The book, Inferno, centers Dan’s ‘Robert Langdon’ who is placed in a hospital and is suffering from amnesia. He cannot recall how he reached Italy and what happened in the last two days. His only source of trust is a ponytailed doctor-Sienna. To make the matter worse, Langdon makes enemies with his own country. Those who are familiar with his previous adventures (Angels and Demons, Da Vinci’s Code, Lost Symbol) may find this is bit disappointing mostly because the aura Brown creates in his previous works are more engaging.
The story continues as Langdon runs after Dante’s (Alighari Dante) work in the roads of Florence. His only clue suggests him to go for the divine comedy and a silver haired lady who he sees in a dream.
Langdon finds his childhood’s Mickey Mouse watch missing and a lot of other missing puzzles that unveil gradually. Then again, we have to consider that this is where the fun actually lies: it helps the readers to assume and answer a few things on their own.
The book talks about many interesting issues like overgrowing population and earth’s limited resources. Langdon tries to find peace by giving a solution that many may not accept readily. But Dan follows Dante in his technique and actually weaves the plot as the words of Dante suggest, “The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain neutrality in times of moral crisis.”
For the first timers with Dan Brown, Inferno would be fun as a starter. I enjoyed reading Inferno because of the relevance of the setting and the rich spatial element that the narration offer. There are many details which may not add up to reality but that is the quirk of reading a book which enables the readers to use their imaginations completely. Logic is not this book’s main purpose. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 and recommend it readers who prefer to read thrillers to entertain his/her mind.