Book Review: Inferno

Picking up a book by Dan Brown is pretty much like social suicide. It will consume your every free minute with its compelling plot twists and intelligent dialogue. I would recommend starting this book during a holiday or a week when you can happily abandon all contact to the outside world. It will keep your face buried in it until the very last sentences.
Inferno (2013) is a fairly new book that topped many best-seller lists last year. A symbologist Robert Langdon (also in The Da Vinci Code) finds himself in Florence with an ancient mystery to solve, except the threat is very up-to-date. A genius billionaire is going to release a virus that will offer a “solution” to the overpopulation problem. Langdon, with the help of a British doctor Sienna Brooks, holds the key to preventing the virus from spreading. The time is running out and he has no idea what he really is facing.
Brown’s signature style is to mix old mysteries with modern ideas and scenes. The formula is as convincing as before. This time it is Dante Alighieri’s epic and ominous poem “The Divine Comedy” that provides the basis for the novel. The name Inferno is straight from the poem itself. It is the name of the first part of the poem, Dante’s journey through hell. The Divine Comedy is a crucial factor throughout the novel and sets a dark theme in the background.
The novel is easily one of the most thought-provoking pieces I have ever read. It is definitely not something you can read and then finish without ever pondering about the message. I found myself questioning many facts in society after reading the book. The conflicting thoughts haunted me for days. Nevertheless, I have to recommend this book for anyone who can stand a few menacing thoughts creeping into mind. Behind the addictive storyline and thrilling action there is a powerful message that everybody should consider.