Rating the Robert Langdon series
It has been a hot minute since Dan Brown released a book in the Robert Langdon series. The most famous symbologist had many adventures and probably will have many more. It has been 9 years since I started on this journey. And it took me until last year to finally sit here and say I’ve read every book in the Robert Langdon series.
Therefore, I thought it was time to do a little overview. I didn’t write reviews for every book, but I still want to share my experience reading each one. Keep in mind, this is a look at my enjoyment of the series spanning almost a decade. I can’t be precise with details of the books I read way back in the day because I don’t remember. So, it’s just vibes. For those of you who don’t know or need a memory refresher, this is the order of the books in the series:
- Angels and Demons
- The Da Vinci Code
- The Lost Symbol
- Inferno
- Origin
I read these books in the most out-of-order way possible. I began with the second one. Moved on to the fifth. Then, read the first one. Jumped to the third. And finished with the fourth. Despite being a series, the books act as standalone novels since there isn’t a continuation of the story from one book to the next. Details about Robert Langdon’s life might be explained in some books more than others. Although, the information you need to know about him is always present in the book you’re reading. And that’s what’s so great about this series. You can start anywhere.
Angels and Demons
Publication year: 2000 Length: 18 hours 28 minutes Pace: Fast Story focus: Plot
The first in the series. The third I read. The best overall. I read this book in March 2020, during the first COVID lockdown. While chaos was breaking in Italy, so it was in the book. But for different reasons. This is one of the books I have a dedicated review for. There, I mentioned I don’t know if my love for this book is connected to when I read it. We were all in such a different mindset. Witnessing first-hand a global illness and experiencing a life so different that I don’t know how much of what we did during that time felt good because of the circumstances. Despite that, I loved this book. And that’s what I’ll always remember.
Angels and Demons gives the most complete introduction to Robert Langdon. It explains in detail why he’s claustrophobic. While other books give a brief explanation, this is the only one that has the full story. And that’s usually the only thing about Robert that follows him from book to book. And his Mickey Mouse watch. I don’t remember if there’s also a story to that. I’m guessing there is. I just forgot about it.
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The Da Vinci Code
Publication year: 2003 Length: 16 hours 59 minutes Pace: Fast Story focus: Plot
The most popular book in the series and the first movie produced. There’s a reason why it’s so loved, and it was a great introduction for me to the series. I’ve never watched the movie, so I went to this book without knowing much. I was surprised by the readability of such a big book. It was intimidating. But the chapters are so short and quick that the book becomes an easy read. This was the first book I read, and what I thought was the one that pulled me into the rest of the series. But past me seems to disagree. More on that in the Origin section.
The history, religion, and art were explored in such detail that it was captivating. It was the most interesting history lesson I’ve ever attended. How much of it is true? I don’t know, but I had a great time. And when I watched the movie, I saw the limitations of the format. The plot is the same, but the details… The exploration is so thorough in the book that it becomes as interesting as the mystery.
As far as I can remember, I love this book, although I only gave it 4 stars on Goodreads. Back then, I was far more generous with my stars than I am now, so that worries me. Either way, right now, in 2024, The Da Vinci Code takes second place to Angels and Demons.
Goodreads | The Storygraph | Literal
The Lost Symbol
Publication year: 2009 Length: 17 hours 47 minutes Pace: Medium Story focus: Plot
At this point, I wanted to review every single book in this series. After this book, I realised I was better off writing a post like this. This is by far the worst book in the series. And when I say worst, I mean I didn’t like it. This was the fourth book I read, but I don’t understand how this is the third in the series. How could something that I was enjoying so much go so wrong? Not only did I have a hard time finishing this book, but it also butchered the character.
Robert Langdon is not what I would call a very complex character. His motivations are clear. His traits are simple. He’s a constant in every book. The focus is the plot, solving a murder, and giving lectures. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Although, you spend enough time with the character to understand how he works. And the second half of this book throws everything about him out of the window. The book should be called The Lost Robert.
The main focus is the Masons. A secret organisation. Keepers of many secrets. Exists in the shadows. The usual. Although it reaches a tipping point, as many of his books do. It shifts to the real reason why everything is happening. Not a single Robert Langdon’s book is about only one thing. There’s always something else. A hidden agenda. What I didn’t expect was another character moving the plot. Robert is always the protagonist, the one who directs the plot. The one revealing useful information. And occasionally is assisted by the sidekick for that novel. But he is the lead. But in The Lost Symbol, his character becomes background noise. He’s just a pawn being moved. And the worst part is he questions everything he believes in. He becomes a hollow shell.
To me, it makes sense why the movie never reached pre-production and why the TV series didn’t do great either. This is not the Robert Langdon adventure we are used to. It starts off very well. All the mystery surrounding the Masons is always fun, and exploring Washington DC, instead of a European country, was different. Although compared to the whole story, it seems a small part of the book. And the rest is this almost fever dream. And the strangest thing is that I liked how the story concluded. I liked what the characters were trying to accomplish. It was interesting, but it dragged on for too long and at the expense of deconstructing the main character of the book. Which, by the way, doesn’t carry for the next book.
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Inferno
Publication year: 2013 Length: 17 hours 12 minutes Pace: Fast Story focus: Plot
I was beyond excited to be back in Italy. And Florence, of all places. I was expecting this would be another repeat of Angel and Demons, which would be another favourite, but I was wrong. Exploring the city was fun, as always, but it felt short. I felt Robert bite off more than he could chew. For sure, the mystery was completely out of his reach. And the hidden agenda was way over his head. It had huge implications for the world that luckily had a very peaceful resolve. The only one that wouldn’t turn this book into such a dark, sad and heavy story. Again, Robert was a bit of a pawn, but at least, he was the one choosing where to move. It just didn’t matter where to.
This time there isn’t a murder to solve as a motivator. Robert wakes up in the hospital without memory of the past few days. And so he’s just tracing back his steps. And that was intriguing enough. But then again, I miss his leadership. Because at the end of the day, it didn’t matter if he remembered everything or not. What it’s done, it’s done. It’s a race against the clock he can’t win. Still, it was more enjoyable than the previous book.
And ending the series in this book was bittersweet. I started loving this series so much, and then it ended on a meh. Not the worst book, but also not the best. A tepid middle that leaves me sad. Am I the one that changed, or were these books not that amazing?
Goodreads | The Storygraph | Literal
Origin
Publication year: 2017 Length: 18 hours 10 minutes Pace: Fast Story focus: Plot
This is the book that I remember the least. And I’m being polite. I read it when it came out, so it has been 7 years. While I enjoyed it, it didn’t impress me. This book strays the most from the others since it focuses more on technology and the future. It has that sci-fi feel to it without fully committing to the genre. Since I also consume a lot of sci-fi, I’ve seen this mystery plot happen before, and it was predictable. Maybe for the usual reader of the mystery genre, it would be something new and unexpected. It was still a good time, but nothing that, in the end, blew me away. Or so I thought.
Sadly, I don’t have a review of The Da Vince Code anywhere. Not here, not on Goodreads, not on my reading journals. Nothing. And for Origin, the only review I have is the one on the blog. I really thought I had more information on my experience reading these books. Turns out I don’t. And so, according to past me, I loved Origin. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. This was the book that convinced me to read the rest of the series, not The Da Vinci Code. I know! I’m also surprised.
I wasn’t expecting this post to have a plot twist. I barely remember anything from this book. I don’t even know how to compare it with the rest of the series because I have no idea how much or how little I liked it. I have no memory of that. And, to read back my review and find out I loved it when I thought I didn’t is so weird. How did I love it and don’t remember?
Goodreads | The Storygraph | Literal
Final thoughts on the Robert Langdon series
Let’s be objective for a bit and forget about ratings and enjoyment levels. These books are not the best thing ever written. The writing isn’t something to blow your mind, supper well crafted, and well executed. The next English classic. These are fun books. Books written to keep you hooked. Just like a cheesy rom-com. It’s not very profound, but a good time nevertheless. Despite that, I can’t deny the amount of work that goes into writing these books. They have extensive explanations of religion, history, politics, art, symbols… This isn’t a book you write on a Sunday afternoon because you are bored. And Dan Brown knows how to keep you turning those pages. How to make a history lesson seem fun and exciting, even if there might be some fiction mixed in there. If that’s what you are looking for, then these books are great. And that’s what makes them so palatable. It scratches the hitch of conspiracy theories. It creates drama and intrigue in historical facts. Just like the National Treasure movies. It’s an adventure of exploring a period in history, a secret society, religion, art, and technology. It makes the topics feel more interesting instead of a boring history lesson.
In regards to the stories being memorable, I think I made that clear. As time passes, so will my memories of these books. But since they don’t carry from one book to the other, then who cares? It’s supposed to be a fun time when you read them, and then you move on. Maybe that’s what also annoys me with The Lost Symbol. It wasn’t a fun time. I got bored. And there isn’t much more to these books that could save them. If you get bored or don’t find them enjoyable, then you’re better off putting them aside.
I started writing this post to give my perspective on this series, and I ended it without even knowing what my perspective really is. Overall, the series is a disappointment. If I trust my rating on Goodreads, then Angels and Demons was the only good book. And it went downhill from there. Origin comes as the wildcard, but it’s also the book that strays the most from everything else. In a way, it’s more futuristic while also having the usual foot in the past. And maybe that’s why I liked it. It merges two genres I enjoy. Mystery and sci-fi. So, from where I stand, my ratings are:
- Angels and Demons
- The Da Vinci Code
- Origin
- Inferno
- The Lost Symbol
Will I read the sixth book in the Robert Langdon series if it ever comes out? I probably will. This series has become a sort of comfort food. Not something you eat regularly, but when you really are in a specific mood. Every time I picked up one of these books, I knew the type of story I was going to read. I knew well the pacing of the story. I knew the character. Obviously, there are some differences between the books, which made me enjoy some more than others. But the bones are the same. And that familiar structure makes me confident in picking up the next one.
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