#BookReview Origin by Dan Brown

 
In the most recent book in the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown, the author takes us on a new adventure whereby a scientist has an earth-shattering discovery. As the title suggests, this discovery is related to the origin of human beings, as well as their evolution.

Our beloved character Robert Langdon is back this year in a brand-new book, Origin, by Dan Brown. It’s been almost two decades since the first book in the series came out, and Brown comes back with a fresh new story that takes place in Spain this time.
If you’ve been following this series, you know that the books in the series don’t follow the same storylines. This time, we have the story of a technological breakthrough by a scientist, a breakthrough that will shatter the way things are done.
We find our main character, Langdon, invited to this exhibition, and a massive crowd of people wait for the reveal. Of course, right from that point, things go in different directions, and we have Langdon on the spot, somehow involved, and trying to solve the mystery.
This book is a huge improvement over its predecessor. It certainly is a page-turner and delves into interesting topics—even though they’re not the most original topics. This time, Brown tackles courageous themes of religion vs. science. And I must say, I was very happy with the way he handled these themes. Throughout his story, he showed us the gray area of both sides, and he resolves the issue with craft, I must say.
However, these positives did not make the whole book for me. Origin, unfortunately, is extremely predictable and overwritten. The problem with Brown’s writing is that it builds up plot elements for far too long, and when he finally reveals it, you are left extremely underwhelmed. Furthermore, complementing the overall themes of the book, I found that he was trying way too hard to be controversial in certain parts of the book. This, unfortunately, took away from the story.
If you’re a fan of the Robert Langdon series, you will enjoy this book. It is a fresh take on the previous books. However, it still doesn’t match up to the standards of Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code. The books are very formulaic in general, and you start to predict the different plot elements that are bound to unfold.