Overall Rating and Opinion of Inferno

[katielgorton3]

I usually stay away from Dan Brown. While I think he is an eloquent writer, I don't prefer to read books with religious undertones. However I saw that this was the "book of the month" and it happened to be floating around my office, so I looked up what it was about and didn't see anything wrong with reading about a mad genetic scientist. I thought the book was definitely a page turner, I finished it rather quickly, and it was a fairly painless read. His descriptions like always were flawless, and clear, and I enjoyed the characters he introduced throughout the story. I'm still on the fence about the end. Not sure if I liked it or not, or maybe I just need to reread it.

[lyndsie_anna]

Yeah, the population concern definitely is interesting, but Dan Brown does tend to take facts and sort of...make them his own in a way. Meaning, it's based in fact but always a bit more exaggerated in truth. Which he can do as a fiction writer, but just keep it in mind. My problem with Dan Brown is that even though his books are fairly interesting, I don't feel like he ever has any particularly new insights, and there's always a few glaring plot holes. So I'm hesitant to read this.

[sarah92480]

Oh, I definitely agree with you, lyndsie_anna, that he turns things into his own; I know what you mean. I'm not so naive to think his books are truth or anything, I just like the way he writes them. I do also agree that his books, at least the Robert Langdon ones, all seem to follow basically the same format, just with a different "bad guy". I enjoy getting lost in a novel and his are easy for me to do that with.

[Jo Ledamun]

Just finished listening to the audio version of Inferno. A typical Dan Brown story plot, that was slow burning most of the way through until virtually the end, when it picked up pace & was at it's most interesting.

Having recently visited Istanbul, I enjoyed reading about the places I visited on my trip.

Inferno was the type of book I wouldn't usually choose, but I stuck with it and thought that it was well written & the scenes/locations were accurately (ish) described/set. I think like a lot of Dan Brown's work Inferno would work well as a film. I also understand why the majority of you (unlike me) enjoyed it so much.

My rating of Inferno is 3.5 out of 5.

[DianaChristie23]

I read Inferno and thought it was pretty good, but really long. I was surprised about the ending. It is filled with action and Dan Brown makes you sweat while the characters are running all over town wondering whom they could trust or whether they will escape alive. It gives you this trapped sort of feeling while you read it as if you are one of the characters.

[srkilgour]

I've had Inferno on my TBR pile for awhile now so I was glad when I saw this book was the book of the month. I find that Dan Brown always has an interesting point of view on certain historical and religious things. I also feel like I learn so much from reading his books because I always end up googling a lot of stuff. I have actually used his book The Da Vinci Code as a source for my college senior project, because yes he is a fiction writer and he does make some things his own but all his facts are actually based on truth.

Overall, I thought this book was well written with a great plot twist that I definitely did not see coming. I would give this book a 4 out of 4.

[wendyj]

I like Dan Brown and have read all his books. I am getting a bit tired of the repetitive themes thought. Inferno is one chase scene after another and fast paced but not all that unexpected.

[shanson1]

I just finished reading Inferno, by Dan Brown. I must say, he writes quite eloquently and knows how to distinctly portray a character, his plot is well rounded of facts mingling with fiction, and the overall story is thought provoking. With this being said however, I found that certain parts of the story had its own levels of intrigue. The beginning of Inferno did capture me in ways that had me wonder, my curiosity piqued. The middle of Inferno, I felt, was a bit slow. I understand though that it was purely because all the puzzles pieces needed to fall in place for the upcoming conclusion. The end was very well written, and it ended on a thought provoking note. Overall, Dan Brown's Inferno is a good book to read for the mystery, spirituality, and its version of manifest destiny.

[lanielep]

I truly enjoyed Inferno. I feel that the pace was fast without being frenetic. Robert was able to move smoothly from location to location without me feeling that he skipped a step or was lagging unnecessarily.
I also liked the depth of color and description, I have never been to the parts of Italy that were in the book, but I was able to feel the atmosphere without having to look up pictures of the landmarks.
However, I do feel that the series has become formulaic. The four books all follow the same theme, Robert is called, the problem is laid out, he runs around with a beautiful woman, ah crazy unexpected plot twist, second twist, denouement. I suppose it is nice to have the predicable, but I makes it hard for me to justify waiting over two months for the library edition or paying 30 dollars for the hard cover.

[LolliParso666]

I really enjoy his books and this was definitely a good one! I love the fast paced story line and the twist at the end was great.

-- 16 Apr 2014, 08:54 --

-- 16 Apr 2014, 08:54 --

[kio]

I liked it, but I liked Da Vinci Code more.

[scriptbunny]

I liked The DaVinci Code well enough but found Angels and Demons to be pretty much a formulaic copy. Is Inferno worth giving Brown another shot?

[GKCfan]

I'm not a Dante scholar, but I am familiar enough with his works to know that Dante's work and worldview are miles apart from Brown's.

[Colette Marie]

I did like this book and I enjoyed it a lot. I liked the way the characters were well developed and the story-line was great. The plot twist was also really good. The book is a real thriller and captured my attention throughout the book.

[Sarah1]

I thought it was good but not what I typically read. I would definitely recommend it to someone who enjoyed his other works.