Inferno by Dan Brown

This time, Dan Brown (DB) features the famous Harvard symbiologist Robert Langdon (RL) again. However, instead of unwrapping hidden meaning between symbols, RL was supposed to uncover events happened before he lost his memory due to bullet's graze over his head (ehm...reminded me of similar situation of Bourne *winking). Pairing up with genius and prodigy Sienna Brooks (SB), an illegal doctor who saved him, they solved the puzzle on why RL was targetted and how to prevent the threathen deathly plaque. Once again, RL's vast knowledge was being tested and he was torn between the real friends among foes, who should be trusted and who shouldn't. But as predicted from DB, he twisted the plot in an unexpected way on the last few chapters. I was jaw-dropped!

And as usual, DB writes with such descriptive details of places and buildings. However, it was too jaded (imho) and put me yawning all the time (just like the beautiful description on The Swan Thief - the only unfinished book). On some chapters, I was confused whether the info that I read was the real data or something twisted by DB. And honestly, it isn't worth for me to go all the way checking the validity of the info contained here. So I just accepted whatever I read here.

While reading this, I thought the whole idea of this book was based on the single book (geez...a single book could be developed into something great as this). It was some sort of in-depth analysis on the famous (though I just knew it recently) work of Dante, known The Divine Comedy. The Divine Comedy (it was epic poet instead of funny satire) is divided into 3parts, Inferno (the most-read one), Purgatorio, and Paradiso (praise Google yay). It tells the journey of Dante through the hell, going thru purgatory and finally arrives in paradise. In short, it was assumed that to reach the paradise, human being had to go through the hell first. Explanation on Dante's Inferno made me feel like being in the RL's world history class at Harvard. It was beyond imagination, how the life and inheritance of Dante could be transformed into world's crisis with page-turning chasing.

In a way, it was a tough book to read with lotsa difficult words and terms that I kept my mobile close. I had to consult with Google and Wiki since my knowledge of Europe, medieval art and history were limited. Instead of globe trotting like on the previous adventure of RL, the main events this time took place only in Florence (sounds like a very beautiful city - ehm...wondering when I could visit this city along with other European famous cities as well), a little bit of puzzle solving in Venice and finale closing in Turkey.
But again, DB proved himself, that he could write something interesting (well interesting was the understatement) and blend it well with the real fact. This book brought the ordinary (in term of art, history and the major issues of our world for commoner like me) into the extraordinary fiction that left me deep in thinking.

Another well-written fiction!