Angels & Demons is a bestselling mystery-thriller
novel written by American author Dan Brown and published by
Pocket Books in 2000. It revolves around the quest of fictional
Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon to uncover the
mysteries of a secret society called the Illuminati and to
unravel a plot to annihilate Vatican City using destructive
antimatter. The book uses the idea of a historical conflict
between science and religion, particularly that between the
Illuminati and the Roman Catholic Church.
Angels &
Demons by Dan Brown
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The novel introduces the character Robert Langdon, who is also
the protagonist of Brown's subsequent 2003 novel, The Da
Vinci Code. It also shares many stylistic elements with its
sequel, such as conspiracies of secret societies, a single-day
time frame, and the Catholic Church. Ancient history,
architecture, and symbolism are also heavily referenced
throughout the book. An eponymous film adaptation is due for
release on May 15, 2009.
Plot summary
The plot follows Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, as he
tries to stop what seems to be the Illuminati, a legendary
secret society, from destroying Vatican City] with the
newly-discovered power of antimatter.
CERN director Maximilian Kohler discovers one of the
facility's most respected physicists, Leonardo Vetra, murdered
in his own secured, private quarter at the facility. His chest
is branded with a symbol—the ambigramatic "Illuminati"—and his
eye is dislodged. Instead of calling the police, Kohler
researches the topic on the Internet and finally gains contact
with Langdon, an expert on the Illuminati. Kohler requests his
assistance in uncovering the murderer.
What Langdon finds at the murder scene frightens him: the
symbol appears to be authentic, and the legendary secret
society, long thought to be defunct, seems to have resurfaced.
Kohler calls Vetra's adopted daughter Vittoria to the scene, and
it is later revealed that the Illuminati has also stolen a
canister containing a quarter of a gram of antimatter—an
extremely dangerous substance with destructive potential
comparable to a small nuclear weapon, a potential unleashed upon
contact with any form of normal matter. When charged with
electricity at CERN, the canister's magnetic field controls the
drop of antimatter to float suspended in a high vacuum, ensuring
safety; but when it was taken away from its electricity supply,
it automatically switched to its back-up battery, which will
only power it for 24 hours. The horrible truth is that the
Illuminati has put the stolen canister somewhere in Vatican
City, with a security camera in front of it as its digital clock
counts down to the explosion.
Langdon and Vittoria make their way to Vatican City, where
the pope has recently died, and the papal conclave has convened
to elect the new pontiff. Cardinal Mortati, host of the
election, discovers that the four Preferiti, cardinals who are
considered to be the most likely candidates in the election, are
missing. After they arrive, Langdon and Vittoria begin searching
for the Preferiti in hopes that they will also find the
antimatter canister in the process. Their search is assisted by
Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca (the late pope's closest aide) and
the Vatican's Swiss Guard, including Commander Olivetti, Captain
Rocher, and Lieutenant Chartrand.
Convinced that the Illuminati are in some way responsible for
the disappearance of the Preferiti, Langdon attempts to retrace
the steps of the so-called "Path of Illumination", an ancient
and elaborate process once used by the Illuminati as a means of
induction of new members; prospective candidates for the order
were required to follow a series of subtle clues left in various
landmarks in and around Rome. If the candidate followed the
clues properly, he would be able to locate the secret meeting
place of the Illuminati and be granted membership in the order.
Using his extensive knowledge of religious and occult history,
Langdon sets off on the Path of Illumination in hopes of
uncovering clues as to the disappearance of the Preferiti and
the location of the antimatter canister.
The Path leads Langdon to four major locations in Rome
(Vatican City is within the city of Rome), each associated with
what the Illuminati believed to be the four primordial elements
of all things in existence: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Upon
arriving at each location, Langdon finds one of the Preferiti
murdered in a fashion appropriate to the location's respective
element: The first cardinal was buried and had soil lodged in
his throat (Earth); the second's lungs were pierced (Air); the
third was engulfed in flames and burned alive (Fire); and the
fourth was drowned in a large fountain (Water).
After finding the bodies of the first two Preferiti (Earth
and Air), Langdon hurries to the Santa Maria della Vittoria
Basilica and finds the Preferiti's abductor in the act of
setting the cardinal on fire. The kidnapper, who is also
responsible for Leonardo Vetra's murder and the theft of the
antimatter canister, is an unnamed Hassassin who is working
under the orders of the Illuminati master "Janus", whose true
identity is unknown. Commander Olivetti dies and Langdon is
nearly killed himself in this encounter with the Hassassin, who
manages to kidnap Vittoria. Langdon manages to escape and meets
the Hassassin yet again at the final element's landmark (Water),
but is unable to save the fourth cardinal.
Langdon nevertheless attempts to complete the Path of
Illumination in order to find the Hassassin and rescue Vittoria.
His search leads him to an abandoned castle-like structure with
an underground tunnel leading directly into the pope's chambers
in the Vatican. Langdon frees Vittoria, and together they send
the Hassassin falling several hundred feet to his death. The two
hurry back to St. Peter's Basilica, where they find that Kohler
has arrived to confront the camerlengo in private. Langdon and
Vittoria fear that Kohler is Janus, and that he has come to
murder the camerlengo as the final step in his plot against the
Church. Hearing the camerlengo scream in agony, the Swiss Guards
burst into the room and open fire on Kohler. Just before he
dies, Kohler gives Langdon a videotape that he claims will
explain everything.
With time on the canister running out, the Swiss Guard begins
to evacuate the Basilica. As he is exiting the church, the
camerlengo apparently goes into a trance and rushes back into
the Basilica, claiming that he has received a vision from God
revealing the location of the antimatter canister. With Langdon
and a few others in pursuit, the camerlengo ventures deep into
the catacombs beneath the Basilica and finds the canister
sitting atop the tomb of Saint Peter. Langdon and the camerlengo
retrieve the antimatter and get in a helicopter with only five
minutes to spare. The camerlengo manages to parachute safely
onto the roof of St. Peter's just as the canister explodes
harmlessly in the sky. Langdon's fate is not immediately known,
as there was not a second parachute on board the helicopter. The
crowd in St. Peter's Square look in awe as the camerlengo stands
triumphantly before them. Because of this "miracle", the papal
conclave debate whether exception should be made to elect the
camerlengo as the new Pope. Robert Langdon survived the
explosion by using a window cover from the chopper as a
parachute and landed in the Tiber River near Tiber Island, which
is famous for its reputation as an island blessed with miracles
of healing. He is hurt, but not seriously.
Langdon returns to St. Peter's and views Kohler's tape with
the College of Cardinals. Langdon, Vittoria, and the cardinals
confront the camerlengo in the Sistine Chapel, where the truth
is finally revealed. Shortly before the events of the novel, the
pope was scheduled to meet with Leonardo Vetra concerning his
research at CERN. Vetra, a devout Catholic, believed that
science was capable of establishing a link between Man and God,
a belief that was manifested by his research on antimatter.
Vetra's beliefs caused great discomfort to the camerlengo, who
firmly believed that the Church alone, not science, should
dictate the moral creed of the Christian faithful. While
discussing Vetra, the pope reveals that his support is due to
science having created him a miracle: a son conceived by
artificial insemination. Horrified that the pope has fathered a
child, the camerlengo plots to "rectify" the situation. He
poisoned the pope and, under the guise of an Illuminati master
(Janus), he recruited the Hassassin, a killer fueled by the same
zeal and animus towards the Church as his ancestors during the
Crusades, to kill Vetra, steal the antimatter, and kidnap and
murder the Preferiti just as the papal conclave was set to
convene. The camerlengo planted the antimatter in St. Peter's
and feigned his last-minute "vision" from God in order to be
seen as a hero and the savior of Christendom by those who
witnessed his brave acts. The Illuminati thus had no actual role
in any of the novel's events, and its "involvement" was merely a
plot engineered by the camerlengo to cover his own plans. As
Langdon suspected from the very beginning, the Order of the
Illuminati was indeed long extinct.
As one final twist, it is revealed that Camerlengo Ventresca
was the birth son of the late pope, conceived through artificial
insemination. Suddenly overcome with grief and guilt at having
caused so much death, especially that of his own father,
Ventresca soaks himself in oil and immolates himself before a
crowd of onlookers in St. Peter's Square. The conclave elects
Cardinal Mortati as the new pope. In an ironic twist, through a
quibble, a loophole in the papal election process known as
election by acclamation, two popes were chosen: Ventresca by all
the cardinals cheering his name before he lights himself on
fire, and Mortati through normal means.
Langdon and Vittoria retire to the Hotel Bernini. Lieutenant
Chartrand delivers a letter and package to Langdon from the new
pope. The package is the "Illuminati Diamond" brand, which is
loaned indefinitely to Langdon.
Characters
- Robert Langdon - A professor of symbology at
Harvard University and the main protagonist of the novel. He
is flown to CERN to help investigate the murder of Leonardo
Vetra. He is described as wearing a pair of chinos pants,
turtleneck, and tweed jacket. His name is a tribute to John
Langdon.
- Leonardo Vetra - A scientist working at CERN and
a priest. He is researching on antimatter when he is
murdered by the Hassassin. He is also the adoptive father of
Vittoria.
- Vittoria Vetra - The adopted daughter of Vetra.
She, like her father, works with CERN. Her research focuses
on biology and physics. The reader learns early in the novel
that Vittoria worked with her father in their research of
antimatter.
- Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca - The Camerlengo
(Papal Chamberlain) during the conclave. He murdered the
pope, who is later revealed to have been his father. He is
also Janus in the novel, named after the Roman god of
beginnings and ends, in dealing with the Hassassin.
- Cardinal Saverio Mortati - The most senior
cardinal in the conclave, and the current Dean of the
College of Cardinals. He was the Devil's Advocate for the
late pope.
- Commander Olivetti - The commandant of the Swiss
Guard. He is initially skeptical on the claims of Langdon
and Vittoria until he talks with the Hassassin. He, along
with other Swiss Guards, search desperately for the missing
antimatter hidden somewhere at the Vatican. He is killed by
the Hassassin at the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria.
- Captain Rocher - The second in command after
Commander Olivetti. He is contacted by Max Kohler telling
his knowledge on the real cause of the events. He is killed
by Lt. Chartrand, who was under the impression that Rocher
was an Illuminatus.
- Hassassin - The killer hired by Janus, the
Camerlengo in disguise, to fulfill his plans. He is of
Middle Eastern origin and displays his sadistic lust for
women throughout the novel. He murders Leonardo Vetra, the
Preferiti, and Commander Olivetti. He dies after
being pushed from a balcony by Langdon at the Castel
Sant'Angelo and breaking his back on a pile of cannonballs
below.
- Maximilian Kohler - The director of CERN. He is
feared at CERN despite his paralysis. His wheelchair
contains electronic gadgets such as a computer, telephone,
pager, video camera, and a gun. He contacts Langdon to help
him find the killer of his friend, Leonardo Vetra. He thinks
religion prevents him from leading the life he could and he
becomes a scientist as a rebellion to religion.
- Gunther Glick and Chinita Macri - A reporter and
camera crew for the BBC. They are contacted by the Hassassin
regarding the events happening in the Vatican. Glick has a
notorious reputation as a sensationalist and conspiracy
theorist journalist. Macri, meanwhile, is a veteran camera
crew and a foil to Glick. They have the first-hand account
on the events in the novel, from the beginning of the
conclave to the election of Mortati as pope.
- Lieutenant Chartrand - A young Swiss Guard. He,
together with Commander Olivetti and Cptn. Rocher, search
desperately for the antimatter hidden somewhere in the
Vatican. He shoots and kills Captain Rocher after he is
mistaken as an Illuminatus. In the end of the novel,
he is sent by the new pope to give the Illuminati Diamond as
an indefinite loan to Langdon.
- Cardinal Ebner - One of the four Preferiti and a
cardinal from Frankfurt, Germany. He is killed by
asphyxation, by means of putting dirt and soil into his
mouth.
- Cardinal Lamassé - One of the four Preferiti and
a cardinal from Paris, France. He is killed by puncturing
his lungs.
- Cardinal Guidera - One of the four Preferiti and
a cardinal from Barcelona, Spain. He is hanged and
incinerated.
- Cardinal Baggia - One of the four Preferiti and a
cardinal from Milan, Italy and the favorite to succeed as
the new pope. He was drowned.
- Sylvie Baudeloque - Secretary to Maximillian Kohler.
Inaccuracy
The book's first edition contained numerous errors of
location of places in Rome, as well as incorrect uses of Italian
language. Some of the language issues were corrected in the
following editions.[1]
Aside from the explicit introduction, the book depicts
various fictional experts explaining matters in science,
technology, and history in which critics have pointed out
errors. An example of this is the antimatter discussions,
wherein the book suggests that antimatter can be produced in
useful and practical quantities and will be a limitless source
of power. CERN has refuted this, noting that antimatter cannot
be used as an energy source because it is artificial, and
creating it takes more energy than it produces.[2]
Another mistake made in the book is the claim that CERN is
the organization that invented the Internet. In fact, Tim
Berners-Lee and a small team at CERN invented the hypertext
transport protocol, which led to the World Wide Web, not the
Internet, which was engineered in the United States by DARPA.[2]
Fact and fiction behind the book
For more information on these elements of the book, refer to
the following articles:
- Illuminati, a secret brotherhood at the heart of the
book's plot
- Lockheed Martin X-33, an aircraft described early in the
book
- CERN, a research laboratory
- Freemasonry, a fraternal organization into which the
Illuminati supposedly merged
- Great Seal of the United States, the symbol included on
the U.S. one-dollar bill, discussed in chapter 31 of the
book.
Altars of Science
The book fictionalizes a story about the Altars of Science
in Rome, consisting of four locations, each representing the
four elements—earth, air, fire and water, which are believed to
be the "Path of Illumination", a trail to the meeting place of
the Illuminati in Rome.
According to the book, the "altars" were hidden as religious
artwork in order to avoid the wrath of the Vatican and secure
the secrecy of the Illuminati. The artworks that make up the
Four Altars were all sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Although the book is not clear where exactly the meeting
place was, it is stated to be within the famed Castel
Sant'Angelo.
The book lists the artworks as:
- Earth — Habakkuk and the Angel in Chigi Chapel of
Santa Maria del Popolo
- Air — West Ponente at Saint Peter's Square
- Fire — The Ecstasy of St Teresa sculpture at the
church of Santa Maria della Vittoria
- Water — The famous Fountain of Four Rivers at
Piazza Navona
Ambigrams
The book contains several ambigrams created by real-life
typographer John Langdon.[3]
Besides the Angels And Demons and Illuminati
designs, the title of the book is also presented as an ambigram
on the hardcover book jacket, and on the inside cover of the
paperback versions. The book also contains ambigrams of the
words Earth, Air, Fire, and Water,
which has served to bring the art of ambigrams to public
attention by virtue of the popularity of the book.[4]
The "Illuminati Diamond" mentioned in the book is an ambigram of
the four elements arranged in the shape of a diamond.
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