Angels and Demons, a novel by Dan Brown, orginally published in 2000 has been riding a second wave of success since the Da Vinci Code (also by Dan Brown) became so popular. Although these fiction novels are riveting, the reader can easily become so engrossed in the story that separating the facts from the fiction can be difficult.
Dan Burstein and Arne De Keijzer have managed to explore the history of the Catholic Church, the Illuminati, and various historical persons to separate the facts from the fiction. The authors have interviewed worldwide experts ranging from theologians, to scientists, to historians, to occultists to describe the actual historical and politcal contexts surrounding the embellished, fictionalized versions presented in the story. These explanations of the politcal and historical contexts give a fresh understanding to the codes of behavior governing the various factions involved in the story.
I found the question/answer/interview format easy to read and informative, and very amenable to reading in parts. Furthermore, while the arrangement of the book flows nicely from start to finish, it is written in such a way that you can skip around to different sections and explore the facts and topics and questions in any order that suits your curiousity. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring and critiquing the fiction novel with the information presented in Secrets of Angels and Demons. I absolutely recommend this book; however, you might want to read the novel first because Burstein and De Keijzer definately ’’give away’’ the secrets!