A book that has inspired both unquestioning devotees and irritated opponents, The Da Vinci Code has made author Dan Brown a literary celebrity. However, despite Code’s popularity, its predecessor Angels And Demons has had a vastly lower number of readers. While it also sparks controversy, it does so in a less direct way by banking on fictional events rather than supposed facts (as he does in The Da Vinci Code).

The introductory story of protagonist Robert Langdon, Angels And Demons follows his exploits as he is called in to European science facility CERN to investigate a murder. A professor of symbology at Harvard University, he is called in because the corpse is branded with an ancient symbol used by a supposedly extinct cult called the Illuminati. Shunned by the Catholic Church centuries ago, the science-devoted Illuminati have resurfaced to enact their revenge against the Church. As Langdon and the daughter of the dead man explore Rome, they discover that the four favorite cardinals for papal election have been kidnapped by the Illuminati and that they plan to kill one cardinal every hour, starting at 8 PM, and act that will cultivate at midnight by the detonation of an anti-matter bomb placed under Vatican City. Ironically, the bomb had been stolen from the labs at CERN. As time runs out, Langdon and his partner race across Rome in an effort to capture the Illuminati assassin and halt the destruction of the Catholic Church in a story fraught with action, adventure, betrayal, suspense, love, murder, and surprises.

The movie equivalent of Angels and Demons will be released in May, with Tom Hanks reprising his role as Robert Langdon. Directed by Ron Howard, it is a crime thriller that follows the same plot as the book in the efforts to stop the terrorist attack. Hopefully better than the previous movie of The Da Vinci Code, Angels And Demons should draw in large crowds opening weekend and is predicted to be a box office leader. However, in my personal opinion, I would read the book first. It is an exciting and thrilling read with surprises and action behind every corner. If you see the movie first, please don’t judge the book by it; the movie may be great but I would definitely read the book no matter what.