Angels and Demons #1

Angels and Demons – Entry #1.

My first novel that I’m reading this year is Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. So far, I’ve read up till page 82. In terms of the plot, I already read the exposition and now I’m entering the rising action. There are several characters in this novel. Some of them have distinct and apparent characteristics, while others are mysterious. Robert Langdon is the protagonist of the story; he is a professor at Harvard University who studies religious iconology. The man who calls Langdon into adventure is Maximillian Kohler, who is the head of Counseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire (CERN). The victim of the conflict is Leonardo Vetra, a theophysicist at CERN. Vittoria Vetra is Leonardo’s adopted daughter. It is assumed, or I should rather say, I assume that the organization who murdered Leonardo Vetra would be the antagonist.

The major outbreak of the novel is the murder of Leonardo Vetra. Frankly, I am still not 100 percent sure of what the conflict is. However, I think the conflict is men vs. men: between Langdon and the murderer. Langdon is called by Kohler because Kohler seeks help from Langdon to solve the inexplicable murder. The peculiarity of the murder is that the killer imprinted a mark “Illumnati” on Vetra’s chest and took one of Vetra’s eyeballs. When Langdon confronts the dead body of Vetra, he is extremely surprised. What stuns him the most is the mark “Illumnati,” which is an archaic code that signifies Satanic. It also used to refer to an ancient group that was strongly against Christianity. Step by step, Langdon strives to solve the mystery, and slowly he uncovers some evidence. In the process, he figures out that Vetra is a theophysicist and his recent research and discoveries. Though he is a scientist, his goal in his life is to use science to prove God’s existence. Thus, Vetra had been conducting an experiment and discovered the truth of the origin of the world. However, the mystery here is that Vittoria was the only one that knew about her father’s research and results. Besides, the only way to get access to Vetra’s lab that contains his research was through Vetra’s retina. This shocks Langdon because of the possibility that the “Illumnati” still exists. The part that the murderer took Vetra’s eye tells that the murderer knows about Vetra’s research; however, the only person who is supposed to know is Vittoria. Langdon continues to struggle to figure out the solution to the mystery…

So far, I find this novel EXCITING! I love the mystery in it and I love how Dan Brown writes in such an enigmatic manner. Angels and Demons is like a labyrinth. As I continue reading it, I feel like I know what will happen afterwards, I know what the next sentence will be, I know what evidences will be revealed, and more. However, almost every guesses that I make are off the tangent. This is what I love about this book. It makes me ask numerous questions and predict what will happen next. However, it surprises me all the time. For example, one thing that surprised me was that Leonardo Vetra is a theo-Physicist. Previous to figuring that out, I wondered why would (if the “Illumnati” still exists”) the “Illumnati” kill a normal physicist. I kept questioned myself why would that particular group want to kill a scientist. I asked, “Wouldn’t the Illumnati rather like Vetra since he is a scientist and he believes in the Big Bang Theory?” But when it turned out that Vetra was an unusual figure who believes in both creation and evolution, I was shocked and astonished. I didn’t expect that at all and I never heard of a scientist who simultaneously supports evolution and creation. Like this, I look forward to continue reading Angels and Demons and encounter more surprises!