Angels and Demons - A Riveting Read

Angels and Demons is a book written by Dan Brown. It is set before Da Vinci Code. The book begins with the murder of physicist Leonardo Vetra with the word "Illuminati" branded on his chest. The chief of CERN, Maxmillian Kohler, rings up Robert Langdon, a Harvard university symbiologist, and enlists his help in solving the murder mystery.

Upon reaching CERN, Robert Langdon, Vittoria Vetra (daughter of Leonardo Vetra) and Maxmillian Kohler discover that one of the canisters containing anti-matter specimen is missing. At the same time, a security camera inside the Vatican City shows the missing canister with a digital clock counting down. But the Swiss guards are unable to identify the exact location of the canister. Upon hearing this, Vittoria Vetra and Robert Langdon rush to the Vatican city.

Upon reaching there they find that the conclave for selecting the next pope is scheduled to be held that very day and the four preferiti (the favorites for the papacy), are missing. The duo then meets up Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca (the late pope's closest aide) in the pope's office where they receive a call from an unidentified person who calls himself as "Hassasin" and proceeds to tell them that the four cardinals would be sacrificed on the four altars of science. ( Each altar is a tribute for the fundamental elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water known in the ancient times.) In order to have any chance of rescuing the cardinals and find the whereabouts of the canister, Robert Langdon has to uncover the four altars within a specified time period.

Will the cardinals be saved? Will the Vatican City be prevented from destruction? The story moves at a breakneck pace and is full of twists, thrills and suspense. Dan Brown captures the imagination of the reader and manages to sustain it throughout. The time frame in which the story unfolds is just a single day.

This best selling book is currently being made into a movie with Tom Hanks donning the role of Robert Langdon and Ayelet Zurer as Vittoria Vetra. It is set to be released on May 2009. The trailer can be viewed here.