Review: Origin

In 2003, Dan Brown took the literary world by storm with the release of The DaVinci Code. Everyone read it, even people that aren't regular readers. Everyone was talking about it. It was the best selling book of that year. Suddenly, Mr. Brown and his charming protagonist, Robert Langdon, were household names. The two have gone on to have three other adventures, not to mention the book released previous to The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons. Mr. Brown's most recent work, and Langdon's most recent adventure, Origin, is why we are here today. Origin was released in October of 2017 to decent critical reviews and mostly positive reader reviews. This particular reader listened to Origin a little ways back. Keep reading after the jump to find out what I thought about it. I will try to keep the spoilers to a minimum.



As always with Dan Brown books, Origin was enjoyable and engaging. It was also highly informative. It follows the now patented Dan Brown/Robert Langdon formula. We are reintroduced to Langdon and our other major
players for this book. We see the start of the villain's evil plot. Langdon gets unwittingly dragged into some sort of shenanigans, usually overseas, sometimes involving an old friend. He acquires a female side kick throughout the course of the story. We occasionally check in with the villains and some people who we think might be the villain, but turn out not to be. Langdon's claustrophobia pops up, as does the Mickey Mouse watch. There are some unexpected twists and turns. The bad guys are vanquished by Langdon and his eidetic memory.

These are fluffy stories for people who don't like romance novels. They are suspenseful fluff. We know none of our main characters are going to die. We know we'll learn some new things along the way. We know there will be a happy ending. Langdon is the hero of our story. His female sidekick is the heroine. There's usually no love story in Dan Brown's books, but the idea remains the same. That's not to say I don't enjoy these books, because I really do. But, I've realized now that Dan Brown's books, though enjoyable, are not terribly well written. I didn't realize it with DaVinci Code and the others. But, I do now. Like I said, though, that doesn't make them not enjoyable. I was thrilled to hear a new Langdon book was coming out. I was even more thrilled, after reading Origin, that I liked this story much more than Langdon #3, The Lost Symbol. I can't even tell you what that book was about! I saw in another review of Origin that Dan Brown's books are fairy tales for adults. I think that's an apt description as well. But, even though these are overall fluffy books, Dan Brown isn't afraid to tackle tough issues. Like over-population and biological warfare in Inferno and religion, evolution, and creationism in Origin.

Now for Origin specifically, I enjoyed this book quite a lot. The subject matter was fascinating, as always. I really liked learning the science behind evolutionary theory. Robert

Langdon was great as always. His female sidekick, Ambra Vidal, was a bit of a departure from the usual. She was in a huge position of power, as the director of the museum. But, the biggest change is that she is engaged. All past side kicks were single, so there was always that hint of possibility with Langdon, even though it never came to fruition. Edmond Kirsch was also an extremely interesting character. Think of a younger Elon Musk. It is Edmond that ropes Robert into the shenanigans in this book. He has made a major discovery about the creation of life that has the potential to change the world. It really is fascinating to read about, regardless of the truth in it. This book also introduces my all time favorite Dan Brown character. His name is Winston and he's Edmond's virtual assistant. Think Jarvis or Friday from the Ironman/Avengers movies. But, WAY more advanced and real.  He was incredible and vital to the story.

Overall, I enjoyed Origin very much. It was back to DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons level. Dan Brown lost his way for a couple of books, but now he's back and I couldn't be happier. 

What about you Saucy Readers? Did any of you read Origin? What did you think? Let me know below!