Origin by Dan Brown

Origin – Where did we come from?

Destiny- Where are we going?

The paradoxical interplay between science and religion is central to the plot of Origin, this time with the age-old debate of Creationism Vs Evolution.

Dan Brown returns to his best with Origin, the latest in his bestselling Robert Langdon series. Once again he sheds light on extremists within the Catholic Church in this thriller that will keep you engrossed until the end. If you are looking for an engrossing novel, you can’t go wrong with Dan Brown as he has cemented his position in the top echelons of popular fiction. Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons make it to the list of the 100 top bestselling books of all time, with the former selling in excess of 80 million copies and the later selling in excess of 39 million copies.  Dan Brown is also one of the bestselling fiction authors of all time, with his books having sold in excess of 200 million copies. Each time he releases a new title, it is a major event in the publishing world.

Origin by Dan Brown

We are once again taken on a ride of codes and symbolism with Robert Langdon. Like Da Vinci Code, the story’s premise is controversial and plays on the divide between religion and science. The open-minded reader will see it as pure entertainment as the novel presents all sides to the Creationism versus Evolution debate with the spotlight on the incredible developments in Artificial Intelligence.

The story, set in Spain, revolves around Langdon’s former student and close friend, Edmond Kirsch, a 40-year-old billionaire who claims to have made a world-shattering discovery that answers the two greatest questions man has ever asked: “Where did we come from?” and “Where are we going?” Kirsch invites Langdon to his presentation at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao where Kirsch is scheduled to reveal to the world his discovery. But before he got to the actual presentation of his discovery, Kirsch is killed by an assassin working for a sect of the Catholic church called the Palmarian Church which has its own Pope.

Ambra Vidal, the beautiful curator of the Guggenheim Museum, was the one who helped Kirsch put together the presentation. Langdon and Vidal embark on a race against time to find the password to release Kirsch’s discovery to the world. Helping them is one of Kirsch’s greatest creations, an artificial intelligence named Winston.

Brown’s novels are often viewed as being an attack on religion. But I beg to differ. Brown always presents both sides of the arguments about the existence of God.  Through his novels, Brown often seems to take the approach that religion and science can coexist and thrive. By the way, if you think the Palmarian Church is a figment of Dan Brown’s imagination, think again. You can read about it at Wikipedia.

Ever since I read The Da Vinci Code more than a decade ago, I’ve been a great fan of Dan Brown. Origin is a real page-turner though it may not have the breakneck pace of Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.