Inferno by Dan Brown

Yes if course I read it.
 I even pre-ordered it. It arrived the Tuesday before I left on my European vacation. I took it with me and carted it all over England and Paris and I didn't crack it open once. Some vacations are not made for reading.

I picked it up after I got back and read the whole thing in about 3 days. It's a Dan Brown novel. Even if it isn't the best story it does have great pacing and action making it a page turner.

I liked this one, but it's still no Da Vinci Code. This one investigates Dante's Inferno and how a madman has hidden clues over the city relating to the book and his horrible plague he is planning on realeasing into the public. It did seem a little bit forced. If he really is a madman why would he advertise what he is going to do and make everyone run around on a treasure hunt? It just seemed a little far fetched. Other than that it was very educational. I learned a lot about Italy and about Dante and art. We expect that from a Dan Brown novel and this one didn't disappoint on the educational front. The chases and close calls were very Jerry Bruckheimer and redundant.

What I loved most about this story was the end when the plague is actually released. (Sorry for the spoiler) The place that was chosen was perfect and it really made me think and want to visit the real location. What really blew my mind was the type of plague that was released. I never would have guessed and then that is what stuck with me after I had read the book. The aftermath of the plague would be way more fascinating than this book was. It needs a 900 page book along the lines of The Stand or The Passage.

So if the criteria of a good book is one that makes you think, than this is a winner. It was worth the reading of all the boring chase scenes to get to the juicy science fiction stuff at the end.