When "The Da Vinci Code" came out I found it to be a well crafted tale of science and religion battling a secret that if it came to light, the very foundation of all religions would be shaken until the tree was emptied of all its fruit. It was a convincing struggle that involved a partnership of a man and a woman thrown together to discover and alert the world to the final message left by a man recently murdered in a major European city. There search for the "Holy Grail" required them to travel to other locales and follow the clues left for them to decipher. The message they were looking for was hidden in an ancient cryptex which required a password to safely unlock it. Once opened, it would reveal the hidden information that could destroy the Catholic Church and all that it has stood for.
Please understand that (at that time) I felt that "The Da Vinci Code" was one of the most refreshing and interesting novels that I have ever read. It is a blockbuster of a novel that was made into a highly successful film that grossed about $224 million worldwide. HOWEVER, "Origin" follows almost the exact same formula using the same basic premise but involving a modern supercomputer instead of an ancient cryptex. If you buy and read "Origin" you will be reading essentially the same story with updated technology using Spain as the locale instead of France. As I realized that this book was just essentially a rework of the same formula used in "The Da Vinci Code", it become a bit tiring for me to finish.
Once again, an interesting and well written novel with characters moving around and through beautiful European locales. The struggles of science and religion continue with the whole world waiting for which discipline would win out. Don't be surprised if a sequel is waiting in the wings. The author left enough 'clues' to pave the way for some type of continuation of the story line. I feel like Dan Brown let me (and other loyal readers) down. Time to change formulas.
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