Illuminati – Angles & Demons

Over Christmas, I visited my family and Michael, the husband of my cousin Barbara suddenly said “Oh by the way, I’ve read this book about nuclear physicists working in Geneva – that’s what you’re doing, no? Probably has nothing to do with reality, but I read the book in one stretch.” I asked him to lend it to me and it took me quit a while before being in the mood to read some trashy thriller (in general this happens during travel periods) The book is called “Illuminati” in German – “Angels & Demons” in the US-edition. It took me another while to notice, that it is written by author of the “Da Vinci Code” – “Sakrileg” in German – I haven’t read it, but the book is simply everywhere. Last week “Anges & Demons” came out in France, advertised in the Metro as “by the author of the Da Vinci Code” – funny for a book by a million selling author. Why advertise? It will sell anyhow.

CERN has actually a dedicated web page rectifying the scientific issues mentioned in the book. I have been astonished about some of the more “sociological” descriptions. Apparently it is unimaginable for the author, and probably for the general public, that a research site such as CERN is financed by public money and not with huge private investments behind. Which means that it is equally unimaginable, that fundamental research is done without having primarily an economic aim: I think there has been no frantic phone calls from industry after the anti-hydrogen atom has been formed, even if we would have liked to. Further I hope that there is no catholic secretary at CERN who feels badly regarded because of their faith – even though certain forms of faith do bother me, I don't think we are behaving that way. If physicists live as monks, well, that’s another question. And then we would all like to travel with CERN’s super-high speed jet, no? And what about the German DG in a wheel-chair? A mixture of cold rationality from a mistreated childhod and sympathy for Stephen Hawking.

In the end the physicists play a positive role in the book, however over long stretches I though that the scientists were painted as a rather suspect bunch, with some underlying hostility, except for Vittoria. She’s the lady physicists, the beautiful daughter – but in fact, she works at the interface with biology, challenging Einstein’s general relativity with the behavior of fish swarms!!! Pure jealousy, why haven't I thought about that before - and she gets the guy!

Well, whatever. I read the book in two stretches and I enjoyed it.

Comments

[Wim]

Offcourse the science isn't all very good in the book. But nevertheless I liked it too.

[A.R.Yngve]

I write fiction myself, so I'm sympathetic to a fair amount of "creative license" in novels...

But: it worries me that large numbers of people take Dan Brown's novels ENTIRELY SERIOUSLY. This sort of popular paranoia and conspiracy thinking is irrational and destructive. Brown certainly helps the paranoia along by presenting fictions as if they were fact.

The best way to counter paranoia towards an institution (such as CERN) is to provide as much public access as possible to the institution. Then its aura of mystery and secrecy (real or imagined) will dissipate.

I wonder which institution Brown will write conspiracy theories about next? How about... Scientific American? The Nobel Prize Committee? Or some more popular figure of science?

"With a gasp, the incredibly beautiful Dr. Cassandra Smith realized: Carl Sagan's TV series COSMOS was really part of a Freeemason scheme to mislead the public that the universe was fifteen billion years old!"

Just kidding. Brown's next book will surely go much, much further than that... and make loads of money.

-A.R.Yngve
http://yngve.bravehost.com

[David]

We do know that Dan Brown doesn't take his own fiction too seriously... see the inscription he wrote in a copy of "Angels & Demons" that we reproduced in "symmetry" magazine:
http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/cms/?pid=1000011#angels

[sandra]

The problem is that people do take Dan Brown's fiction too seriously
Sandra

[Ernie]

I think Dan Brown generates intrest in things we don't usually think about or have any opinion on. It's up to the reader to take time and do their own research. Maybe they will learn something along the way. However his fiction should not be taken too seriously.

[Yockyrides]

I just finished Angels & Demons and enjoyed it thoroughly. The DaVinci Code was better but both were good reads.

Obviously it is necessary to suspend belief a bit and give the author literary license. I was expecting one of the characters to come up with triangulation on the camera as a way to find the cannister. Never happened.

[paige]

i do agree in some of d comments and i dont for the others..

dan brown writing d da vinci code,ANgels and Demons, etc...i guess is a good thing to be published and let d whole world know about it...

dis would test d faith of the people who have red it what they really believe in..its like a temptation wherein we,the readers, decide who to believe,.,.when in some parts of the country..they banned the da vinci code...isnt that this move proves the guilt of the churchmen>>.,,,honestly.,.Religions all over the world like Roman Catholic are into things which are against d Gods word...get what i mean>>>,,,its hard to explain really...but i do know lot of realities dat d churches dont get it...

im open to an comment...

mail me at angels_smile13@yahoo.com
or
call me at 09282749164