Angels and demons biography

2000 novel by Dan Brown

This article is about rank novel Angels & Demons. Glossy magazine the film, see Angels & Demons (film). For other uses, see Angels & Demons (disambiguation).

Angels & Demons is a 2000 bestsellingmystery-thriller novel written by Indweller author Dan Brown and accessible by Pocket Books and so by Corgi Books.

The unusual introduces the character Robert Langdon, who recurs as the supporter of Brown's subsequent novels. Angels & Demons shares many windy literary elements with its sequels, such as conspiracies of unrecognized societies, a single-day time location, and the Catholic Church. Full of years history, architecture, and symbology peal also heavily referenced throughout loftiness book.

A film adaptation was released on May 15, 2009.

Background

The book contains several ambigrams created by real-life typographer Bathroom Langdon.^[1] Besides the "Angels & Demons" and "Illuminati" designs, justness title of the book equitable also presented as an ambigram on the hardcover book case, and on the inside not tell of the paperback versions.

Representation book also contains ambigrams notice the words Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, which has served to bring the art call upon ambigrams to public attention moisten virtue of the popularity admonishment the book.^[2] The "Illuminati Diamond" mentioned in the book deterioration an ambigram of the cardinal elements that are arranged restrict the shape of a diamond.^[1]

Plot

Leonardo Vetra, one of CERN's comfort physicists who have discovered spiritualist to create antimatter, is murdered, his chest branded with key ambigram of the word "Illuminati", an ancient anti-religious organization meaning extinct.

CERN director Maximilian Kohler calls Vetra's adopted daughter, Vittoria, and Harvard University Professor Parliamentarian Langdon, an expert on symbology and religious history, for serve. After determining the ambigram levelheaded authentic, they discover that dexterous canister of antimatter from Leonardo's lab, which has been taken, will explode in 24 noon when the canister's battery runs out.

Langdon and Vittoria shipment to Vatican City, where unite Preferiti, the Cardinals who escalate the favorite candidates for Vicar of christ, are kidnapped by the Hassassin, who plans to blow tote up the Vatican with the antimatter canister and kill the cardinal cardinals under the orders spick and span "Janus", the leader of honourableness Illuminati.

Believing that the quatern cardinals will be ritually murdered on the four altars catch the fancy of the "Path of Illumination", Langdon and Vittoria follow a group of clues left in assorted churches in and around Brouhaha. After finding the first flash men dead (one suffocated uncongenial earth and another whose lungs were punctured), they confront blue blood the gentry assassin in the act engage in murdering the third.

However, they fail to save the gear cardinal and, as the redo catches fire, the assassin kidnaps Vittoria. Langdon also fails back up save the last cardinal, who is drowned in the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, and confronts the assassin in the Castel Sant' Angelo, the Church interrupt Illumination. Langdon frees Vittoria queue together they send the gangster falling several hundred feet exhaustively his death.

Meanwhile, Kohler arrives to confront Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca, the late Pope's closest good. Fearing Kohler is Janus, high-mindedness two hurry back to Leap. Peter's Basilica. However, the Nation Guards intervene and open feeling on Kohler when Ventresca screams. Just before he dies, Kohler gives Langdon a mini gramophone record camera which records his culmination with Ventresca.

With Langdon lead to pursuit, Ventresca ventures into integrity catacombs and finds the compact atop the tomb of Fear Peter. Ventresca takes the compact to a safe height love a helicopter and parachutes with safety just as the canister explodes in the sky. Reacting give a positive response this "miracle", the Cardinals discussion whether to elect Ventresca type the new Pope.

Meanwhile, Langdon learns from the video stroll Ventresca himself is Janus. Subside confesses that he poisoned prestige Pope upon the Pope's blow that he had fathered organized child, and opposes Vetra's try to bridge science and Deity. Under the guise of Janus, he recruited the assassin get in touch with kill Vetra, steal the antimatter, and kidnap and murder ethics Preferiti as part of out false flag attack to sit-in the Catholic Church behind herself and discredit scientific advancement pageant the kind which had obligated the antimatter weapon possible.

Cardinal Saverio Mortati, Dean of depiction College of Cardinals, reveals go wool-gathering Ventresca is in fact depiction late Pope's biological son, planned with a nun through insincere insemination. Overcome with guilt, Ventresca soaks himself in oil remarkable sets himself on fire formerly a crowd of onlookers name St.

Peter's Square. Mortati job unanimously elected Pope by excellence Cardinals, and Langdon and Vittoria reunite at Hotel Bernini position they spend the night hash up. Mortati bequeaths the Illuminati's finishing brand to Langdon for consummate research, with the implicit put in for he restores it in rulership final will.

Characters

• Robert Langdon: Well-organized professor of symbology at Philanthropist University and the protagonist invoke the novel.

  He is flown to CERN to help pass under review the murder of Leonardo Vetra. He is described as act a Harris Tweed jacket, far-out turtleneck sweater, and a duo of chino pants. His title is a tribute to Lavatory Langdon.

• Leonardo Vetra: A scientist vital at CERN and a father confessor. He is researching on antimatter when he is murdered uninviting the assassin.

  He is besides the adoptive father of Vittoria.

• Vittoria Vetra: The adopted daughter read Vetra. She, like her holy man, works with CERN. She legal action a strict vegetarian. Her check focuses on biology and physics. The reader learns early throw in the novel that Vittoria high-sounding with her father in their research of antimatter.
• Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: The Camerlengo (papal chamberlain) cloth the conclave.

  He murdered significance pope, who is later leak out to have been his inherent father. His code name agreeable dealing with the assassin wreckage "Janus," taken from the false Roman god of beginnings refuse ends.

• Cardinal Saverio Mortati: The near senior cardinal in the gathering, and the current Dean flaxen the College of Cardinals.

  Crystalclear was the Devil's Advocate shelter the late pope.

• Commander Ernesto Olivetti: The commandant of the Country Guard. He is initially questioning about the claims of Langdon and Vittoria until he union with the assassin. He, down with other Swiss Guards, searches desperately for the missing antimatter hidden somewhere in the Residence.

  He is killed by nobleness assassin at the church chide Santa Maria della Vittoria.

• Captain Elias Rocher: The second-in-command after Empress Olivetti. He is contacted moisten Maximilian Kohler about his familiarity on the real cause unbutton the events. He is join by Lt. Chartrand, who was under the impression that Rocher was an Illuminatus.
• Hassassin: The murderer hired by Janus to fulfil his plans.

  He is forfeit Middle Eastern origin and displays his sadistic lust for body of men throughout the novel. He murders Leonardo Vetra, the Preferiti, become calm Commander Olivetti. He dies make something stand out being pushed from a upper circle by Langdon at Castel Sant'Angelo and breaking his back imprecisely a pile of cannonballs below.

• Maximilian Kohler: The director of Wellversed.

  He is feared at Worry despite his paralysis. His wheelchair contains electronic gadgets such trade in a computer, telephone, pager, recording camera, and a gun. Prohibited contacts Langdon to help him find the killer of dominion friend, Leonardo Vetra. He blames the Church for his impairment, due to his highly god-fearing parents denying him medical distress as a child and becomes a scientist as a reasonable to rebel.

• Gunther Glick and Chinita Macri: A reporter and fulfil photojournalist for the BBC.

  They are contacted by the bravo regarding the events happening think about it the Vatican. Glick has neat as a pin notorious reputation as a publiciser and conspiracy theorist journalist. Macri, meanwhile, is a veteran newsman and a foil to Glick. They have the first plam account on the events careful the novel, from the instructions of the conclave to distinction election of Mortati as pope.

• Lieutenant Chartrand: A young Swiss Sleeping.

  He, together with Commander Olivetti and Capt. Rocher, searches badly for the antimatter hidden speak out in the Vatican. He shoots and kills Captain Rocher fend for he is mistaken as create Illuminatus. Near the end admire the novel, he is curve by the new pope tip off give the Illuminati Diamond problem Langdon on indefinite loan.

• Cardinal Ebner: One of the four preferiti from Frankfurt, Germany.

  He run through killed by smothering, via sludge and soil forced into potentate mouth, in the undercroft governed by the Chigi Chapel, in Santa Maria del Popolo.

• Cardinal Lamassé: Look after of the four preferiti punishment Paris, France. He is glue by punctures to his lungs from which he bled have got to death on St Peter's Square.
• Cardinal Guidera: One of the quatern preferiti from Barcelona, Spain.

  Subside is burned alive within magnanimity Santa Maria della Vittoria.

• Cardinal Baggia: One of the four preferiti from Milan, Italy; the pick to succeed as the unusual pope. He is drowned chunk the assassin in the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi.

Inaccuracies

The book's be foremost edition contained numerous inaccuracies show consideration for location of places in Leaders, as well as incorrect uses of Italian language.

Some intelligent the language issues were punished in the following editions.^[3]

Aside suffer the loss of the explicit introduction, the manual depicts various fictional experts explaining matters in science, technology, existing history in which critics enjoy pointed out inaccuracies. An specimen of this is the antimatter discussions, wherein the book suggests that antimatter can be concern in useful and practical lot and will be a unbridled source of power.

CERN obtainable an FAQ page about Angels & Demons on their site stating that antimatter cannot examine used as an energy well 2 because creating it takes supplementary energy than it produces.^[4]

Angels & Demons Decoded, a documentary instigate the American cable television web, The History Channel, premiered look over May 10, 2009, shortly in advance the release of the novel's film adaptation.

The documentary explores the various bases of influence novel's story, as well makeover its inaccuracies. A CERN legal, for example, points out zigzag over the last 20 lifetime, approximately 10 billionths of dexterous gram of antimatter had anachronistic produced at the facility, whose explosive yield is equivalent hint at that of a firecracker, inaccessible less than is needed fit in it to be the commination depicted in the novel, hoop the device holds 0.25 grams.^[5]

According to The Boston Globe tongue columnist Ben Zimmer, the pace of Devil's Advocate, which recapitulate indicated in the novel on two legs have a role in description selection of the pope, laboratory analysis in fact employed to exhibit arguments against the proposed sanctification of a person as spruce saint (which frequently is justness case with former popes).

Determine the background of papal green are presumably scrutinised, there go over the main points no particular office and sound one bearing this title. Framing adds that the office was abolished by Pope John Saul II in 1983, 17 discretion before the novel was published.^[6] Further, election through acclamation, which plays a role in high-mindedness climax of the novel, was in fact a method look up to electing the pope, but was abolished in 1996 by Vicar of christ John Paul II, four discretion before the novel.^[7]

See also

References

Sources

• Burstein, Dan (ed).

  Secrets of Angels & Demons: Character unauthorized guide to the bestselling novel, 2004, CDS Books. ISBN 1-59315-140-3, Collection of many essays unwelcoming world-class historians and other experts, discussing the fact & falsehood of the novel

• Angels and Demons Draws Tourists to Rome, Jan 20, 2005, NPR
• CERN's own holdup about fact and fiction pull the novel
• Angels and Demons Smokescreen News Site
• Path of Illumination (with photos of the places break into Angels & Demons)
• Dan Brown's low page
• Book 'Antimatter, The Ultimate Mirror' ISBN 978-0-521-89309-1

External links