Are you with Angels or Demons?
By Mariana Sanchez and Jose RuizDechavez
Establish the Context
The Setting
Social Context
When and Where?
It starts off at Robert Langdon’s home in Massachusetts, but as the story progresses, it goes to many different places. Robert goes to see a scientist Geneva, Switzerland, but later on spends quite some time in Rome, the Vatican City, looking for an object called the antimatter.
Political Context
Content Components
Modern Context
Significance to Your Peers
Literary Value
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Our Book Review
Dan Brown,author of Angels and Demons, states that a theme to this book is people often get torn between religion and science. Dan Brown is an American author who, besides Angels and Demons, has had other successful books such as The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, and Inferno. What’s interesting about Dan Brown is that his political views are “about as non-political as it gets, which is particularly confusing since his books often involve elaborate political/religious conspiracy theories” (The Hollowverse). Also, according to Tom Kershaw, Dan Brown’s views on religion are he was raised as an Episcopalian, which basically means the United States-based member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, but now seems to be more of a Deist, which is belief in the existence of a God on the evidence of reason and nature only, with rejection of supernatural revelation or belief in a God who created the world but has since remained indifferent to it. Angels and Demons is set in April, and at first it starts off at Robert Langdon’s home in Massachusetts, but as the story progresses, it goes to many different places. Robert goes to see a scientist Geneva, Switzerland, but later on spends quite some time in Rome, Vatican City, looking for an object called the antimatter. We as readers know the story starts off in Robert Langdon’s Massachusetts home because he gets a call in the middle of the night, and also, after he wakes up, his home gets described in detail. Afterwards, the book describes Langdon leaving in a futuristic-type airplane which gets him from Massachusetts to Geneva, Switzerland in under an hour. The book begins by introducing Robert Langdon, a symbologist and a college professor, who gets called by scientist to research a murder. Along the way, he realizes that this is no ordinary murder, but instead it is an ancient rivalry between science and religion. He, along with Vittoria Vetra, the daughter of the scientist who was murdered, go off in search for an item that was stolen from her father’s lab, and is likely the reason he was murdered, the antimatter. On their quest in search for the antimatter they are faced with many challenges like finding the antimatter before the battery dies and the antimatter explodes, while important men from “the Papal” conclave are kidnapped and threatened with death. This book was really exciting. It’s one of those books that grabs your attention and leaves you wondering what’s going to happen next! I really liked this book, and I believe that most of the people who read this book, if they are into mystery and suspense, will really enjoy this book! Structural elements that striked me as noteworthy were when the antimatter was introduced, because it makes you wonder what power/potential it really has. Also, Vatican City in Rome, because that’s when the story really starts spicing up and it makes you think what adventures are going to happen in this place or what does the main character have to accomplish here and at the end of the book, will we see the main character become a complex character. I feel like those structures were effective in the story because without them, there wouldn’t be a story. Like, say for example, the antimatter was never brought up. Then there would be no stolen weapon, Vittoria Vetra’s dad would not have been murdered, and Robert Langdon would not need to be called into CERN, and there would be no story to tell. Or, if Vatican City would’ve not been introduced, then how would we, as readers, know why the antimatter was stolen in the first place. The structure enhanced my understanding of the issue at hand because as you keep reading, you keep finding out new details and new information of what certain objects are and what are the motives for certain actions. For example, as the story progresses, we understand what the antimatter really is, and the reasons why it got placed in Vatican City. People who are big fans of science, or religion, or both, would really enjoy this book. Age wise, I believe teenagers+, I feel that a younger age group than that could read it, but they probably won’t understand as well.
60-Second- Recap Video
Other Books Like This
- Angels and Demons
- The Da Vinci Code
- The Lost Symbol
- Inferno