Robert Langdon and Dan Brown have come a long way from the heights of ‘Angels & Demons’ and ‘The Da Vinci Code’. What’s unfortunate is that the duo no longer evokes the suspense and excitement in deciphering codes and symbols while being embroiled in a race-against-time thriller to save the world from impending doom. Origin, the latest in the series, reads like a shadow of a glorious past, being annoying at times and for the most part disappointing.

What made the tales of Dan Brown’s fictional professor of symbology at Harvard exciting was that he was thrust involuntarily into a situation where his expertise and knowledge of history, symbols and ciphers were put to task, simultaneously engaging and educating the reader. As Langdon fit the pieces of the puzzle together, so did we, and it was that process which captivated us. In Origin, there are very few symbols to speak of, and Langdon willingly engages in an adventure, both of which seem at odds with his character and feel shallow.

Origin has a similar plot template to the other books in the series - A “secret” which is capable of threatening the world religions' extinction is about to be revealed by a futurist scientist, and “forces” are trying their best to suppress this “truth” from coming out. Langdon and a good looking woman are in a race against time to help expose this truth to the world.

The “reveal”, for which the author makes us wait almost for the entirety of the book, falls flat and is what made it a frustrating read. The fact that he chose a different country, a different church and a different antagonist don’t cover for the abysmal climax nor the attempt to salvage it with an anti-climax.

Overall, I am disappointed at Origin’s banality. Having personally visited many of the places mentioned in the book, but still failing to connect with the story, its message or its characters, is an indication that unless Dan Brown goes back to the drawing board, it is time to retire the charming Robert Langdon.

Originally published here.