Book review – Origin, by Dan Brown

I like how Dan Brown writes. Digital Fortress and Deception Point are two of my favorite novels. I also like his “Robert Langdon series”, and I was very excited to learn that his Origin was mostly about science. He did not disappoint “sciencewise”. The science was plausible and it showed that he did his research. There were a couple of biology “oopsies” but that did not diminish my enjoyment of the book.

The usual mysteries and intrigue are there for sure, but the main plot points are also there: Langdon is asked for help by someone who gets almost immediately killed (Brown’s version of a Redshirt?), an usually one-, perhaps two-dimensional assassin (although Origin has a really cool twist on this; look for it!) who “deals” with miscellaneous religious leaders, justified or not, followed by some kind of countdown/deadline that Langdon solves in the nick of time with the help of an invariable attractive woman.

Origin is refreshingly different since it explores the tension between science and religious dogma (I admit to bias, since this is one of my favorite topics), it is the kind of book that you cannot put down, and leaves you wanting for more even though the current adventure was resolved. I enjoyed it, and I think that you will too.