Dan's Inferno

I've never read the Divine Comedy by Dante.Alighieri, but after reading Inferno by Dan Brown, he of The Da Vinci Code fame, I'd like to.

Dan Brown's writing has never impressed me- I think it is adequate at best. However, he has a true knack for crafting thrillers steeped in history, symbols and trivia. Inferno is worlds better than his last effort, The Lost Symbol, especially in the prose department. Its Big Idea is controversial and blessedly nonreligious this time around.

Robert Langdon is not his usual self in this one, and the history seems a bit forced from time to time. The antagonist's plot is elaborate and it seems a bit forced, too, as it ties to Dante's masterpiece as literally as it can. However, as an escapist summer read, and as the basis of an inevitable movie, it does just fine. Not as explosive as the Code, but Brown will never match that height again, no author could. You only get to catch lightning in the bottle once.

If you liked his other Langdon books, you'll enjoy this one for what it is- a breeze of a read, soon forgotten but a worthwhile pastime.