Review: Origin
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3 stars. This was 2 stars until the final act, when the semi-interesting reveal startled me out of what was essentially a skim read. But oh man, Dan Brown, you are such a douche. A douche who knows how to write page turners, dammit. A douche who knows how to tap into themes that are relevant, powerful and worth exploring. A douche who writes surprisingly heart-pounding action sequences and makes history cool again.
A douche, nonetheless. I’d like to point out that Robert Langdon is a thinly veiled representation of who Dan Brown wants to be: a sort of aw-shucks superhero who uses his photographic memory to drop knowledge bombs, saves the world and woos attractive ladies - attractive, bland, formulaic ladies. It’s transparent, problematic and a little sad. Like Michael Scott writing a screenplay in which the hero is named Agent Michael Scarn.
And look, Dan Brown is not just a douche. He's also an incredibly un-self-aware writer. The cringe level here was so high I could barely turn the pages at times. He describes EVERYTHING and EVERYONE like a textbook ("Winston Churchill himself, the celebrated British statesman who, in addition to being a military hero, historian, orator, and Nobel Prize-winning author, was an artist of remarkable talent.") and just … generally subscribes to a “tell-don’t-show” approach.
And the cliffhangers. My eyes almost got stuck from rolling so much. It’s incredibly strange to read about a bunch of characters reacting dramatically to shit that isn’t revealed to the reader - even stranger when you see right through it and don’t care. Characters read something - and almost inevitably read it again, for dramatic effect - but we don’t get to know what they read until later. This happens often. It’s lazy.
And the revelations. "Blake was not only an artist and illustrator … Blake was a prolific poet." Well, yeah, everyone who knows poetry or reads or exists is aware that William Blake was prominently a poet. Was this supposed to be a satisfying display of Langdon’s unparalleled intellect? Why was this written like a giant thunderclap? Why was Robert Langdon literally the only person in a building full of humans to recognize an Uber sticker?
And the implausible fight scenes. Let me tell you something, if swimming laps really makes you able to do insane backwards swan dives that are also deadly for your would-be assassin, um, sign me up at the nearest pool. Let’s do it. And while we’re at it, I’d also like a 3D printed gun made out of rosary beads, because that sounds useful. Did anyone else notice that every car is identified and elaborated upon?
But look. I love the idea of exploring where we come from and where we are going. I’m always interested in a discussion about technology and the risks we face as we become more dependent. I can’t help but relate to Brown’s message re: the media, as well as the pseudo-generational conflict between tradition and modernism. I also really appreciated how Dan Brown respectfully demonstrated not only where science and religion clash - but where there is potential for collaboration and peace.
Robert Langdon is getting a little tired, folks. He’s seen a lot, after all. Let’s give him a well-deserved rest. Let’s give someone else a chance, someone who isn't so … obviously Dan Brown’s teenage fantasy. Let’s keep asking questions and tackling challenging topics but PLEASE, PLEASE. Let’s grow and change and improve and destroy the formula. We can do better.