Name: Origin
Rating: 4.10 (10 reviews)

4.5 ★ Audiobook⎮ Dan Brown is easily one of my top five favorite authors. His novels are consistently entertaining. Before beginning Origin, I was concerned that it wouldn’t be as enjoyable as his other novels. What if the magic was gone? What up my preferences had changed since hearing Inferno three years ago? Ten minutes into Origin, I knew I had nothing to worry about.

Origin’s premise was quite different from Brown’s previous work, which focuses on history and the past. In contrast, Origin shifts much of the focus to the future of humanity. Despite this difference, the overall tone of the book was the same. It was thrilling, adventurous, and majorly thought-provoking.

As Aristotle is credited with saying, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” This quote comes to mind every time I begin a new Dan Brown novel. Brown has an excellent way of making you question what you think you know. The thing being questioned is generally something regarded as being “untouchable”. In this case, it was theology and religion.

This is probably a good point to interject that those who consider themselves deeply religious should probably steer clear of Dan Brown and Origin. However, if you are able to entertain a thought without accepting it, Origin will push you to new limits.

Each time I finish a Dan Brown novel, I feel as though my eyes have been opened a little wider, simply by having entertained a new [and mindblowing] thought. The thoughts Brown presents are ones I’ll be entertaining for weeks to come. And my favorite thing about his work is the way in which he presents these ideas. In Origin, Brown discusses profoundly huge concepts, having to do with the beginning of the universe, and yet I’m able to understand them without holding a single physics degree. Out of everything Brown has ever thrown at me, I’m most amazed by his ability to communicate these things in such a completely unassuming manner.

Because of this, I was able to follow along beside Robert Langdon every step of the way. Hearing this audiobook was like watching an action packed film. In classic Robert Langdon style, the adventure was so full of suspense that I was practically biting my nails in anticipation of the next line. Langdon is an Indiana Jones-esque hero and I can’t get enough of him.

As far as ranking this Robert Langdon story in with the others, Origin is my fourth favorite installment in the series. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Angels and Demons, The da Vinci Code, or Inferno, but much more than The Lost Symbol. The futuristic focus of Origin was intriguing, but also rather frightening in an existential sort of way.

I recommend this to fans of the Robert Langdon series and those who enjoy his standalone novel Digital Fortress. As with each installment in the series, the Robert Langdon novels can be read alone or out of order. However, I still recommend starting with Angels and Demons, simply because I think it’s the best in the series.

Narration Review: This was my second audiobook from Narrator Paul Michael. I previously heard him narrate Inferno, which was one of my first audiobooks. It seems like Dan Brown has made it to Stephen King’s level regarding the quality of his narrators. Paul Michael is a fantastic performer. He performs the material. He doesn’t just read it. And his characterization skills are phenomenal. There were only a couple of women featured in this story, but Michael performed them with ease. He also mastered the heavily featured Spanish accent and even managed to play a convincing AI. Paul Michael’s storytelling ability kept me captivated as Dan Brown’s story played out seemingly in front of me. ♣︎

I swear Dan Brown is my soul mate. I want the worlds that he describes in his books. That may be concerning to other people. The last few books have been dark and I love it that way.

I actually find his books to be frustrating to read the first time. I just want to know what the point is. I don't have time for people beating around the bush. Hint - If you are talking to Robert Langdon just tell him what you have to say. If you hint and hem and haw and say that you'll tell him the important point at a later time, you aren't making it through the book.

If you haven't read the book yet, I'll just say that I appreciated the way this book played with the formulas of his previous books. If you have read it, I have a lot more to say. Come join the discussion at http://www.spiritblog.net/originThis review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

Martha G

Written on Feb 9, 2019

I enjoy Dan Brown books. They are just interesting and give food for thought. I don't think it's trying to be a great work of art and that's how I see them- as a fun read, an opportunity to escape and enjoy the journey. I found this book to be very interesting. I like trying to figure out who did what and what the overall message is. It took me a little bit longer to get into it but once I was in, I was hooked.

Ashley

Written on Jan 10, 2018

I loved this!

Sure, it was kind of predictable, but still a hugely entertaining read. Even though I strongly suspected the outcome, I still really enjoyed getting to that point and watching everything unfold. Plus, I love how Dan Brown's books really make you think. Some of the ideas feel like a bit of a stretch (like one scientist making a computer model/simulation and then announcing the results basically as fact?) but they're still very thought provoking and that's what I like about Dan Brown's books.

Origin (Robert Langdon, #5)

by Dan Brown

Paul Michael (Narrator)

Origin (Robert Langdon, #5)

by Dan Brown

Paul Michael (Narrator)

Reviews

Martha G

Ashley

jesstheaudiobookworm

Heather

cornerfolds