One of the reason there are so few works of fiction reviewed in this journal is that popular fiction is so predictable. It is comfortable entertainment. It is a safe bet to make that the majority of people who read fiction do so for ambiance rather than the story. It is here, in bringing to life foreign places and ideas, that Dan Brown stands out. In ANGELES AND DEMONS, he brings to life Vatican City, the seemingly cloistered world of sub-atomic research, and the arcane Illuminati, which was a secret society in Bavaria in the late 18th century. The fact that he does so in a story line that is both science fiction and conjectural history makes it all very entertaining. However, one can't help but to ponder whether most of those reading Brown's two most popular novels are aware of what an assault they constitute against "western thought".
Brown's premise seems to be that there are two conflicting currents running through the Western culture. First, that of the religious paradigm embodied in the Catholic (and Christian) Church. The second force is the legacy of Plato–the rational, what-you-see-is-all-there-is world of science. Unlike the dour rebels of eras past (as in Karl Marx's "religion is to opium of the masses"), Brown is pushing the middle ground. While science is making tremendous strides in recognizing its lilliputian place in the world, religions–as in world religions-- are running in place with the sky constantly falling. In ANGELES AND DEMONS, Brown gets the idea across very nicely, even having one of the main characters die for the cause. Neither science nor religion are evil. Both however are stuck in a world view no longer applicable in a situation where humankind's ignorance of the world is matched only by ignorance of self.
Aside from these weighty issues, the story is highly entertaining.