(In this contemporary action thriller, the famous symbolog...)
In this contemporary action thriller, the famous symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia and finds himself the target of a manhunt. Langdon teams up with Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), a doctor he hopes will help him recover his memories. Together, they race across Europe and against the clock to stop a virus that would wipe out half of the world’s population.
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/inferno/
2016
novel
Digital Fortress: A Thriller
(Before the multi-million, runaway bestseller The Da Vinci...)
Before the multi-million, runaway bestseller The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown set his razor-sharp research and storytelling skills on the most powerful intelligence organization on earth--the National Security Agency (NSA)--in this thrilling novel, Digital Fortress. When the National Security Agency’s invincible code-breaking machine encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant, beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage…not by guns or bombs but by a code so complex that if released would cripple U.S. intelligence. Caught in an accelerating tempest of secrecy and lies, Fletcher battles to save the agency she believes in. Betrayed on all sides, she finds herself fighting not only for her country but for her life. It is a battle for survival―a crucial bid to destroy a creation of inconceivable genius that threatens to obliterate the balance of world power…for all time.
(The explosive Robert Langdon thriller from Dan Brown, the...)
The explosive Robert Langdon thriller from Dan Brown, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code and Inferno—now a major film directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones. An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction. When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol—seared into the chest of a murdered physicist—he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati...the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth. The Illuminati has now surfaced to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy—the Catholic Church. Langdon’s worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican’s holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces they have hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival. Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair...a clandestine location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation. An explosive international thriller, Angels & Demons careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war.
(Heralded for masterfully intermingling science, history, ...)
Heralded for masterfully intermingling science, history, and politics in his critically acclaimed thrillers The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, New York Times bestselling author Dan Brown has crafted another pulse-pounding novel in which nothing is as it seems -- and behind every corner is a stunning surprise. A shocking scientific discovery. A conspiracy of staggering brilliance. A thriller unlike any you've ever read.... When a NASA satellite discovers an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory -- a victory with profound implications for NASA policy and the impending presidential election. To verify the authenticity of the find, the White House calls upon the skills of intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton. Accompanied by a team of experts, including the charismatic scholar Michael Tolland, Rachel travels to the Arctic and uncovers the unthinkable: evidence of scientific trickery -- a bold deception that threatens to plunge the world into controversy. But before she can warn the President, Rachel and Michael are ambushed by a deadly team of assassins. Fleeing for their lives across a desolate and lethal landscape, their only hope for survival is to discover who is behind this masterful plot. The truth, they will learn, is the most shocking deception of all.
(The Da Vinci Code is a reading experience unlike any othe...)
The Da Vinci Code is a reading experience unlike any other. Simultaneously lightning-paced, intelligent, and intricately layered with remarkable research and detail, Dan Brown's novel is a thrilling masterpiece—from its opening pages to its stunning conclusion.
(Famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon answers an unexp...)
Famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon answers an unexpected summons to appear at the U.S. Capitol Building. His planned lecture is interrupted when a disturbing object—artfully encoded with five symbols—is discovered in the building. Langdon recognizes in the find an ancient invitation into a lost world of esoteric, potentially dangerous wisdom. When his mentor Peter Solomon—a longstanding Mason and beloved philanthropist—is kidnapped, Langdon realizes that the only way to save Solomon is to accept the mystical invitation and plunge headlong into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and one inconceivable truth . . . all under the watchful eye of Dan Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C.
(Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon awakens in ...)
Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon awakens in an Italian hospital, disoriented and with no recollection of the past thirty-six hours, including the origin of the macabre object hidden in his belongings. With a relentless female assassin trailing them through Florence, he and his resourceful doctor, Sienna Brooks, are forced to flee. Embarking on a harrowing journey, they must unravel a series of codes, which are the work of a brilliant scientist whose obsession with the end of the world is matched only by his passion for one of the most influential masterpieces ever written, Dante Alighieri's The Inferno. Dan Brown has raised the bar yet again, combining classical Italian art, history, and literature with cutting-edge science in this sumptuously entertaining thriller.
(Bilbao, Spain Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symb...)
Bilbao, Spain Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend a major announcement—the unveiling of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever.” The evening’s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon’s first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence. As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch’s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch’s secret. Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain’s Royal Palace itself . . . and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch’s shocking discovery . . . and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us.
Dan Brown is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code and, previously, Digital Fortress, Deception Point, and Angels and Demons.
He formed his own record company called Dalliance, and in 1990 self-published a CD entitled Perspective, targeted to the adult market, which sold a few hundred copies.
Background
Dan Brown was born on June 22, 1964 in Exeter, New Hampshire, USA. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy, a decidedly up-market school where his father was employed as a math teacher. His mother, Constance, was a professional musician principally involved in performing sacred music.
He spent hours as a young boy working on anagrams and crosswords; his fascination with games and puzzles inspired the style and themes of his writing.
His first novel was Digital Fortress. In his next, Angels & Demons, Brown introduced "professor of symbology" Robert Langdon. Brown returned to Langdon with The Da Vinci Code which proved immensely popular and sold more than 80 million copies worldwide.
Education
Phillips Exeter Academy is an exclusive boarding school, which required new teachers to live on campus for several years, so Brown and his siblings were literally raised at the school. There was no television, and the social environment was mostly Christian. Brown sang in the church choir, attended Sunday school, and spent summers at church camp. As Brown was raised on a prep school campus, he developed a fascination with the paradoxical interplay between science and religion.
His father was a mathematics instructor in the same school.
Even though Dan Brown attended open-enrollment schools, till he entered 9th grade, he nevertheless lived with his family and also pro-actively took part in college related activities, which were also influenced greatly by Christian norms and traditions; such as singing carols in the Church and going to College Camp.
Educationally, Brown completed his formal education from Philips Exeter Academy after which he enrolled himself at the Amherst College.
Brown then attended Amherst College, graduating with a degree in English and Spanish in 1986 and spent several subsequent years attempting to establish himself as a singer-songwriter and pianist with only marginal success.
He was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity. During these years he played squash and also sang in the Amherst Glee Club.
In 1985, Brown went to Seville Spain, to do an art history course from the University of Seville.
Moving out from college, Brown took up music as his career option. He started creating effects with a synthesizer and also released a children’s cassette entitled SynthAnimals. The record included tracks like ‘Happy frogs’ and ‘Suzuki Elephants’. The cassette acclaimed decent success, selling about a few hundred copies.
The success of SynthAnimals lead Brown to form his own record company called Dalliance. In 1990, he came up with his self-published CD, ‘Perspective’. Unlike his previous release, his second album targeted the youth. It too sold a few hundred copies.
In 1991, Brown relocated to Hollywood to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter and pianist. However, since his musical career was not shaping up the way he assumed it would, for a steady income and some financial help, Dan took up the profession of teaching Spanish at Beverley Hills Preparatory School; in order to get a steady income. He also met his lady love, Blythe Newlon over there, who was actually twelve years his senior and served as the Artistic Director of the National Academy of Songwriters. With the development of their relationship, Newlon used the power of her position to promote Dan’s career. However, it so happened that despite Brown’s talent, four of his music CD’s were produced and backers started speaking of him as the next Barry Manilow.
Therefore during the year of 1993, he decided to return back to England and managed to get an English teaching job at Phillips Exeter Academy. Newlon also accompanied him.
In 1997, Dan Brown came out with his first thriller, Digital Fortress. He went on to write Angels and Demons and Deception Point. His masterpiece, The Da Vinci Code was published in March 2003 and sold nearly 6000 copies on its very first day and reached the New York Times’ Best Seller List in its very first week.
Like ‘Angels & Demons’ and ‘The Da Vinci Code’, Robert Langdon was the central character for Brown’s next novel, ‘The Lost Symbol’. Published in 2009, the book sold over one million in hardcover and e-book versions in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada, prompting the printing of 600,000 hardcover copies in addition to the five million first printing. EDIT
Released in 2013, ‘Inferno’ is the latest book from the camp of Dan Brown. Like its predecessors, the book also has Robert Langdon as the protagonist. ‘Inferno’ raced to the top spot at the book charts in the US and the UK, selling 580,000 copies in its first two weeks alone.
Novels:
Digital Fortress, 1998
Angels & Demons, 2000
Deception Point, 2001
The Da Vinci Code, 2003
The Lost Symbol, 2009
Inferno, 2013
CDs:
SynthAnimals, a children's album
Perspective, 1990, Dalliance. Music CD
Dan Brown, 1993, DBG Records
Angels & Demons, 1994, DBG Records
Musica Animalia, 2003, a children's CD comprising 15 tracks songs portraying animals in poem & song. Proceeds benefited for the Families First charity.
Humor writing:
187 Men to Avoid: A Survival Guide for the Romantically Frustrated Woman, 1995, Berkley Publishing Group (co-written with his wife under the pseudonym Danielle Brown).
The Bald Book, 1998, co-written with his wife Blythe Brown.
(The Da Vinci Code is a reading experience unlike any othe...)
2003
Religion
Brown was raised an Episcopalian, but now seems to be more of a Deist.
"I consider myself a student of many religions. The more I learn, the more questions I have. For me, the spiritual quest will be a life-long work in progress."
Politics
This guy is about as non-political as it gets, which is particularly confusing since his books often involve elaborate political/religious conspiracy theories.
Views
Brown's view of knowledge is absolutely foundational. He says, 'I wasn't really sure where to turn. Where science offered exciting proofs of its claims, where there were photos, equations and visible evidence, religion was a lot more demanding. I had to accept everything on faith. As I'm sure you're aware faith takes a fair amount of effort – especially as a young child; especially in an imperfect world. So as a boy I graduated towards the solid foundations of science.'
Dan Brown thinks that science is easy to trust and depend on (at least at first glance), and 'faith' or religious knowledge is much harder to accept and approach.
Quotations:
"Religion has only one true enemy--apathy--and passionate debate is a superb antidote".
"Two thousand years ago, we lived in a world of Gods and Goddesses. Today, we live in a world solely of Gods. Women in most cultures have been stripped of their spiritual power."
"There's a lot of stress... but once you get in the car, all that goes out the window."
"I learned early on not to listen to either critique - the people who love you or the people who don't like you."
"I've been through a lot. I've thought a lot about life, and I've spent a lot of time studying history and science."
"I write slowly. I actually write quickly, but I throw out so much material."
"It's not about what you tell the reader, it's about what you conceal."
"If I'm not at my desk by 4:00 a.m., I feel like I'm missing my most productive hours. In addition to starting early, I keep an antique hourglass on my desk and every hour break briefly to do push-ups, sit-ups, and some quick stretches. I find this helps keep the blood and ideas flowing."
Personality
Zodiac Sign - Cancer
Build - Average
Height - 5 ft 9 in or 175 cm
Weight - 68 kg or 150 lbs
Hair Color - Golden Brown
Eye Color - Blue
Quotes from others about the person
"His novels are like high-stakes, 500-page Mad Libs; a reader doesn’t have to worry that it will be a fun ride, just that the adverbs and proper nouns will line up in a way that honors the art form… "
When it comes to Dan Brown, Harrison fulfills his assignment to review his Inferno, but he clearly doesn’t much like the book, which he calls an “astonishingly bad novel.”
"The tall writer began to analyze the blockbusting novel using his close knowledge of conceptology, the famous discipline about thoughts. He saw instantly that the stout book was brilliantly engineered. Its vivid paragraphs were short. Its establishing shots were cinematic. It repeated adjectives and explanatory phrases from one paragraph to the next, perhaps to jog the dulled short-term memory of the tired long-haul flier. It made art and poetry seem glamorous, and mixed them with luxury tourism and scenic chases."
Interests
Anagrams and crossword puzzles
Writers
William Shakespeare, John Steinbeck and Robert Ludlum.
Artists
Leonardo da Vinci
Sport & Clubs
Squash, tennis, Singing & Songwriting
Music & Bands
singer Franco de Vita, The Gipsy Kings, Sarah Mclachlan, and Deva Premal.
Connections
Dan Brown and Blythe – they have no children – live on a large, guarded estate in his native New Hampshire.
Father:
Richard G. Brown
Richard G. Brown was a teacher of mathematics at Phillips Exeter Academy.
Richard G. Brown in his day had also been a 'best seller' having written the celebrated (in relevant circles) mathematics textbook Advanced Mathematics: Precalculus with Discrete Mathematics and Data Analysis. His abilities as a teacher of math had even led to his being awarded the "Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching" by President George H. W. Bush.
Mother:
Constance (Connie)
Constance was a professional musician principally involved in performing sacred music.
Wife:
Blythe Newlon
Blythe Brown was born in 1952. She wrote The Bald book. Her current occupation is writer. Blythe started helping Brown to promote his career using the power of her position.
Brother:
Gregory Brown
Dan Brown and his siblings donated $2.2 million to the Phillips Exeter Academy in 2004 establishing the "Richard G. Brown Technology Endowment", to help "provide computers and high-tech equipment for students in need" to honor their father, who had taught there for 35 years.
(In 2005 Phillips Exeter Academy had the largest endowment of any secondary school in the United States, with a market value of $706 million).
