Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Illuminati by Dan Brown

12 reviews

bluelien's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

I love that it touches upon sensitive topics like religion and science and the relationship between the 2. There was a fair amount of history in it too. As a stem student who believes religion and science work well together and is in love with history, I really loved it! The concept was thought out well. It had me on my toes the more time passed and midnight neared. All in all, it was a good read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

pearlnavratik's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

excellent book, but was slightly thrown off by the sensualization of the sole female character

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

laurajordensharris's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

malignant_gnome's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Minor: Rape

purplehulk713's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

The Catholic Church’s circus tent is about to come crashing down. Dan Brown is incredible at creating a fast-paced while still multi-layered thriller that at the same has the spectacle and religious esotericism as an Indiana Jones film. (Robert Langdon is effectively Indiana Jones without the aesthetic) The religious and artistic history entranced me like hypnosis—Christians stole the practice of “god-eating” from the Aztecs after conquering their empire. Some of the plot points seemed a little unnecessary though—why does Robert go into the helicopter? I did the love the fast pace but slow burn of the reveals, like the dead Pope actually being the camerlengo’s father and not just his foster father, and the camerlengo’s reveal as Janus. Vittoria and Robert are a cute couple, and they are definitely a good match—she’s determined and flexible (literally and figuratively) and he’s quiet and compassionate. The scientific theory, though advanced, is clearly and concisely explained to the non-scientific mind. The backstories (for Langdon and Vittoria especially) are incredibly compelling, like how Vittoria came to meet and grow up with the man that would adopt her. The Hassassin’s deadly inspiration and glorious delight in his cruelty weave a spell-binding villain. But the one of the most significant elements of the story is the fact that you can truly walk this Path of Illumination—from “Habakkuk and the Angel” in the Chigi Chapel in the cathedral of Santa Maria del Popolo (Earth—Terra) to the “West Ponente” relief in St. Peter’s Square (Air—Aria) to “The Ecstasy of St. Teresa” in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria (Fire—Fuòco) to the Fountain of the Four Rivers in front of the church of Saint Agnes in Agony in the Piazza Navona (Water—Acqua) and finally to the Church of Illumination within Castel Sant’Angelo. The path is real though the story may not be. Let angels guide thee on thy lofty quest…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Islamophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

greek_book_wanderer's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Στο βιβλίο “Illuminati - Οι Πεφωτισμένοι”, γνωριζόμαστε με τον καθηγητή Ρόμπερτ Λάνγκτον, τον κύριο πρωταγωνιστή των βιβλίων του συγγραφέα. Τα γεγονότα λαμβάνουν χώρα στο Βατικανό, όπου ο Λάνγκτον καλείται να εμποδίσει τα καταστροφικά σχέδια της αρχαίας μυστικής αδελφότητας που ακούει στο όνομα Illuminati. 

Από άποψη γραφής θύμιζε πολύ το προηγούμενο βιβλίο του Brown, τον Κώδικα Ντα Βίντσι το οποίο είχα διαβάσει πριν από αυτό. Η αφήγηση ήταν ίδια, τριτοπρόσωπη, δίνοντας μία εικόνα για τις σκέψεις διαφόρων χαρακτήρων, βοηθώντας έτσι τον αναγνώστη να τους γνωρίσει καλύτερα. Η γραφή ήταν απλή, περιγραφική εκεί που έπρεπε και τα κεφάλαια ήταν μικρά και περνούσαν γρήγορα. 

Κάτι το οποίο είδα να επαναλαμβάνεται, είναι η αδυναμία του συγγραφέα να δώσει περισσότερη «προσωπικότητα» στους πρωταγωνιστές. Τόσο ο Λάνγκτον, όσο και η σύμμαχος του, Βικτόρια Βέτρα ήταν αρκετά βαρετοί σε ορισμένα σημεία και δεν ένιωθα δέσιμο μαζί τους. Εξαιτίας του μεγάλου όγκου πληροφοριών και συμβολισμών που υπάρχουν στο βιβλίο, θεωρώ ότι εμποδίζεται η εξέλιξη των χαρακτήρων, οι οποίοι ήταν σαν ρομπότ. Για ακόμη μία φορά, το ενδιαφέρον μου στράφηκε στους δευτερεύοντες χαρακτήρες, από τους οποίους μερικοί ήταν πιο περίπλοκοι και (κατά εμέ) καλογραμμένοι. 

Η πλοκή ήταν ενδιαφέρουσα και εκτυλισσόταν γρήγορα ενώ προσωπικά τη βρήκα περισσότερο ενδιαφέρουσα σε σχέση με το προηγούμενο βιβλίο. Υπήρχε παραπάνω δράση και η μάχη μεταξύ επιστήμης και θρησκείας μού κέντρισε περισσότερο το ενδιαφέρον. Η εξέλιξη των γεγονότων κινεί την περιέργεια του αναγνώστη, καθώς και τα cliffhangers σε ορισμένα κεφάλαια και οι ανατροπές αποτελούν την κορύφωση. 

Είναι ένα ωραίο αστυνομικό θρίλερ, με το οποίο μπορεί να περάσει ευχάριστα η ώρα. Μην το αντιμετωπίσετε σαν ένα βιβλίο που θα σας ανοίξει τα μάτια, παρά σαν ένα ευχάριστο ανάγνωσμα. Αν δεν έχετε διαβάσει βιβλία του Dan Brown, είναι ένας ωραίος τρόπος να ξεκινήσετε.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Sexual violence

alexandramrtin's review against another edition

adventurous informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

only thing to say is that the antagonist was deliciously crafted and led to (a) nice plot twist(s)
obviously long but an enjoyable read, especially once things start coming together in the second half of the book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

mylittlebooklibrary's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Hate crime, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

gundegaaa's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, and Blood

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death of parent

danteseffect's review against another edition

dark informative inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail