This massive door stopper by the famous New York novelist is set in Prague in modern times and narrates a harried tale of life over barely 48 hours. The hero and heroine Robert Langdon and Elizabeth Solomon are back, but so are a host of of other characters too numerous to easily keep track of.
The plot is extremely complex but involves the intriguing notion of “nonlocalized conciousness” i.e. that it resides outside of the brain which is described as analogous to a radio receiver. The implications for otherwise unexplained phenomena, including the near death experiences, savants, and multiple personality disorder, are profound and it even extends to observed natural events such as the flight of flocks of birds. The clear conclusion is that death of any individual is an illusion.
I got totally lost in places especially when it appears that someone has been killed, but then shows up much later to be revealed as one part of a multiple personality disorder.
I am in awe of the author’s vast knowledge of a host of fields, from history, religion, mythologies, politics, and geology, but some of the deceptions, chase scenes, and tight time lines are so unrealistic as to be just silly attempts to maximize suspense.
3/5
Thanks, Nancy.
The Passionate Reader 