Inferno

Population. Dan Brown’s novel Inferno will be less controversial than his earlier ones, and I felt that the fun he had in writing it came across in his prose. He opens the novel with a great device: the loss of memory by protagonist Robert Langdon, whose eidetic memory has been a useful talent in previous novels. Having Langdon deal with this made for pleasurable reading. The issue in this novel involves population control, and the tidbits and factoids that Brown peppers throughout the novel can be both annoying and interesting at the same time. Dante’s work and Florence provide a context for Brown’s exploration of the issue, and the formidable adversaries Langdon encounters make for entertaining tension. I try to read Brown’s novels quickly because the weak prose can wear me down. His creativity and plot are satisfying enough. Rating: Three-star (It’s OK) Click here to purchase Inferno from amazon.com.