Overall Rating and Opinion of Inferno

[Apogea]

I enjoyed Inferno, the storyline kept me going!
I even recommended it to a few friends already

[thsavage2]

I didn't think this was as good as The Da Vinci Code, but it was roughly on-par with Angels & Demons, which was very good. I think Brown actually could have included more of the literature in his book, but the art and architecture parts are well done, as far as I can tell. Also, Dan Brown has a few favorite tricks he likes to use, which you can pick up on pretty easily by reading even just a few of his books, but this one diverged from most of those, which I found refreshing and improved the story. I guessed right about who was actually speaking during the short first-person account, so I thought that could have been done in a more subtle way (or just omitted, really). I liked the ending because it wasn't just the hero saving the day. I'm hoping there's a sequel and he explores this topic more. I thought he did the biology and ethics part of the story very well. This was better than The Lost Symbol, which I thought was a bit of a let-down. I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

[JamesJohnson]

Inferno was actually the first novel by Dan Brown that I had the pleasure of reading. Having initially tried to avoid his other novels because of the movie adaptations (I have no idea why, but I've always tended to stray from books once I may have caught part of the movie), Inferno seemed like a potentially captivating read and quite simply, it was. My first surprise was the ease of reading, the style in which Dan Brown rights flows so quickly and smoothly that the fast paced nature of his story doesn't become lost in a jargon-heavy mess, of which I have often found a problem in other such historically-detailed books. The story itself was captivating from the word 'go' and the short chapters deliver bursts of action along with every plot twist and turn.

After finishing Inferno is less than 3 days, I then sought to discover Dan Brown's other novels, the Lost Symbol being my current favourite. Although I doubt that Inferno will reach the heights of 'The Da Vinci Code' nonetheless a fantastically fast-paced but also a highly accessible thrill of read!!

[Enijmas]

I'm still in the middle of it, but unlike the Lost Symbol and the Da Vinci Code, I realised that I could actually put this one down, quite easily, like even when I'm in the middle of a chapter. Perhaps its because I'm still nearer the beginning (like 34% completion), or perhaps it's because I'm reading an electronic copy, but it does seem to be slower, or less extraordinary? This one does not seem to have captured the same sense of wonder in me compared to its predecessors. Nevertheless, I shall continue my way, and return here when I've completed the book. (:

[Kdecicco]

I would definitely recommend this book....keeps the readers interest throughout without having to struggle through lulls. Love the way Dan Browns books always support fiction with fact.

[TiffanyJade]

I found it very interesting and I would recommend it to a friend.

[lnygaard]

Re-discovering Robert Langdon was fun and it was another fast paced suspense like Brown's other Langdon books. However, I found the ending and the way it was all wrapped up a little...obnoxious. What started as something really promising and interesting ended with a "really? ... Seriously, that ginormous plague that you have been rushing around trying to stop...? That's how you choose to finish?" I'll admit it was neat and it made sense, but it was just kind of...lame. Like it was all one big misunderstanding that everyone laughed it off. ... Shrug.

Is no one else bothered by how he decided to conclude it? I hate giving it away for readers still in the middle of it (its still worth the read), but I was hoping for something else.

A low 3. I would still recommend it, but I can't imagine it being as successful as his previous books.

[RClayton92]

I quite enjoyed it - but as with other Dan Brown books I think the merit lies less with his actual ability to write amazing prose, and more with it being such a great thriller! I could not put it down to be honest.

[Airam Velarde]

I very much enjoyed reading Inferno. As always, Dan Brown does a great job at keeping you guessing and keeping you interested throughout the book. Of course plot twists are to be expected from him and are what makes this book a great thriller. Also, I think, what I love most about Dan Brown is how he effortlessly combines fact and fiction. It is very interesting to read this and then do a bit of research on the places or artifacts he mentions.

[eugeniagan]

I enjoyed the pace and the thrill. He makes good narration as i'm able to imagine myself running around. In fact, I went to google some of the places he mentioned in the book to get a better orientation of the place which is fun!

[therhinofam]

I love art history and mysteries, so Dan Brown is an author that I tend to enjoy. That being said, I was unsure if I would read Inferno after The Lost Symbol, which I did not care for. But I am happy I did, as Inferno was much better. The support cast of characters were nicely developed and the twist at the end was not what I had guessed it would be.
As with The DiVinci Code, it allowed for some great conversations during our book club discussion as well as some deeper thought and glances at all of the wonderful art pieces (via the web).
I would recommend this book. I believe it offers something for a variety of readers; mystery, unexpected endings, thoughts about social and global issues, and detailed description about art and science.

[tinegunner]

I loved it and I could not stop thinking about it for days, weeks. Sure, Dan Brown's books can be fairly unbelievable, the action and the fact that the main characters keeps getting himself into these crazy puzzles and life and death chases. But underlying is generally an incredibly controversial topic that he has made so enjoyable ponder. The issue of overpopulation as presented is compelling and his predictions are pretty accurate so it is a scary thing to think about it. I loved how the book solved the probably in a completely non-obvious way.

[craftshley]

I can't post anything but glowing reviews of Inferno. I love Dan Brown and the Robert Langdon series. I've loved it for a decade and I'm only 22! I can't help but love whatever comes from Dan Brown. I loved the scientific aspect of Inferno, as well as the fact that Robert couldn't remember a thing about what happened, in the beginning. It was a mystery for everyone involved, including him; more -so than usual at least. My good reviews of anything by Dan Brown may be biased, however, because I met him last year and have this very book autographed. He's also an alum from the same college that I attended, so I feel some kind of kinship with him.

[bhart1988]

This book follows the same theme as previous books written by Dan Brown. I have always enjoyed his writing style and the puzzles that he creates. This book follows that same formula. Given the current global situation, it eerily hits a little close to home. My only complaint is that he seems to be writing his books to made into movies, which takes away from the content.

[Phoebe Moon]

Does anyone have any thoughts on the overpopulation concern Brown brings up?

Hi samuyama

I read Inferno a while back. I was already aware when I read it about the WHO graph of population growth. It's very scary. The worrying thing to me, is that when people read fiction books like Dan Brown, even though he always mentions at the beginning of every novel, that the historical references and other data in the book are real and true, people still think it's fictional. I've spoken to people about this on facebook. And a lot of people who have read the book thought he made that graph up for the sake of the book :/

I found myself rooting for the bad guy when reading this book, I have to say. I thought the idea of a 'non painful' fairly humane population control infertility virus was ingenious.

I think this is a subject that a lot of people really bury their heads in the sand over. Sadly I think most people are so engrossed in their every day lives, and believe that because humans have carved out a very cozy niche for themselves on this planet over the last few thousand years, that some terrible world event like this can't happen to us.

Personally I don't believe that we are the first civilisation on the planet. I think there have been civilisations before us that have been wiped out for whatever reason... floods, meteor strikes etc. But when you look at that graph of population growth it's impossible not to feel something. When I first saw it my heart went into my mouth... it still does when I see it.