His popularity as a master of thriller novels rests mostly on the Robert Langdon series which was brought to the world’s attention after the publication of the ‘Da Vinci Code‘ in 2003. Other widely known books by him include ‘Digital Fortress’ (1998), ‘Angels and Demons’ (2000), ‘Deception Point’ (2001), ‘The Lost Symbol’ (2009), ‘Inferno’ (2013), and ‘Origin’ (2017).
The Da Vinci Code
‘The Da Vinci Code’ is not Dan Brown’s first novel, it’s his fourth actually, but it is his most widely read and commercially successful book. It is the book that established his reputation as a leading author, if not the best in the thriller genre.
It features a tale of murder, conspiracies, cover-ups, and houses theories that negate almost everything the world has come to believe about Christianity (which is why it caught so much attention). The plot follows Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu after a murder in the Louvre Museum in Paris gets them involved in a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over documented evidence that Jesus took Mary Magdalene as a wife.
The book represents Brown Stance that believers need to make some research on their faith and not just take whatever the church presents as their true history. It is one of four books by Brown that have TV adaptations.
Angels and Demons
This is Dan Brown’s second book and the first of the Robert Langdon Series. Brown introduced the character of Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist and expert on the ancient anti-religious sect Illuminati, who becomes the protagonist for the rest of the books in the series.
The plot of ‘Angels and Demons‘ follows Langdon after CERN director Maximilian Kohler hires him to authenticate an ambigram of the word “Illuminati” that was branded on his murdered employee, physicist Leonardo Vetra. It is later found out that a canister containing antimatter- a substance with destructive potential comparable to a nuclear weapon- was stolen from the physicist and was set to be used to destroy Vatican City. Now Langdon and the daughter of the deceased physicist must work together to stop the plot.
‘Angels & Demons‘ was a bestseller, and it was later adapted into a film that starred Tom Hanks in 2009.
The Lost Symbol
‘The Lost Symbol’ is another famous book by Dan Brown which is part of the Robert Langdon series. He released the book after taking a six-year hiatus from writing, and that suspenseful waiting definitely contributed to the sales as it became one of the fastest-selling adult novels in history, pushing one million in hardcover versions on its first day of release.
Like in ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and ‘Angels & Demons’, Brown brings into his story another fraternity, The Free Masons. It begins with Robert Langdon being invited to the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. to deliver a lecture, during which he realizes that his mentor, Peter Solomon, has been kidnapped. As a result, Robert Langdon joins forces with Katherine, Solomon’s sister, to follow a trail of clues and encoded symbols to find out the truth about the disappearance of his mentor.
Deception Point
‘Deception Point’ was published after ‘Angels & Demons,’ and even though a lot of readers were disappointed that it did not feature the already beloved Robert Langdon, it is still an awesome work. Brown was able to show his outstanding writing ability and prove that no matter the setting, he was still a master of suspense and conspiracy theories.
The story tells of White House intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton and her role in confirming proof by NASA of extraterrestrial life. When Rachel arrives at the North pole, she meets Michael Toland, and a series of events lead both to uncover a huge deception that was made by NASA scientists to score a fake victory for NASA and the white house. Now Rachel and Michael have to run for their lives while trying to expose the conspiracy between NASA and the white house.
Origin
The last addition to the Robert Langdon series so far, ‘Origin‘ was top-rated as it sold more than 30 million copies as of 2013 and spent some time at the number one spot of The New York Times bestseller list.
Usually, Brown’s books with religious themes posit theories regarding religion and the past, but ‘Origin’ tells a story of religion and the future. It tells the story of Langdon after he is invited to Spain by his former student and billionaire futurist, Edmond Kirsch, who plans to unveil a discovery that he says will change the face of science, change the way people view religion and provide the answers to two of life’s most important questions: “Where did we come from?” and “Where are we going?”
But the Billionaire is killed before he has a chance to show his discovery to the world, now Langdon must put on his detective hat and uncover Kirsch’s discovery before it is lost forever.
Inferno
Inspired by Dante Alighieri’s poem about a man’s journey to paradise by passing through hell, the story begins with Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon finding himself in an Italian hospital. With no memory of the past 36 hours and an unknown object with a biohazard sign hidden in his belongings, he must recall what brought him to Italy, solve the mystery of the biohazard object and stop a mass genocide plot by using clues from Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy‘.
‘Inferno‘ is the fourth in Dan Brown’s series of books featuring the character Robert Langdon and the third book by Dan Brown to have a movie adaptation. As Dan Brown’s trademark, Inferno takes us through famous museums, old crypts, and celebrated tourist spots and has a perfect mix of classical Italian art, references to history and literature, in addition to cutting-edge science, in this entertaining thriller.
Digital Fortress
‘Digital Fortress‘ is Brown’s first published book after transitioning from music to writing. Even though it might not be one of his most impressive writing accomplishments and is not a part of the Robert Langdon Series, it is still an interesting read with a decent plot.
‘Digital Fortress’ was Brown’s way of calling out electronic surveillance by the government and the ethical issues surrounding the existence of such technology. The story follows NSA deputy director of operations, Commander Trevor Strathmore, and his invention/ use of a top-secret super-computer that can crack any encryption code in an hour or two. Things, however, get complicated when his computer cannot crack an encryption algorithm written by ex-NSA genius Ensei Tankado.
FAQS
Which is Dan Brown’s best book?
While his best book is subjective and depends on the taste of the reader, his most popular book is, without a doubt, ‘The Da Vinci Code.’
How long does it take Dan Brown to write a book?
There’s no definite duration it takes Dan Brown to write a book. It mostly depends on the preparations and research needed to write effectively. For ‘The Da Vinci Code’, it took four years. Before writing ‘Inferno’ he spent over two years in Florence researching for the book. ‘The Lost Symbol’ was released six years after his last book.
What is the Robert Langdon series?
They are books by Dan Brown that feature Harvard professor and symbology expert Robert Langdon. There are currently 5 in number, with ‘Angels & Demons‘ being the first and ‘Origin’ being the current last.
