Review: Angels and Demons

The age-old debate of science versus religion looms large in Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.

On the religious side, there is the mysterious disappearance of four Cardinals who are front runners for the position of Pope, while on the science side, the fate of a volatile sample of anti-matter hangs in the balance.

This scenario serves as the backdrop for the debate about the driving forces for good and evil in the world.

Is pure science the best way for man to acquire knowledge and power and begin to understand the world around him? Or is science without God a recipe to dismiss faith and intuition and replace it with intellect and cold logic?

If a man believes in God, and accepts the existence of a superior, omniscient power in creating the universe, there is still the question of whether to accept that belief in the way it is practised and preached by religious bodies such as the Catholic Church.

This book is the first thriller to feature Harvard Professor Robert Langdon, and is a prequel to the Da Vinci Code. If the style of one book appeals, then you may enjoy the other.

It’s up to our reluctant hero to save the day – and if not quite the world, at least part of it, from destruction.

Italian scientist Vittoria Vetra joins forces with Langdon after her father, the eminent physicist Leonardo Vetra, is murdered.

Their attempts to decipher a series of ancient symbols lead them to various churches and monuments across Rome, culminating in the holy of holies – the Vatican.

The clues point to the evil handiwork of an occult sect known as the Illuminati (whose clandestine members also put in an appearance in the Da Vinci Code).

When a new pope is to be chosen, the four cardinals mysteriously disappear – only to turn up one by one, dispatched in various gory ways, bearing a symbol of the Illuminati branded into their flesh. Each represents one of the four elements.

The author maintains that all references to works of art, tombs, tunnels and architecture in Rome are factual – lending an authentic background to a story which contains all the usual ingredients of a thriller but does at times stretch credibility to the limits.