Tell me what I'm doing--Angels & Demons

[likethebeer]

The subject line on this was written b/c I have a hard time believing that I just read a book I had so many problems with.

I went to the library yesterday to bring back the 2 books read last week, and pick up 3 more (I figured, hey, I had those things out for a 4 week check-out & finished 'em in a week and a half, so might as well get 1 more book to add to the list). I got a Salman Rushdie, the Dante Club, and Angels & Demons, by Dan Brown, introducing the lead character from the DaVinci Code (soon to be starring Tom Hanks). "Angels" is the first book using the character of Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks! in the movie!), a Harvard "symbologist." I've never heard anyone called that, 'cept for this guy. He must be an iconologist--an expert in religious and artistic signs and symbols (the fact that he's called that continuously sort of reminds me of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone as opposed to HP and the Philosopher's Stone). And, as a matter fact, he seems to be pretty broadly based in his studies, too. I would think an iconographer would pick an area of expertise once they got to the doctoral level. Oh, I don't even want to pursue this thought anymore, b/c that's just another avenue of implausibility that I am reluctant to travel.

Anyway, Langdon gets a call early 1 morning regarding the mysterious and gruesome murder of an expert, seemingly by a secret society. And from there, the plot evolves v.much like the DaVinci Code does (excapt that, in the Da Vinci Code, Langdon is informed late one night regarding the mysterious and gruesome murder of an expert, seemingly by a secret society):
there's also a (young) hottie (who mysteriously falls for a guy 16 or so years older than her);
some freakzoid assassin (in Angels & Demons he's a crudely drawn Arab who, between killings is constantly fantasizing about rape in really badly written prose);
a guy who Langdon thinks is the bad guy, who turns out not to be;
a guy who Langdon thinks is the good guy, who turns out not to be;
and more.

Anyway, I got it for silly entertainment and art geekiness. I wanted a little mindless drivel. A little mental junkfood. Sort of like when I've gotten a pint of Ben&Jerry's Coffee Toffee Crunch knowing that I would regret it, but doing it anyway. And from some of the reviews I've read of it since finishing it, the kindest (among those who dislike the work) say that his writing is puerile, but the plotting is what moves you along. I think that's true. What I also found interesting about reading the reviews was that any expert on any subject brought up by the author in the book has found factual (and sometimes laughable) flaws on the part of the author. So much so, that each one keeps saying, "Well, he seems to have done a lot of research on such-n-such, but considering how many things he got wrong in my area of knowledge, I don't know whether to believe it or not." It seems to me that the book must have an enormous amount of flaws overall.

And then there are just other things in the book that on the surface I've got problems with. These people keep zipping around Rome in an impossibly short amount of time. I've never been to Rome and I can figure that out. Other characters are convinced that the center of the plot will either save or ruin the Catholic Church. I just can't believe it would have any effect on it, overall. One of the center points is anti-matter supposedly creating matter via slamming beams at each other. Thus proving, according to one person, that Genesis actually happened b/c something was created out of nothing. But something wasn't created out of nothing. It took a large amt of energy to create that matter. That's the something. Oh, and a guy who's 41 years old was the product of artificial insemination. While the book may be taking place in some alternative universe (a "progressive" Pope dies after 12 years in office, for instance), I don't think it's taking place in the year 2020 or thereabouts.

Mr. Langdon flashes back to teaching a class and telling his incredulous little neophytes that most Christian holy days have their basis in paganism. And then goes on to say that the act of communion was inspired by... the Aztecs. I'm not an expert in Aztecian lore, but, um.... To even point out the absurdity of that statement would be, I think, insulting the intelligence of everybody.

Really, I know why I started the book, and what kept me going through the beginning, but I really don't know why I read the thing all the way through in such a short amount of time. Gotta be the plot.

Comments

the major point that screws the whole story,..

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

the anti matter is hidden in the church with a wireless camera from the church trained on it,..yet with all the suppoded hi tech personell no one thought of using a directional frequency meter to trace the location of said camera,.. a very simple operation that even our government can do,.. it could have been done with a monitor tuned to the camera and some tinfoil,..but that would have canned the whole story wouldn't it,.. and the "code" is just as full of glaring idiocies,..o.o

i haven't read anything else by him as no one has given me the book like the first two,..

see it just pays to have the right contacts,..o.o

Re: the major point that screws the whole story,..

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

I read somewhere else that someone brought up the idea of triangulation. Of course, there's the other thing--how did they move the camera w/out anyone realizing it? And how come there are no video surveillance cameras whatsoever at CERT?

I think it's the arcane plots and the conspiracy twists that made people interested in the DaVinci code. And, since people know DaVinci, it got them intrigued.

DaVinci code.

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

he also played up the whole concept of mary and jesus and their progeney,.. the holy grail actually being his blood in his decendants,.. but he glommed a great deal of that from more skilled writers,..o.0

Re: DaVinci code.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

any idea who those writers are?

who those writers

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

Partial Bibliography for
THE DA VINCI CODE
The History of the Knights Templars
--Charles G. Addison

Rosslyn: Guardians of the Secret of the Holy Grail
--Tim Wallace-Murphy & Marilyn Hopkins

The Woman With The Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail
--Margaret Starbird

The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ
--Lynn Picknett & Clive Prince

The Goddess in the Gospels: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine
--Margaret Starbird

Holy Blood, Holy Grail.
--Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, Henry Lincoln

The Search for the Holy Grail and the Precious Blood
--Deike Begg

The Messianic Legacy
--Michael Baigent

The Knights Templar and their Myth
--Peter Partner

The Dead Sea Bible. The Oldest Known Bible
--Martin G. Abegg

The Dead Sea Deception
--Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh

The Nag Hammadi Library in English
--James M. Robinson

Jesus and the Lost Goddess: The Secret Teachings of the Original Christians
--Timothy Freke, Peter Gandy

When God was a Woman
--Merlin Stone

The Chalice and the Blade. Our History, our Future
--Riane Eisler

Born in Blood
--John J. Robinson

The Malleus Maleficarum
--Heinrich Kramer & James Sprenger

The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci
--Leonardo da Vinci

Prophecies
--Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci: Scientist, Inventor, Artist
--Otto Letze

Leonardo: The Artist and the Man
--Serge Bramly, Sian Reynolds

Their Kingdom Come: Inside the secret world of Opus Dei
--Robert A. Hutchison

Beyond the Threshold: A Life in Opus Dei
--Maria Del Carmen Tapia

The Pope's Armada: Unlocking the Secrets of Mysterious and Powerful New Sects in the Church
--Gordon Urguhart

Opus Dei: An Investigation into the Secret Society Struggling for Power Within the Roman Catholic Church
--Michael Walsh

I. M. Pei: A Profile in American Architecture
--Carter Wiseman

Conversations With I. M. Pei: Light Is the Key
--Gero Von Boehm

Re: who those writers

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

whoa. You came up w/that faster than I can come up with a list of biographies on Wright.

I.M. Pei?

I.M. Pei?

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

American architect Ioeh Ming Pei

Re: I.M. Pei?

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

mmm-hmmm. I'm just wondering what he has to do with the DaVinci code.

he has to do

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

Brown used the book as a reference to things the guy designed,.. i don't think it was a heavy reference,.. he did the east wing of the national gallery of art in dc and the horrible Grand Louvre glass pyramid in Paris that he references in the book,.

Re: he has to do

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

Oh, right! i remember the Louvre now. I thought originally that he was a member of 1 of those secret societies.

a member of 1 of those secret societies.

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

haha right!,..;D

Re: a member of 1 of those secret societies.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

I'm sure there are plenty of secret societies in China that he could belong to.

secret societies in China

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

hehe, except he's so american pop culture i don't know if he could keep a secret,..:)

Re: secret societies in China

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

That's how it works, though. Someone so out in the public eye, that no one would suspect them.

Philip Johnson (http://architecture.about.com/library/bl-johnson.htm) is the grand leader of the worldwide Masonic Brotherhood!

the worldwide Masonic Brotherhood!

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

the Masons are a fraternal joke any more,.. while they may wield some financial power they are not keepers of any dark or powerful secrets

Re: the worldwide Masonic Brotherhood!

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

There seem to be pitiably few keepers of dark and powerful secrets. Sometimes I wish there were some overwhelming global force that pulled all the strings. Of course, that just brings us back to why these books are popular, and why people think that JFK is still alive.

overwhelming global force that pulled all the strings

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

there are, but they're corporate and it's about money,..o.o

Re: overwhelming global force that pulled all the strings

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, but it's not nearly as intriguing. I dont' think there are any hidden doorways. Or velvet robes. Totally boring.

nearly as intriguing

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

the thing with the illuminati and those like them was they supposedly held secrets that would save and enlighten humanity, that would save culture and scocitey from a dark future,..very romantic,.. but the money mongers just are using brute force of cash flow to push it over the edge,..it's just a game now,..o.o

Re: the worldwide Masonic Brotherhood!

[coconuthead.livejournal.com]

I'm sure our evil alien lizard overlords have a dark & powerful secret or two.

Re: the worldwide Masonic Brotherhood!

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

I'm speechless. And yet, it was published years ago, but the world hasn't changed. It's all part of the plot.

dark & powerful secret or two.

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

nope just money,..o.o

Re: he has to do

[(Anonymous)]

...and the Rock & Roll Museum in Cleveland, I think. WI-C

Rock & Roll Museum

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

yes i believe your right,..:)

Re: he has to do

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

yep. And the Prudential in Boston. A building I never liked until I no longer lived there.

[coconuthead.livejournal.com]

Reading things you have problems with must be going around. I've read five books in a six book regency romance series. They're all really bad. Six fantastically beautiful sisters are evicted from their wonderful home when their father loses the place gambling. They'll marry anyone it takes to get their beloved home back. Oh, but then someone really handsome comes along who loves them for their beauty and their intelligence. Really tiresome stuff.

Haven't read angels & demons, but I found the davinci code to be easy reading. You do sort of wonder what it was doing being on the bestseller list for YEARS, though.

Starring Tom Hanks, you say? Yet another reason to hate Dan Brown.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

I remember while I worked at one of the bookstores in my past, I got a fantasy trilogy. I think it was the Sword of Shannara trilogy by Terry Brooks. I just looked it up on Amazon and it's supposed to be this amazing trilogy, but I was really annoyed by it. I didn't like it much at all. And yet I read the entire thing. i think I was cranky during the whole last book.

I tried reading a Danielle Steele novel, figuring that maybe she was fun on a pure trash level. I didn't get through the 1st chapter. That woman is a horrible writer.

I don't recommend angels & demons. It seems like this is the warm-up to DaVinci Code. I don't hate Tom Hanks, but I don't see him as the main character. I'm trying to picture someone who could be that character and--ewww--the only person that comes close so far is Tom Cruise. ech.