Book Review: Inferno by Dan Brown (Signed Edition)

It's been a year since i bought this signed copy of Dan Brown's latest novel Inferno. Bought from Barnes&Noble (trackback blog post here). I just finished the book last week. My reading progress for this book is not the usual 'read at one-sitting' because i became a very busy person due to my high-paid work. It reached a year before i finally finished the book.

Anyway, here, my book review starts for Inferno.

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Book Information:

Title: Inferno
Author: Dan Brown
Language: English
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Doubleday
Published Date: 2013
Edition: 1st, Signed Edition
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 480 pages
ISBN: 9780385538176

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I ordered two signed copies of Inferno from B&N. One copy has a minor wrinkle on its jacket (see below):

Front Cover of the Inferno novel written by Dan Brown

But all-in-all, the other copy itself is in good condition, generally. I didn't returned it to B&N for replacement because copies are very limited and they might not accommodate my request:

Back Cover of the Inferno novel written by Dan Brown

The binding of the book has a minor dents on top of its spine (see below):

Side Jacket of the Inferno novel written by Dan Brown

With all the noticeable condition (minor) of the book, It's still a rare piece because of the author's signature (see below):

Copy of the Inferno novel signed by the author Dan Brown

Because this is a rare book, I enveloped it with a plastic cover, meticulously crafted, a crafting technique that only I on Earth has mastered - a detachable plastic cover to preserved the cover jacket of the book (see below):

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The Inferno

Given the title of the book itself, obviously, the story has something to do with Dante Alighieri's The Inferno. Good thing, I read the divine comedy the Inferno wayback year 2011 so I'm comfortable reading it straight (check my book review of Dante Alighieri's The Inferno here).

Just a brief of what you can expect by reading this book. Spoiler Alert! You'll find our main character Robert Langdon lies on a deathbed. Upon waking up, he is pursued by people he doesn't know. He doesn't know why he's pursued and why he end up there in Florence. On the other hand, there's this Divine Comedy fanatic who want's to spread an unknown kind of a plague. World Health Organization (WHO) was even alerted because of this. This is only a brief summary of what you can expect to the novel. If you think the flow of the story is that simple, simple as what i summarized here, think not, you know how Dan Brown writes (if you've read his other novel), there's always a twist to the story that will make you more hook and thrilled.

Tragedy & Comedy, If You Don't Know Yet

If you're sleeping like me during the lecture of your English/Literature teacher back in your/our school days, you may realize that you missed the true meaning of Comedy & Tragedy to The Divine Comedy. I felt a kind of shame the time i learned in this book, that the 'Comedy' is not a funny portrayal or something an actor do to make you laugh while watching your favorite comedy show. The true meaning is, see quoted below:

"By modern standards, The Divine Comedy has nothing comedic about it. It's called a comedy for another reason entirely. In the fourteenth century, Italian literature was, by requirement, divided into two categories: tragedy, representing high literature, was written in formal Italian; comedy, representing low literature, was written in the vernacular and geared toward the general population." - (Robert Langdon, pg. 82)

Manila as Gates of Hell Controversy

Before i read the book, It became controversial to some of Filipinos who, I don't understand why they're being so reactive about the portrayal of one of the character in the novel about Manila - as 'Gates of Hell'. Even the Chairman of Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Atty. Francis Tolentino is against the book. Take note, he's titled Attorney.

My curiosity grows and upon finishing the book, I trackback the issue and realized how the brains of those people who was butthurt need an emergency remedial to school and learn to define the meaning of fiction in Literature class. They even need, I think, a review lesson in Psychology on how to manage their anger. Moreover, they also need to conduct a thesis about the population and do a field work in Manila, preferably women (and they must be ALONE when conducting their field survey).

The End Justifies The Means

"The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who in time of crisis remain neutral"

Does the Inferno quote above hit you?

You'd understand this part after you read the book. The question is - would you do what Bertrand Zobrist to mankind? Releasing a kind of plague to decrease the human population. Given the uncontrollable human population's growth, the population in the Philippines as a kind example, need to be lessened. If not, poverty will increase. Crimes will be rampant. Starvation. Devastation of human race.

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Reference:

• Dan Brown Calls Manila Gates of Hell - http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/05/21/13/dan-brown-calls-manila-gates-hell-novel
• The Science of Overpopulation by Hank Green - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD-yN2G5BY0
• Inferno by Dan Brown (web page) - http://www.danbrown.com/inferno/
• Net reacts to Dan Brown's 'gates of hell' - http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/29910-dan-brown
• Welcome to Manila, the gates of hell - http://newint.org/blog/majority/2013/05/30/manila-traffic-slums/
• In Dan Brown's Inferno, a rape in Manila, called 'gates of hell' - http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/309521/lifestyle/literature/in-dan-brown-s-inferno-a-rape-in-manila-called-gates-of-hell

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