and scene changes draw one in and compel and propel the reader to finish the book quickly. Escape fiction, yes, but it draws on scientific, philosophical, political, scocio-cultural and historical issues which make the story relevant to contemporary life. (For some reason, had skipped over The Lost Symbol and Origin after having read Angels and Demons, Da Vinci Code, and Inferno. Recently read The Secret Of Secrets, which caused me to circle back to the two I'd neglected.) (Had read Digital Fortress and Deception Point, the earlier novels, after Da Vinci Code.) "If this is the kind of book you like, you'll like this book - and the series as well."

I like the writing of Dan Brown. I always learn new things. Often I find myself stopping and googling a place or historical event. It’s usually fast paced and entertaining. This book is similar. I liked the action and the characters. There is some thought provoking writing but it gets a bit bogged down in scientific theory at the end and drags. And, as I have found in my other favorite authors (Follett and King) a gratuitous (in my opinion) nod to lbgtq or left leaning politics. I won’t share which in which books but it doesn’t really added anything to any of stories except a little feeling of “have to”. Kind of sticks out like a sore thumb and you kind of drift off into “there they go again”. Decent story. Not disappointed I read it but makes me think twice about spending time on the next one as I am with Stephen King and Ken Follett.

In my 80 years of life, this may be the best book I ever read! Bar none! It is not just the story, although it was great, the description of people, places , events and things was superb. The mystery, titillating romantic scenes, the adventure, and the action not to mention the, and to me the most enthralling, scientific theories and religious philosophies. I bought this as an e-book when it first came out and have read it twice. I now bought the hardback version to keep for posterity. This book conjured up an idea that would have made a perfect follow up book but I have no way to get it to him so it will never happen, but it shows how this book will open the minds of free thinkers in regards to things that have here-to-fore been forbidden subjects by the closed minded. I look forward to reading it many more times until I can almost recite it. HEY! Wouldn't it be great if some movie producer would make a movie out of it? If anyone's thinking about it, please hurry, I don't have a long time to see it, although my mind already has staged it according to me. IMPORTANT NOTICE! If you start to read it, don't quit because something sounds like you don't agree. "It all comes out in the wash." One last thought - I read the bad reviews and believe that those people read the book expecting some other form of writing. They appear to be reading it for the wrong reason or not able to comprehend the depth of the writing. It would seem they have missed the point over and over. PREVIOUS REVIEW I have read most of Dan Brown's books and in spite of some bad reviews on Da Vinci Code I have found that a good understanding of both science and faith and an open mind allows you to extract some excellent information from some of the books. It also explains the type of people that put down such good writing. Having served in Cryptographic repair in the Army, I found Digital Fortress an excellent read. I also read Angels and Demons and enjoyed it in spite of a couple highly improbable events, but it is a fiction book and still a good read. However, I just finished Origins and WOW did I love this book. I have had somewhat extensive religious training and have very strong beliefs (faith) but am also deeply into science and this book covers it all. I have no doubt that it will come under terse review by those trained to believe only what they were taught and not how to use their own minds to think out of the box, probe into the missing and delve into the philosophy of both religion and science and realize that they are mutually compatible. You just have to open you mind to new thoughts and ideal, and Dan Brown has given you all the material to learn how to do that in this book. Remembering that this is still only a work of fiction and not a documentary, this book will enlighten, entertain and fascinate you to pieces. I think it is by far his best book. And to him I would say this is a good time to quit writing because I don't see how you will ever top this one. I will probably read this one three or four more times to insure I missed nothing. One question for Dan. How do you classify this book; Religion, Science, Drama, Argumentative or Philosophy?

I have a massive love/hate relationship with Dan Brown. Angels and Demons was a great read, Da Vinci code was just okay, and Lost Symbol was a borderline chore. After every book his formula became increasingly apparent. Langdon winds up in a weird city under a weird pretense, pairs up with a random classically hot woman, him and said hot woman run through the city chasing clues where at least one of their biggest leads gets killed, they are being tracked by an assassin and they escape capture through a deus ex machina or some arcane knowledge of secret passageways, then there's a painful amount of downtime, the case is solved with some ham-fisted lesson thrown in, and everyone is home in time for dessert. Bonus points if Langdon loses his memory at some point. Then Inferno came out and I fell back in love. Although all the trademarks were still painfully there, it's pacing was so well done, its location of Florence so pristine and ripe for exploration and the ending so intriguing and morally ambiguous that it felt like a true return to the Angels and Demons form. But this one... man this one is rough. The dialogue is is lazy, with exposition thrown around in an unrealistic manner and characters speaking in a way befitting of a parody of themselves (the conservative Catholic priest is especially grating and stereotypical), many of the events taking place are well beyond the realm of realism (one programmer single-handedly creating a computer program that saves the EU from financial ruin and who also just happened to create a fully aware Artificial Intelligence without anyone's knowledge, etc). The poor dialogue and lack of logic and realism is in near every Dan Brown book, but it is on steroids in this one. The biggest crime however is just how long it takes to get going. After inferno was so well-paced, having to slog through chapter upon chapter in the same location, teasing the same thing (I swear half the opening chapters end with some kind of "when i reveal this discovery, it's going to change the world". It has no impact after the 20th time you say it, Mr. Brown. Aren't you a writer?), only for it to go the exact rout that anyone who has read a Dan Brown book knows its going to go, is criminal. Within the first few chapters you will already know: okay, this person is getting killed, this person is the mastermind, this person is the assassin, oh and here is the impossibly beautiful chick. Now where it would normally take only a few chapters for all these basic Dan Brown-ian setup events to unfold so that the bulk of story can actually get going, this book takes nearly 40. 40. Not a typo. 40. Take a 4 and put a 0 after it. 40. One more than 39. 40. 40 freaking chapters for the book to actually get started. Not to mention the story here is just so much more cliche than the last one in terms of subject matter. Science vs Religon. We've already done this, Daniel. And we've done it better. So yeah when an entire third of the book is dedicate to the setup that usually takes a fraction of that, you know this book is significantly lighter on intrigue and meaningful content than most of Brown's previous attempts at storytelling. It still has some of that unmistakable good Dan Brown charm, it's just buried much more heavily under bad Dan Brown than is normal and I'm not sure I can recommend it.

I am not afraid to admit that I believe Mr. Brown is one of the best writers of mystery thrillers around. There is no one better at making the end of every chapter a cliffhanger that entices you to keep reading. Granted, that does not put him on the top tier of writers I admire; however, I enjoy a good thriller, and this is one. In fact, I would rate this as his best book on par with The DaVinci Code. This time Robert Langdon is at the Guggenheim Bilbao in Barcelona to watch a former student and friend, Edmond Kirsch, make an announcement which Kirch believes will undermine belief in God and change humanity’s fundamental beliefs about themselves and the universe. But before he can make his announcement and release his video explaining his discovery, he is very publicly murdered. At this point, it is up to Langdon and Ambra Vidal, director of the museum (and fiancé of the Spanish crown prince) to find and access Kircsh’s video and release it. Of course, as one might expect, there are mysteries to solve, symbols to interpret, and evil actors to subvert. As they escape from the museum into the night, Langdon and Vidal are beset on every side by those who want to silence and/or kill them. Fortunately, they are being aided by one of Kirsch’s greatest inventions, an AI named Winston. Also, I may add, one of Mr. Brown’s greatest inventions. Winston is one of the best characters in this novel. Though published in 2017, I didn’t get around to reading this until recently. Though AI has populated books and movies before now (I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.), I was pleased at how much this book anticipates the current AI boom and investigates some of the big questions around this topic. My biggest quibble with this book is the ending which is simultaneously excellent and disappointing. It is excellent in it’s reveals about many of the various characters, changing our views of many of them. It is disappointing in that Mr. Brown sets up expectations about Kirsch’s big discovery which simply cannot be met. When we get to hear the big idea that will change the world, it’s pretty much a dud. Still, if you think of the discovery as nothing more than a McGuffin, it’s easier to let that pass. The plot and character work here are among the best that Mr. Brown has ever done. I can give it some of my highest praise: I would read it again.

I don't have to write the synopsis. You can read it above for yourself. I'll just share my thoughts. The book was everything I'd hoped it would be. Deep, dark, mysterious. Complicated. The characters are vibrant. Action a-plenty. Getting pulled away from the story was like ripping me out of my mother's womb all over again. Sitting down again, even some time later, and I was sucked back into the story to the exclusion of sleep. Food. Drink. Until one of those pulled me out and the demands of the body...or of friends and loved ones...took precedence. That was how riveting the story was to me. As always, there was some new twist or turn that caught me unaware and I followed with renewed vigor. A few I anticipated. Many I didn't. I met people that I was so sure were enemies or friends, only to have those plot twists turn those ideas on their heads. I fell in love with Winston, no lie. Each character is just as complicated, just as fascinating. Just as complicit in the drama. But the book ended exactly as it should have. As it needed to. I saw a few reviews that didn't like that ending. I loved it. I thought it was perfect. The book could end no other way. Dan Brown leads you by the hand through a very complicated, sometimes disturbing, but always satisfying story to an equally satisfying conclusion. And if you're like me, something to chew on for a while. I'm giving this one **** out of five stars. Yes, its formulaic and dark, but the dark is on point The formulaic isn't. Time for a new formula, Dan. But this is a must read. Lots of action, lots of twists and turns, excellent characters, and a story that will linger long after the words The End come .

In 2003, I remember Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code's big release. It was met with immediate outrage. Churches opposed it. There were conspiracy theories, and accusations of blasphemy. The hype tsunamied across media outlets (this was a year before Facebook was even invented, and three years before Twitter struck). So naturally, everyone was reading it. Wonderful, wonderful news for Dan Brown. He had written a book that demanded Controversy! I tried reading it. The chapters were so long, and dry, and I didn't understand half what I was reading --or better put-- I just didn't care. The story did not hold my interest. Then the movies started coming out, and I loved them. But I never went back and re-tried the books. Until Origin. I bought a copy when it was released. I then proceeded to read it in three sittings. I devoured the book. Perhaps it is because of my love for the movies that I suddenly enjoyed Dan Brown's writing, or because of that love that I gave Brown a much more worthwhile chance this go-around. Regardless, I am glad I did. I found the writing so engaging, and instead of reading with the need for a thesaurus beside me, my computer and Google were used most often. I had to look up painters, and sculptors, architects, and locations . . . and I had so much fun following maps on Google while I read! (This, in case you hadn't realized, is NOT sarcasm. I am being dead, dead serious)! Origin is the 5th Robert Langdon thriller (and I assure you, I will go back and read the other four). Symbologist, Robert Langdon finds himself invited to a most unusual event. One of his former students is set to make a public announcement that will rock the world's foundation to the core. Edmund Kirsch has discovered the answer to two of the oldest questions around. Where do we come from? Where are we going? His revelation is bound to tear the fabric of religions to shreds. The known atheist has battled his life to prove that science is what is behind all of creation, and the believing in God is pure foolishness. If Kirsch's discovery is a world-altering as the man is claiming, then the religious leaders around the globe have every right to ... want him dead before the announcement is made! In a riveting, non-stop thriller, Langdon and Ambra Vidal team up after an assassination to uncover Edmund Kirsch's discovery and share it with the world. Forces are against them. The Royal Navy, the Palmarian Catholic Church, and quite possible religious leaders from every faith and background! With considerable help and guidance from an artificially intelligent being, (Winston), maybe Langdon and Vidal will live long enough to show the world what Kirsch had uncovered! As a side note, the actual answers to the two major questions )Where do we come from? Where are we going?) are given, as part of the book's climax, and while they are . . . interesting, they are neither mind-blowing, nor earth shattering (and yes, I know this is just fiction). But I do see how, if ever proven as true, they could be earth shattering, and mind-blowing. (The one question that was left unanswered, and continues to go unanswered is the same . . . which disproves science's vice-like grip on creation . . . but that is neither here, nor there). Origin was absolute fun. I find I am now a Dan Brown fan! While I am most familiar with Langdon (as portrayed by Tom Hanks) in the films, I believe this book can easily be read as a stand alone. So if you are not even familiar with Langdon as depicted by Tom Hanks, have no fear. You can read Origin, and never be the wiser! Phillip Tomasso Author of Absolute Zero and Assassin's Promise

I bought this book the day it was released and then forgot about it for 9 months. Then I read it in one sitting. It appealed to me on many levels. Like Inferno it dealt with humanities immortality. There was a lot of art references in the book all of which are based on factual pieces. Our favorite symbologist and college professor has been summoned to the Guggenheim by a former student, Edmond Kirsch. Kirsch is claiming to have found the origin of mankind and that his findings will bring religion to it's knees. The world sits in anticipation of Kirsch's announcement while religious leaders struggle with how they will handle the news. Someone does not want Kirsch's groundbreaking discovery to be released. What measures will they take to stop him? Can Langdon save his friend and discover what mankind has in store? Grammar - 5 On point. Plot - 4.5 I think that society is very technological and this makes one wonder what role technology will play in the future. Think about stories like Stephen King's Maximum Overdrive, which was written before IPads, IPhone and laptop computers, where technology develops it's own conscience and tries to take over humans. How depended will we as humans become on technology? Believability - 3.0 As mentioned in my rating of the Plot I can easily see humanity becoming to reliant on technology. The scientific part of my mind has issues with how the Edmond Kirsch character came to understand the origins of humanity and what our future holds. I like that Brown brought in to the story line Miller-Urey's actual attempt to recreate the point that life began. I also agree with the introduction of the new research involving Miller-Urey's experiment. If you do a search on this research you can better learn what scientist are discovering. Ending - 4.5 No surprise, Robert Langdon lives to star in another Dan Brown story. The ending is a sad commentary on where we are socially as a society. We spend too much time on the internet, with our faces buried in our phones, and developing relationships over social media. Price Value - 4 I think that you get a very good reading experience for the cost of this book. Overall - 4.5 As I have said, I love this book, but ultimately I still struggle with the means in which Kirsch made his discovery. Without this I would have given the story a perfect 5. I would say that I would really give this book a 4.75 (if that type of thing existed).

In Origin, Dan Brown departs from the comfort zone of a conventional techno-thriller and delivers something far more ambitious: a meditation on intelligence, belief, and the future trajectory of the human species. While the novel retains Brown’s signature pace, global canvas, and puzzle-driven narrative, its true power lies in the philosophical questions it dares to raise rather than the answers it pretends to settle. At its core, Origin explores the uneasy but inevitable convergence of human and artificial intelligence. Brown does not present AI merely as a technological convenience, but as an emerging moral and cognitive force, one that challenges long-held assumptions about agency, ethics, and authorship. The novel invites readers to reflect on a future in which intelligence may no longer be exclusively biological, and where humanity’s next evolutionary chapter may be collaborative rather than competitive. Equally compelling is the book’s engagement with science and metaphysics. Without lapsing into didacticism, Brown weaves contemporary ideas from evolutionary biology, information theory, and physics into a broader inquiry about origins of life, of consciousness, and of meaning itself. Science is portrayed not as an adversary of spirituality, but as a powerful explanatory tool that nevertheless leaves behind an irreducible residue of mystery. The novel understands, and quietly respects, the boundary between explaining how and answering why. The setting is another triumph. Spain is rendered not simply as a backdrop, but as an intellectual and aesthetic landscape where history, art, and innovation collide. Architectural masterpieces and iconic art installations are integrated into the narrative with symbolic precision, reinforcing the novel’s central concern with hidden structures—whether in buildings, algorithms, or belief systems. What distinguishes Origin from earlier works in the genre is its tonal maturity. Rather than pitting religion against science or humanity against machines, Brown gestures toward integration. The novel suggests that the future may belong not to replacement or rupture, but to synthesis where technology deepens, rather than diminishes, humanity’s search for meaning. Fast-paced yet contemplative, provocative without being prescriptive, Origin is best approached not simply as a thriller, but as an invitation to think, to question, and to linger on ideas long after the final page. Readers willing to engage with its deeper currents will find it not only entertaining, but quietly unsettling in the best possible way.

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Science future for mankind

The story contains some mystery & intrigue. Also scientists one in particular try to find how the world became? Having a strong Christian faith at one stage I wondered if I should be reading it, but it was gripping & my faith told me what the outcome would be. Whilst it's fiction, all the cities they got to were real, some of the places they saw took me back, as I had been to & seen them. It is a very good read, few slow spots "if any" Typical Dan Brown.

IN ONE OF HIS INTERVIEW'S DAN BROWN STATES THAT "THE PROBLEM IN MAKING BOOKS INTO MOVIES IS THAT IMAGINATION BECOMES LIMITED. BEFORE THE HARRY POTTER MOVIES EVERY KID WHO READ IT HAD HIS OWN VERSION OF THE WIZARD HERO BUT AFTER THE MOVIES CAME OUT EVERY KID IMAGINED THE SAME DANIEL RADCLIFFE FACE. BOOKS NO LONGER REMAINED OPEN TO ONE'S IMAGINATION." I WOULD AGREE ,AS I STARTED IMAGINING TOM HANKS IN A SUIT WITHIN THE FIRST FEW PAGES OF DAN BROWN'S LATEST NOVEL ORIGIN. BUT THE OTHER CHARACTERS I COULD PICK AND CHOOSE FROM THE VAST ARRAY OF HOLLYWOOD'S ACTORS I LIKED. I COULD STILL IMAGINE THE NEXT PAGE'S HAPPENING OR VISUALISE HOW I WOULD REACT IF I WERE IN THE SCENE. HENCE DESPITE THE MOVIES , ONE'S IMAGINATION STILL RUNS FREE MR.BROWN! AS AN ARDENT ADMIRER OF DAN BROWN'S WRITING MY SPIRITS WERE DAMPENED AFTER READING INFERNO BUT I STILL BOUGHT A COPY OF ORIGIN ON THE VERY DAY OF IT'S RELEASE HOPING FOR A MORE POSITIVE THEME. HAVING SEEN HIS INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE I SOMEHOW SENSED THAT SHARJAH WOULD BE FEATURED IN THE BOOK AND IT WAS. ALSO I THOUGHT THAT THE RECURRENT QUESTION OF SCIENCE VERSUS GOD WOULD BE EXPLORED IN SOME NEW WAY ALONG WITH THE TIMELESS QUESTION WHERE DO WE COME FROM ? “Human creation and human destiny. They are the universal mysteries.” BUT THIS BOOK RUNS MUCH DEEPER. THE WASHINGTON POST , THE TELEGRAPH, THE GUARDIAN AND THE NEW YORK TIMES HAVE GIVEN VERY SCATHING REVIEWS TO THE BOOK BUT THE REAL REVIEW IS IN THE SALES FIGURES AND THE RECEPTION FROM THE MASSES IT IS AIMED AT. THE CRITICS EVEN NOTIFY TOM HANKS FOR HIS UPCOMING MOVIE SHOOTING IN SPAIN AND COMMENT ON THE BOOK'S FORMULA. THE REASON FOR A FORMULA BEING REPEATED BY SOMEONE IS THAT IT WORKS. IT IS A THRILLER SET IN A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY WITH GREAT HISTORICAL MONUMENTS EXPLORING EXISTENTIAL QUESTIONS. HISTORY +BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE + SMART DAMSEL IN DISTRESS + SOLVING CODES + CONTROVERSIES + UNDERDOG GEEKY HERO OVERCOMING ALL OBSTACLES DESPITE CLAUSTROPHOBIA & THE WORLD AGAINST HIM ETC = MILLIONS OF BOOK COPIES SOLD ALONGWITH MOVIE RIGHTS. “In your world of classical art, pieces are revered for the artist’s skill of execution—that is, how deftly he places the brush to canvas or the chisel to stone. In modern art, however, masterpieces are often more about the idea than the execution.“ THIS INSIGHT FROM THE BOOK IS A VERY SIMPLE WAY TO EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT OF MODERN ART TO THOSE WHO ARE PERPLEXED BY IT. I liked the way he has approached modern art by making Bilbao museum the starting point for the story. The description of ideas behind modern art is a gateway for people who do not appreciate it perhaps and I for one have added the Guggenheim museum to my bucket list. ON MY PART, I AM FASCINATED BY THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF MONUMENTS AND THE VARIED THEORIES DAN BROWN SHARES USING LANGDON HIS ALTER EGO PERHAPS. I DO NOT MIND THE DESCRIPTIONS ABOUT CITIES AND MONUMENTS WHICH IS WHAT THE CRITICS ABHOR THE MOST IN HIS BOOKS. LEARNING ABOUT A PLACE DURING A STORY IS MORE INTERESTING THAN PICKINGUP A TRAVEL BOOK. I READ HIS BOOKS SLOWLY, SEEING VIDEOS AND PICTURES OF THE PLACES AND READING A BIT ABOUT THEM BEFORE MOVING ONTO THE NEXT MONUMENT. HE MOVES FROM MONUMENT TO MONUMENT AND CITY TO CITY SOLVING A PUZZLE. I AM AS A READER INTRIGUED BY THE PUZZLE AS MUCH AS BY THE ARTWORK AND PASSAGES OR POETRY SHARED DURING THE QUEST. Getting a fresh perspective about works of Nietzsche and William Blake as an interwoven part of the tale makes it DEEPER THAN A SIMPLE THRILLER. DAN BROWN STEPS CAUTIOUSLY INTO ISLAM for a brief moment AND MOVES INTO THE Familiar territory of Christianity for the rest of the book. He shares the controversies of the Christian world in interesting plot twists. I like the manner in which he deals with religious fanaticism subtly and even provides a solution of sorts “that the human mind has the ability to elevate an obvious fiction to the status of a divine fact, and then feel emboldened to kill in its name. He believed that the universal truths of science could unite people—serving as a rallying point for future generations.” “That’s a beautiful idea in principle,which is why Edmond hoped science could one day unify us,” Langdon said. “In his own words: ‘If we all worshipped gravity..." In making up artificial intelligence as a main character Dan Brown shows the contentious cusp between present and future possibilities. To quote“ assess a machine’s ability to behave in a manner indistinguishable from that of a human“ makes it sound achievable. The concept of building intelligence that can be near human but not humane is intriguing and scary both. “the human brain is a binary system—synapses either fire or they don’t—they are on or off, like a computer switch. The brain has over a hundred trillion switches, which means that building a brain is not so much a question of technology as it is a question of scale.“ I WONDER IF THE FUTURISTIC UPGRADED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGANCE WINSTON WHO PUTS SIRI TO SHAME IS BEING DEVELOPED SOMEWHERE. THE "SMART DAMSEL IN DISTRESS SOLVING CODES" THEME RECURRS HERE AND I WONDER HOW HIS NOVELS WOULD FARE IF THE FEMALE LEAD WOULD BE A MUCH OLDER MARRIED LADY OF GRANDMOTHERLY AGE OR MAY BE EVEN A MALE SCIENTIST? DESPITE THE PLATONIC FRIENDSHIP PORTRAYED, A RAVISHING FEMALE LEAD ADDS AN ELEMENT OF WOW DEFINITELY. THOUGH STATED AT A DIFFERENT POINT IN THE STORY ,AN AUTHOR HAS TO TAP INTO BASIC HUMAN TENDENCIES AT SOME POINT BECAUSE IN DAN BROWN'S OWN WORDS "humans, despite being God’s most sublime creation, were still just animals at the core, their behavior driven to a great extent by a quest for creature comforts." MOST READERS' ATTENTION WOULD BE DRAWN TO ATTRACTIVE FEMALE LEADS IN TROUBLE AND IN HIS NOVELS IT IS BEAUTY WITH BRAINS. THERE IS A TENDENCY TO INCLUDE INTERNATIONAL CHARACTERS TO GET WIDER AUDIENCE AND AN INTELLIGENCE OPERATIVE OF INDIAN ORIGIN MAKES AN APPEARANCE BUT I HOPE DAN BROWN CHOOSES A BETTER INDIAN NAME NEXT TIME. I HAVE READ ALL OF DAN BROWN'S BOOKS AND MY RATINGS WERE THE HIGHEST FOR THE DIGITAL FORTRESS FOLLOWED BY DA VINCI CODE FOLLOWED BY ORIGIN FOLLOWED BY DECEPTION POINT FOLLOWED BY ANGELS AND DEMONS FOLLOWED BY THE LOST SYMBOL FOLLOWED BY INFERNO. I HATED THE NEGATIVE THEMED INFERNO THE MOST . ALL IN ALL HIS RECENT BOOK"ORIGIN" IS A PLEASANT READ AND I WOULD RATE THE PLOT AS 3.5/5 AND THE WRITING AS 4/5 BECAUSE I LIKE TRAVEL AND MYSTERY BOTH AND DAN BROWN MARRIES THEM IN QUITE A DECENT NARRATIVE. I ALSO LIKED THE WAY I WAS FORCED TO THINK OF TECHNOLOGY IN THE FUTURE IN MYRIAD HUES AND NOT JUST AS AN AID TO HUMAN KIND.