[Book Review] Angels & Demons

Angels & Demons
by Dan Brown

Though I’m neither a serious Hard Sci-Fi fan nor a physicist, my interest and knowledge in it is well enough that Antimatter is no news to me, so this part of ‘enlightenment’ failed. In fact, how it is been used in this story is too Hollywood that I almost stop reading it when I realize it.

However, during the 5 days bumpy ride home in the Southern China Sea, I got nothing else to do but this book. As I continue, despite the typical “Hi-tech used by wrong hands” part, I find it interesting. Especially the endless conflict between science and religion.

I won’t go through my history of transition in believes here, it is a long story starting from 1990. At present, if described in a single word, I’m an “Agnostic”. Not one of any religions provided an answer satisfy me, which I thought that there actually is never going to be an “Answer” for the “Ultimate Question”, so leave it as it were. It’s not just simply disbelieved, but always in doubt. However, I did say this once in a conversation with friends, “If there is any religion I believe in, it’s called SCIENCE”. Imagine the chills I have when I read THAT in the book!

Generally speaking, my believe is more like the Vetra’s, that there are multiple paths leading to one TRUTH. That, and the path(s) taken, could have different names according to your believe. With in all, science is the only method that will provide solid proof. I also believe that the path of science is still at the very beginning, still a lot of questions to solve that by solving some, more questions and problems arise.

About the ambigrams in this book, I felt the same way my sister had at first. As the story goes on, the moment the “Diamond” revealed, I had another thought. When I checked back again on the title page, it is clear enough. Dan Brown is surely a genius, not as to find out the authentic ambigrams, but to make any words into ambigrams.