Angels & Demons

Angels & Demons is a bestselling mystery novel by American author Dan Brown. The novel revolves around the quest of fictional Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon to unravel the mysteries of a secret society called the Illuminati, and preclude a plot from annihilating the Vatican City using the destructive antimatter. The story recounts the conflict between science and religion that brought the establishment of the Illuminati, and, after centuries of non-existence, the group have thought to have resurfaced for retribution against the Roman Catholic Church.

Published in 2000, it introduces the character Robert Langdon, who is also the principal character of Brown's subsequent, better known novel The Da Vinci Code. It also shares many stylistic elements with the latter, such as conspiracies of secret societies, a single-day time frame, and the Roman Catholic Church. Ancient history, architecture, and symbolism are heavily referenced throughout the novel. A film adaptation of the same name 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 the 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 deadly substance with destructive potential comparable to the most powerful nuclear weapons in existence, 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 in a pure 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 Il 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 current Il 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 the Vatican City. 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.

Bernini's Habbakuk and the Angel and Agostino Chigi's pyramidal wall tomb

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 their 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)).

West Ponente at Saint Peter's Square

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 the 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.

Ecstasy of St Teresa

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.

The Fountain of Four Rivers

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 tucked away in a small box. Langdon and the camerlengo retrieve the antimatter and get in a helicopter with only 5 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. Ironically, 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 Leonard 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 and the main antagonist in the novel. He was responsible for the murder of the pope, who was in fact his biological father. He is also Janus in the novel, named after the Roman god of time, 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 and knows the pope's secret. He is elected as the new pope (albeit no regnal name) later in the novel.
• 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, because he thinking 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 respected and feared at CERN despite his paralysis. His wheelchair contain 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 also blames religion as the reason for his disability and devotes his life to science. He is killed by the Swiss Guard thinking he branded the camerlengo, while in fact, Kohler was confronting the camerlengo as the mastermind of the murder of his friend.
• 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 putting dirt and soil in to his mouth, thus suffocating him. His body is found inside the crypt of the Chigi Chapel of Santa Maria del Popolo with a brand "Earth" seared in his chest.
• Cardinal Lamassé - One of the four Preferiti and a cardinal from Paris, France. He is killed by puncturing his lungs and is found dying at the West Ponente at Saint Peter's Square with a brand "Air" seared in his chest.
• Cardinal Guidera - One of the four Preferiti and a cardinal from Barcelona, Spain. He is hanged and burned alive inside the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria with a brand "Fire" seared in his chest.
• 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 in the Fountain of Four Rivers, branded with the word "Water" in his chest.

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, Background on 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 listeds 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

Main article: Ambigram

The book contains several ambigrams created by John Langdon.^[1] Besides "Angels And Demons & The Illuminati", the title of the book is also presented as an ambigram on the hardcover book jacket, and also on the inside cover of the paperback versions. The words 'Fire', 'Water', 'Earth' and 'Air' all appear in the book as ambigrams as well, and the 'Illuminati Diamond' mentioned in the book is also an ambigram- the four elements arranged in the shape of a square.

Inaccuracy

The book's first edition contained notably 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.^[2] Angels and Demons caused some irritation due to the author's device of publishing a claim of the factual content of the book, backed up by acknowledgments of thanks to bodies such as CERN and references on the author's web site apparently confirming these statements. Although implausible plot devices are a common feature of adventure stories, the concern lies in how much detail the author was seeking to suggest was true, and, more importantly, how the more naive reader might be misled. For example, the existence of the Illuminati is not disputed as historical fact, but the plot of the book suggests that many famous figures throughout history were part of it, some of whom predate the organization.

Aside from the explicit introduction, the style of the book is that various fictional experts will expound on factual issues. This literary device suggests to the reader that what is being told is intended to be factual. An example of the confusion here are the anti-matter discussions, where the book suggests that anti-matter can be produced in useful and practical quantities and will be a limitless source of power - CERN themselves refute this and note on their web site, on the page answering questions about this book:^[3] "I was hoping antimatter would be the future answer to our energy needs... No, the true answer is that it will never happen simply because of the entropy problem... It is not a matter of 'more research' or 'more advanced technology' to find ways around these limitations." Antimatter requires a great deal more energy to create than can be extracted from it.^[4]

There are several errors in the procedures of the Catholic Church. For instance, the Camerlengo, the Papal Chamberlain is in reality a Cardinal and not a priest. Secondly the book makes reference to John Paul II's Universi Dominici Gregis as the rules governing the conclave in the book. If this was indeed the case then the Camerlengo would not have been elected by the cardinals as the method of election by acclamation was abolished by Universi Dominici Gregis. Also, the book suggests that the Papal Conclave is overseen by a Cardinal called the Great Elector, however, in reality the process is managed by the Dean of the College of Cardinals.The term only was inaccurate, for Cardinal Mortati, the "Great Elector" in the novel, was also the current Dean.

Also in the novel, the voting took three ballots in a single night where in fact, one ballot may be held during the afternoon. In a real conclave, if a ballot takes place on the afternoon of the first day and no-one is elected, or no ballot had taken place, four ballots are held on each successive day: two in each morning and two in each afternoon. Another error is that the cardinals are dressed in their black simar and scarlet fascia but during a real conclave, the cardinals are in choir dress. (Note: in the movie, In the Shoes of a Fisherman, the cardinals are in their simars during a break but this cannot be verified.)

Also, this book mentions one Cardinal Ebner from Frankfurt. In truth, there is no cardinal from Frankfurt as there is no Archbishop of Frankfurt. There are only four cardinals from Germany: from Mainz, Cologne, Munich, and Berlin.

Another error in the novel is when the Camerlengo mentioned that the Tomb of St. Peter is where the palliums are kept and to be given to a new cardinal. While this is true, the palliums are only given to metropolitan archbishops before exercising his office in his ecclesiastical province. A cardinal can only receive a pallium if he is also a metropolitan archbishop.

The X-33 aircraft described early in the book, is actually an unmanned aircraft, and the project to develop it further was canceled by NASA.

One possible historical error is that of the Assassin remembering how the Crusaders had destroyed the "Temples" of the "gods" of his people. In reality, the Assassins came from a Muslim background, and therefore had only one God, Allah, who is worshipped in Mosques, which are not temples but prayer-houses.

In one scene, the pilot of the special plane tells Langdon that at 60,000 ft altitude he is 30% lighter (presumably in level flight, where it is not true) and this caused him to have "altitude sickness", whereas the term usually refers to problems due to low pressure at altitude.

Gunther Glick and Chinita Macri, reporters from BBC, repeatedly talk about winning a Pulitzer Prize for their story. In reality, Pulitzers are awarded to American newspapers, so a British news broadcast would be doubly ineligible.

In the book the design of the Papal Guard's current uniforms are attributed to Michelangelo, while in fact they were designed by Jules Repond.

Finally the dove atop of the obelisk in Bernini's "Fountain of the Four Rivers" may not actually face North-West toward Castelo Sant'Angelo. In fact, it is cleaned every so often and so when replaced, the dove is pointed in a different direction. No one knows the original direction of the dove.

Footnotes

References

External links

• John Langdon official website, "Angels & Demons" ambigrams
• Vatican Bans filming the movie in churches
• Articles and term paper about Adam Weishaupt and the historic illuminati... (english/german)
• Angels and Demons Book
• Wikibooks