Origin

Dan Brown is one of the few authors I read anytime he comes out with new work. The Robert Langdon series is one of my favorites. I love stories which involve deciphering symbols to solve something.

Of course I was really excited when I heard about Origin. I loved Inferno. I never read Dante, but I loved the twists and unraveling of tangled clues within the symbols. It's probably my favorite in the series.

Followed closely by Origin but for entirely different reasons.

In terms of plot, pacing, symbolism, character development and sleuthing, I feel Origin is the weakest of the five. Particularly the pacing...I have never wanted to skip to the end so badly as I did with this book. There is a TON of build up in the chapters; many times it felt like a lot of the storytelling was circling the same concept dressed in different words. I've even caught myself skipping some paragraphs just to get to the next part.

The identity of the culprit is also pretty obvious early on. It seems, though I could be wrong since I've never kept track with the other books, like there are less clues to decipher. Maybe because unlike the other books, the clues aren't born from an antagonist using symbols to carry out his mission. If anything, it felt like it resembles closer to real life with the lack of information to decode a personal password. And while Origin is probably the most realistic of the series, for once that is not something I really look for in this kind of story.

And yet the philosophy and perspectives presented are the realism I enjoy and wanted to see. The thriller aspect should be as exciting and outlandish as can be. I revel in the perpetrator coming up with elaborate plots with exotic symbolism; it's what I've come to love about Langdon's "adventures." But the theme always seems to strike at the heart of humanity and its issues. Origin is no exception.

"Nature ― in an effort to promote disorder ― creates little pockets of order."

I love lines like these that succinctly illustrate complex ideas. Granted it comes from a scientist (in the story) explaining his theory, but this line sums up all his analyses well.

"Memento mori... Remember death. Even for those who wield great power, life is brief. There is only one way to triumph over death, and that is by making our lives masterpieces."

I hadn't realized until the very moment of putting these quotes in the post, but it seems fitting that the two of the three quotes I jotted down from the book that struck me the most each come from opposing sides. Memento mori is a phrase that intrigues me a lot if you couldn't tell from my profile picture. I like seeing the various interpretations and/or expressions of what "to remember death" means to others. While I've heard this interpretation in different forms before, I really like how the words express wisdom, strength and conviction, especially in this context ― a parent passing words to live by to his child.

And those little things about the book for all its shortcomings are what appeals to my nature. I may have liked this story the least of the five, but it's also the one I find the most relatable.

Of course there only one way to close this.

"Nothing is invented, for it's written in nature first. Originality consists of returning to the origin."

― Antoni Gaudí