Play Book Tag discussion

Origin by Dan Brown - 4 stars - My Review

PBT Comments: This could be a beach read depending on your definition. It is tagged by 3 people as "Beach Reads" and 5 as "Beach Read" but since that is so few out of the number of people that have read it, I figured I'd file it under "Other."

The fifth book in the Robert Langdon series, this book is a mystery-thriller set in Spain in current times. Though it is part of a series, this book can easily be read as a stand-alone. Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is attending a major scientific announcement by billionaire futurist Edmond Kirsh, one of Langdon’s former students, at the Bilbao Guggenheim museum. It is reported to be of such importance that it will create a paradigm shift in the thinking on the origins of the human species and drastically impact the world’s religions. A violent event interrupts Kirsch’s presentation, sending Langdon and Ambra Vidal, the museum’s curator and future Queen of Spain, on a dramatic chase across the countryside.

Brown combines elements of science, technology, religion, and history into an entertaining and thought-provoking story. One of the most intriguing characters in the novel is Winston, an advanced artificial intelligence charged with maximizing the exposure of his creator’s scientific discovery. The reader is exposed to a wide variety of concepts, including the latest thinking in evolutionary biology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and a host of topics espoused by such scientists as Darwin, Gould, and Hawking. It also features the art of Antoni Gaudi, the poetry of William Blake, and other real works of art and literature.

Ethical and moral questions are examined from both religious and scientific viewpoints. Contemporary issues are included – conspiracy theories, fake news, information leaking from unnamed sources, fanning the flames of disagreement in internet audiences. We have religious disputes, a traditionalist church bordering on cult, and religious leaders disappearing. At various times, suspicion falls on church leaders, the Royal Guard, and, of course, protagonist Robert Langdon.

It is somewhat formulaic in structure. If you have read others in the series, you will recognize Robert Langdon having to flee with a local woman, the primary conflict setting science against religion, and the need to solve a complex puzzle to achieve an objective. There are a few scenes that seem to be inserted solely to draw out the narrative and chase scenes across Spain. There is a major motivational issue with one significant element. Even so, it is a book that engages the brain while it entertains.