Origins – Dan Brown

The book I have chosen to share with is Origins by Dan Brown. It is a mystery thriller novel, set out in Spain. Dan Brown is an American author who has written many Best Selling Books, including The De Vinci Code. He follows the theme of Science vs Religion, where scientific discoveries challenge the religious faiths.

The story’s main lead is Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor on symbology and religious iconology (he has been the lead character in almost all of the Brown’s Books). He comes to Spain to attend an event arranged by his friend Edmond Kirsch, a multibillionaire Scientist and an Atheist. Edmond has arranged the event to announce his scientific discovery he has made to answer the two fundamental questions surrounding the human beings i.e.

1. Where do we come from?
2. Where are we going?

However, before Edmond can reveal his discovery, he was shot dead. The event turns into a Chaos, and it appeared that the discovery was lost forever. However, Robert manages to escape that event and run away with the event director Ambra Vidal. They aim to release the discovery or the presentation that Edmond was supposed to show in the event. The whole story revolves around their travel from Bilbao to Barcelona in search of the password that will unlock Edmond’s presentation.

I do not want to spoil the mystery of whether they could release the presentation or not and the answers to the two questions raised—further, who was behind Edmond’s death and did not want to release his discovery.

What inspired or fascinated me to read this book is the author’s philosophical idea to answer the two most relevant questions surrounding humanity. Further, if you love to travel, you would love to read this book because all the architecture, locations and religious places in the novel are real and the author has a habit of describing them in detail.