sooz_767's review
3.0
I know Dan Brown isn't for everyone but I generally enjoy his books. Yes, they're far-fetched and not exactly literary masterpieces but they keep me entertained for a few days and that's okay for me.
That said this was a bit of a disappointment, it was the weakest of the Robert Langdon series in my opinion. I felt like it was too long, it easily could have had whole chapters edited out and still made sense, it's like certain scenes were being strung out to hit a word count which annoyed me. I also found there was a lot of repetition, I mean how many times do we need to be reminded that Langdon has an eidetic memory?! My memory isn't eidetic but I can still remember that, thanks! And finally, I think the big reveal was a little underwhelming and the twists at the end were a bit predictable.
On a positive note, I've always enjoyed Robert Langdon as a character and still did in this book. He's quirky and likeable, and I love a good puzzle like he does. The pacing is fast and chapters are short so it's quick and easy to read. Also I loved the setting of Barcelona! It's a city I love and I enjoyed finding myself familiar with a lot of the places they went to, and found some more I would like to visit!
That said this was a bit of a disappointment, it was the weakest of the Robert Langdon series in my opinion. I felt like it was too long, it easily could have had whole chapters edited out and still made sense, it's like certain scenes were being strung out to hit a word count which annoyed me. I also found there was a lot of repetition, I mean how many times do we need to be reminded that Langdon has an eidetic memory?! My memory isn't eidetic but I can still remember that, thanks! And finally, I think the big reveal was a little underwhelming and the twists at the end were a bit predictable.
On a positive note, I've always enjoyed Robert Langdon as a character and still did in this book. He's quirky and likeable, and I love a good puzzle like he does. The pacing is fast and chapters are short so it's quick and easy to read. Also I loved the setting of Barcelona! It's a city I love and I enjoyed finding myself familiar with a lot of the places they went to, and found some more I would like to visit!
cwgk85's review against another edition
3.0
Not Dan Brown's best book but not his worst either. I was enjoying it up to the end, which I found to be rather lackluster (and the biologist in me was raging at Brown's inaccurate description of evolution and entropy...). Worth a read if you're a fan of the adventures of Robert Langdon, but it won't do much to change your mind if you didn't like the previous books.
(On another note, I cannot possibly have been the only reader that was irked by the fact that the book seemingly ignores the Earth-shattering ending of Inferno, right? Are we expected to believe that everyone has forgotten about or is totally fine with what happened?)
(On another note, I cannot possibly have been the only reader that was irked by the fact that the book seemingly ignores the Earth-shattering ending of Inferno, right? Are we expected to believe that everyone has forgotten about or is totally fine with what happened?)
artbyabookgeek's review against another edition
5.0
I expected nothing less from Dan Brown. Very appropriate for the times we are living in. I couldn’t put the book down!
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The Robert Langdon books are hit or miss, some of them are incredibly good and others are disappointing. The concept behind Origin was interesting, but the ending failed to live up to the dramatics of its hype. For me, I’d write origin somewhere similar to The da Vinci Code. It’s not as good as Angels and Demons or Inferno, but it’s certainly better than The Lost Symbol.
There’s a certain challenge with keeping thrillers fresh. Dan Brown has fallen into a predictable pattern — his character responds similarly to every situation, and the cast of characters and themselves are repetitive. I’m a bit bored by the female sidekick who doesn’t really have a roll. How about a male sidekick? How about Landon being the sidekick for once?
Origin attempts to offer an explanation on the creation and the future of the human species. It’s a great philosophical question, and I wish that the revelation had been more interesting. The puzzle, usually the most interesting part of a thriller, was absolutely predictable. Better luck next time?
There’s a certain challenge with keeping thrillers fresh. Dan Brown has fallen into a predictable pattern — his character responds similarly to every situation, and the cast of characters and themselves are repetitive. I’m a bit bored by the female sidekick who doesn’t really have a roll. How about a male sidekick? How about Landon being the sidekick for once?
Origin attempts to offer an explanation on the creation and the future of the human species. It’s a great philosophical question, and I wish that the revelation had been more interesting. The puzzle, usually the most interesting part of a thriller, was absolutely predictable. Better luck next time?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Gun violence
Moderate: Injury/injury detail
Multiple characters are LatinX, including the main female character. The protagonist has an eidetic memory.reubenlb's review against another edition
2.0
Well that was a predictable read which was docked stars due to the female lead’s fatal flaw being impotence and the quote from Queen Elsa. But hey, I wanted an escapist easy read and it delivered that at least
daisy027's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mpetruce's review against another edition
2.0
Origin? More like Snore-igin. I always read the new Dan Brown book for some reason. I mean they're not the best written books, but they are written to be page turners and that can be fun.
But unfortunately, this book didn't even have the page-turniness of Brown's other Langdon books. Oh, the short chapters with their cliffhanger endings are there, but there's not a lot of excitement: Langdon walks through a door ... into a ROOM! Somebody reads ... A TEXT! And not one, but two, chapters focus on not one, but two, characters ... LOOKING FOR THE BATHROOM! (Interesting sidenote, the two people looking for a bathroom are doing so to advance the plot, such as it is. The character that drinks two glasses of wine in about 45 minutes never uses the bathroom at all).
But there isn't the fast paced, uh, pace of the other books here. And while the typical reference to the events of The Da Vinci Code get a mention, but no mention of the truly world changing events of Inferno.
One possible one sentence plot summary? "Darn Millennials and their phones!"
An extra star though for Brown's inclusion of lengthy descriptions of art and landmarks, most of which I know very little about. It does make the stories vivid. Well, once I've gone through a few image searches to either refresh my memory or see exactly what he's talking about.
But unfortunately, this book didn't even have the page-turniness of Brown's other Langdon books. Oh, the short chapters with their cliffhanger endings are there, but there's not a lot of excitement: Langdon walks through a door ... into a ROOM! Somebody reads ... A TEXT! And not one, but two, chapters focus on not one, but two, characters ... LOOKING FOR THE BATHROOM! (Interesting sidenote, the two people looking for a bathroom are doing so to advance the plot, such as it is. The character that drinks two glasses of wine in about 45 minutes never uses the bathroom at all).
But there isn't the fast paced, uh, pace of the other books here. And while the typical reference to the events of The Da Vinci Code get a mention, but no mention of the truly world changing events of Inferno.
One possible one sentence plot summary? "Darn Millennials and their phones!"
An extra star though for Brown's inclusion of lengthy descriptions of art and landmarks, most of which I know very little about. It does make the stories vivid. Well, once I've gone through a few image searches to either refresh my memory or see exactly what he's talking about.
heyhoheha's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
sathyadgs95's review against another edition
4.0
Deep, Dark, Complicated, Mysterious. Well, its usual Dan Brown formula, Religion, Science and Origin of Life. When Da Vinci code came out, it was met with outrage. But I find that well crafted plot of science and religion battle, a secret that if it came to light, the very foundation of all religions would be shaken until the tree was emptied of all its fruit. The search for "Holy Grail" made them to travel places and follow the clues to decipher. Origin follows almost same formula using the same premise but involving a modern technology instead of an ancient cryptex. Even though its 5th book in the series, it's standalone story doesn't require to read the predecessors.