Origin

Dan Brown

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconography, 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, whose inventions and audacious predictions have made him a controversial figure around the world. But the guests are left reeling when the evening is blown apart before Kirsch's precious discovery can be revealed. With his life under threat, and an enemy who is one step ahead at every turn, Langdon flees to Barcelona with the museum's director, Ambra Vidal, on a perilous quest to uncover clues that will bring them face to face with a world-shaking truth that has remained buried - until now.

Macy HB

Love is not a finite emotion. We don’t have only so much to share. Our hearts create love as we need it.

Dan Brown's novels are usually quite captivating, and Origin is no different; however, I wasn't as enthralled by the references to modern art and the storyline was a bit underwhelming.  Too many moments of 'suspending my disbelief.'  In a way, the novel felt a bit rushed compared to his other works. 

Summer Joy

Joy Bush

this is now my new fave Dan Brown novel! <3 highly recommend to everyone

Judy Hutchins 

I have read this series voraciously and enjoyed them immensely. I find the author's view of religion and nature aligns with my own, or at least how presented in this series of books. Refreshing.

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 their path lie dark forces which will do anything to stop them. 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.--Publisher's description.

Wynter

A highly readable technological thriller that has little to do with the generally expected Robert Langdon adventure. In fact, I was disappointed how little code breaking, puzzle solving, and clue seeking was in this book. I honestly only read Dan Brown for these fun elements, so I found the overall plot somewhat lacking. The last few chapters are fascinating indeed and feature the author’s signature thought-provoking questions, but the journey to the finale is long and tedious overall. I kept waiting for Langdon to start doing his usual decoding, but besides one slight incident this moment never came. And whatever happened to the major life-altering event at the end of Inferno? Not a hint in this book about any of that, though it could have been tied into Ambra’s story rather neatly.

Ed Kay

Ugh. I read The Da Vinci Code years ago and enjoyed it immensely: the fast pace, tight plotting and clever marriage of the thriller genre with conspiracy theory made it a compelling read. Of course, the characterisation and dialogue and writing were awful, but it was a great page-turner.

This one was just dreadful. The writing was worse than I remember. Every single noun comes with a primary school adjective (for example - not actually from the book! - "the pretty lady watched the tall man walk down the dark corridor") until you're going tum-te-tum-te-tum in your head and start losing your mind. Buildings are "massive", cliffs are always "sheer" and there are no libraries or houses or shelves that contain books, just "tomes".

I probably noticed this more because the plot is a lot thinner, there is very little symbology for Langdon (and his "eidetic memory") to interpret and I worked out the 'twist' quite early on.

I did enjoy the fact that the book is very up to date, referencing some modern cultural debates (Catholic crimes, the rise of the New Atheists, creationism vs evolution, existential threats, AI), but since these were represented without any kind of nuance - more storybook simplifications - this wasn't enough to drag my review beyond 2 stars.

Dan Brown is amazing as always. I really enjoyed the scientific parts of the book. As always he's well researched. 

Prachi C

Dan Brown is amazing as always. I really enjoyed the scientific parts of the book. As always he's well researched. 



Lacy W

tw: bombing, infertility 

I would love to know what religion did to Dan Brown because he came straight for the baby makers with this book. He pulled no punches and called out Christianity on the carpet. I was shocked but not surprised considering what Dan Brown has put into his other works. 

I really enjoyed this book, though. It felt like I was reading a history book with some fiction rolled in and it was amazing. I know that this kind of reading experience might not be for everybody but I certainly loved it. It did get a bit wordy in some areas, especially during the science part of Edmond's discovery. My eyes glossed over that part a bit. 

I must note that even though this is part of a series, this particular book doesn't really connect with the others. It does mention once or twice what happened in the Da Vinci Code but that is it. The mentions are that Robert Langdon is know for searching for the Holy Grail. It doesn't give away where it is or anything like that. But it does mention it. 

I feel like I can't say much about this book for fear of spoiling it. This is definitely a book you want to go in completely blind and just enjoy the ride. If you can get past the sciencey parts, I think a lot of you will enjoy the book.

Robert Langdon

Aksara Alpha

I really enjoy the adventure served by this novel. Reading it while constantly stop to check the art images, the venues, the building, and all things that Robert Langdong sees in the internet :)
So technically i learned so many new things, in terms of art, history, science, and political view.
All things above are guaranteed if you read Dan Brown masterpiece.

Though the discovery of Edmond Kirsch is rather mind-blowing than fundamentally-shaking, but it really worth the wait :)
The intrigue and conflicts all are on point.. 
Can not wait what question that will be asked by Dan Brown for the next book..

Ahmed Salem

شكرا دان براون 
شكرا روبرت لانجدون

نفس المعادلة البراونية الناجحة في خلق رواية شديدة الاثارة مطعمة بمعلومات تاريخية في مجال السياسة و الفن 

لكن هذه المرة كان قالب الموضوع هو الصراع الديني-فلسفي مع العلم حول تفسير الحياة عبر الاجابة عن السؤالين الأكثر جدلية: من اين جئنا و الى أين سنذهب

دان براون انتهي بالقصة في منطقة رمادية دبلوماسية و لكن العرض و التحليل في مناطق كثيرة عبر الرواية يجعلها مدهشة و تسيل اللعاب طوال الوقت

Kevin. j Mercil 

A good book not great but good, a definite page turner. I like the way he brings art into his novel causing me to investigate things I normally would not. I don't read too many novels like this but occasionally they can be quite enjoyable.

Wouter ter Keurs

Meer te categoriseren als lang betoog dan als Langdon-mysterie, biedt dit vijfde toch een vermakelijke leestijd met als boeiendste verhaaltechniek/personage Winston.

Maggie Gordon

No one reads a Dan Brown novel for good prose, characters, or plot. They are terrible books, but usually fun in a popcorn movie sort of way. I did not sign up for some strange love letter to Steve Jobs and atheist bros where Robert Langdon doesn't even do any symbology. Unfortunately, this is what I got with this fifth installment in the series. Brown tries his hand at scifi (you can stop now), and nothing that happens that will actually change the world because why should consequences matter? I spent the first part of the book hoping that the murder victim (fake Steve Jobs) would be murdered sooner, and then cringing the entire rest of the book as he was still the main character even while dead. It was a book about an obnoxious person who was behind several major scientific discoveries that would not at all have the effect on religion that he thought that they would. Congrats, entire premise of the book is faulty, moreso than usual. I am disappointed that my reading junk food was junkier than expected :l

Sonja H

ch hätte es wirklich ahnen können… Ich war nie ein großer Fan von Dan Brown und nun sitze ich hier und frag mich „Warum, oh warum nur, hab ich mir dieses Buch angetan?“ Es ist fast schon eine Beleidigung für jeden seiner Leser, der über 15 Euro für diese Geschreibsel ausgegeben hat.

Der Anfang war spannend und vielversprechend, das geb ich zu. Doch schon als „Winston“ ins Spiel kam, wurde ich skeptisch und dachte „bitte, bitte nix mit KI, das gelingt nur den besten SciFi-Autoren wirklich gut“.
Doch zunächst einmal wurde ich eingelullt von einer seitenweisen Präsentation, die am Ende keine war und dann einer eeeewig langen Schnitzeljagd durch die Stadt, in der es offensichtlich mehr darum ging, die Umgebung und ihre Geschichte zu erläutern, statt die Geschichte voranzutreiben. Zwischendurch kam mir immer wieder der Gedanke „Meine Güte, schreib halt einen Stadtführer“.

Während ich so den Protagonisten hinterher eilte, immer den allwissenden Winston über allem schwebend, bekam die katholische Kirche links und rechts ihre Seitenhiebe ab, wie wir das von Dan Brown Werken so gewohnt sind. Nichts geht doch über das Bashing von Religionen (damit hab ich persönlich zwar keine Probleme, aber es nervt einfach ab einem gewissen Punkt).

Irgendwann kamen Langdorn und sein netter Sidekick dann endlich im Herzen des Rätsels an. Wieder hieß es, die Präsentation in voller epischer Breite zu ertragen, gespickt mit Informationen, die der Autor sicherlich langwierig recherchiert hat, die aber zum Großteil für die Story komplett überflüssig waren.

Dann endlich die Auflösung – zwischendrin eine völlig hirnrissige (sorry, eine bessere Formulierung fällt mir dazu echt nicht ein) Szene mit dem König und dem Bischof (das war totaler Quatsch an dieser Stelle und erneut völlig verzichtbar, aber political correct…) – und auf meiner Seite ein „Er hat es doch getan, er hat’s getan, ich glaub es nicht, wie kann er nur so einen Mist verzapfen?“

Dan Brown hat sich nicht davor gescheut, Religionen, künstliche Intelligenz, Symbolik, Traditionen, Genderthemen, Logik und Emotionen in einen großen Topf zu werfen, einmal kräftig umzurühren und einen Roman zu schreiben, der wie das Drehbuch für die Kinoverfilmung anmutet. Eigentlich hätte er nur noch den amerikanischen Präsidenten einfließen lassen müssen und er wäre so richtig „trendy“ gewesen.

Selten hab ich mich über so einen Blödsinn so sehr geärgert. Brown ist dieses Mal weit über das Ziel hinausgeschossen.

Ein völlig überhyptes Buch, allerdings schön massentauglich… Ich will mein Geld zurück.

Thomas Pinder

Still enjoyable, however, very predictable and certainly the weakest of Dan Brown's books so far.

Mariane Ferrantino 

Round it down a bit to a 3.75. Dan Brown sure knows how to write a thriller that makes you think.

tracedecay 

Rebeca Keren Nuñez

A pesar de todo, fue una lectura interesante. Y lo mejor es que no tiene los elementos que odie tanto de los anteriores. Eso fue una victoria la verdad, tanto que le estoy dando puntos extras. Ademas tiene elementos interesantes, que de todas maneras, se abordaron demasiado rápido y se paso a otra cosa, lo que me lleva a pensar qué tal ve fueron incluidos solo por el golpe de efecto y me decepciona. Los misterios se cierran en el libro, aunque la verdad uno se los puede ver venir desde antes. Así que es bastante meh, pero podría ser peor.

Fraser Simons

It’s the same formula but the stakes didn’t feel all that pressing, leading to a little of a deflation compared to the other books where the thriller aspects of the book are more fun and engaging. The question this one poses to the reader is more interesting than the previous ones though, and the nature of it means that by the end it makes sense why the chase wasn’t as fun. 

I feel like these books scratch an itch for old 90s Jack Ryan movies only with more interesting high stakes and a travel bug at the same time. I don’t think the writing has gotten better because what IS fun about it is what the author obviously finds interesting, and it’s not characterization, prose, or dialogue. It’s going to cool places, constructing a fun puzzle, and trying to explain to the reader what he finds interesting about X thing about the world. And that’s fine with me. These books are pretty much what they say they are on the tin.

Swati Raisinghani

I had been eager to read this new installment of Prof. Robert Langdon since it released. I was unable to get my hands on a paperback as I am not very fond of hardback books ( too heavy to hold and basically carry in my bag), so i patiently waited till i found one. Finally, i was able to acquire one and I was anticipating the same excitement and rush I got when I had read Deception Point and The Digital Fortress. 

The book starts pretty predictably, which was the first surprise. As I kept going on, it felt like I have read something similar elsewhere. This theme continues pretty much the whole way.

It was a bit of a let down for me. I guess, I would be skeptical if and when a next installment is released.

Skye Sherman

I️ can’t resist a good Dan Brown book! And his newest novel is certainly that. I️ have to say, I️ didn’t love it as much as his previous works, but it still maintained that Dan Brown flair—informative and intriguing. A bit more future-focused and less action-packed than previous works, in my opinion, but a captivating story all the same.

Harshita Kulkarni

I was delighted to pick up Dan Brown’s novel where this was the topic covered in this book. Personally, I have never read any of his books before but through mouth publicity I heard his name couple of times in bestsellers chart.


This is my first novel from Dan Brown. I always heard his name being mentioned everywhere so I thought of giving it a try. Personally, it’s very much an intellectual adventure at he beginning I felt hooked to the book the growing tension between the characters. His book has all the descriptions of his Langdon series; vivid locations, historical tie-ins and a mad dash to the final reveal when we learn the secret Langdon has been chasing. Origin has all of that in typical Brown fashion, however, for me the reveal (and there are two in this book) was overdrawn and fell flat. I put down the book with a sense of “that’s it?” disappointment. At the end there were mixed feelings of not satisfying and also the issue getting resolved.

・．━━━━━━━━━━━━ † ━━━━━━━━━━━━．・

RATING

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

・．━━━━━━━━━━━━ † ━━━━━━━━━━━━．・

MY RECOMMENDATION

I would recommend this book to those people who seek thriller adventures and and intellectual writings. It has some funny parts and some beautiful descriptions regarding historical architecture and advanced science.

Katherine

I love Dan Brown books because I love the mystery and gripping aspects and this was also something I flew threw. Was definitely shocked at the end and loved the conceptual questions about machines and our connections/ reliance on them, although it could have gone slightly deeper into this. Definitely not a read for the language but a great read for the concepts.

Nick Bicko

Wie gewohnt bei Dan Brown ein großartig recherchierter, gut durchdachter, extrem spannender und sich wegen der Lokalitäten "echt" anfühlender Langdon-Thriller mit den üblichen Zutaten. Den einen Stern ziehe ich ab, weil der Symbolismus von Langdon etwas zu kurz kommt und diesmal weniger der Weg das Ziel, sondern schlicht das Ziel das Ziel ist. Dieses Ziel ist allerdings in gesellschaftlicher Hinsicht wirklich spannend, auch über das Buch hinaus.

Origin

Reviews

Highlights