Secrets of Inferno - In the Footsteps of Dante and Dan Brown (Paperback)

Reviews

"Dan Brown and Dante...the facts behind the fiction" by Herman - 26 September 2013

Review on free copy received from publisher. Dan Burstein and Arne de Keijzer have been unearthing the facts behind Dan Brown’s fiction since 2004 when their first book in the Secrets-series, Secrets of the Code, spent six months on the New York Times bestseller list. I have not read any of their previous offerings, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading Secrets of Inferno in which they analyse Dan Brown’s Inferno which came out in May of this year. Burstein and De Keijzer have assembled a team of experts from various fields touched upon in Brown’s novel who manage to give a very balanced view of Brown’s novel while also giving readers more insight into their respective areas of expertise. The very first essay by Burstein makes it very clear that Dante and his Divine Comedy will play a big role in the coming discussions, and almost the entire first half of the book is devoted to this topic. Aside from Burstein himself, various experts on Renaissance literature, art and history give their take on Dante’s epic poem and Brown’s use of it in his novel. What struck me about this section was the passion with which almost every contributor spoke of the Commedia. Needless to say, some take issue with Brown’s treatment of this work, but then there was also the highly enjoyable and interesting essay by Professor Glenn W. Erickson who argues that one could very well see Brown’s Inferno as a modern parody of Dante’s, which would imply that Brown actually understands it much better than it would appear. The second section focuses on some of the issues raised by Brown in his novel. It mainly consists of interviews with experts from the fields of population studies, future studies, emerging technologies and epidemiology and virology, as well as two influential members of the transhumanist movement, Humanity+. While most of the interviewees seem to disagree with Brown’s interpretation of humanity’s current state, De Keijzer also interviews Paul Ehrlich, author of the controversial book, The Population Bomb, who might very well have served as partial inspiration for Brown’s antagonist, Bertrand Zobrist. While still mostly interesting, I did not enjoy this section as much as the first, but that’s probably just because the interview-format doesn't really appeal to me. However, this section is invaluable for those interested in the actual science which lies behind the fiction. Section three contains just two essays. The first is by David A. Shugarts, Dan Brown expert and a regular contributor to the Secrets series. Shugarts climbs into Brown’s Inferno with gloves off and highlights some of the things Brown either missed or ignored regarding his locations and their histories, as well as factual errors, writing slip-ups and inconsistencies in the novel. The second essay is by Cheryl Helm who shares how she joined the treasure hunt to decipher Brown’s clues which he released prior to publication of the novel. While it was interesting to read, it was a bit abstract for me as my edition of Inferno had a different cover from the one with all the clues. In the final section we revisit Dante’s Firenze, including some beautiful photographs by Julie O’Connor, before Burstein closes with a final essay where he reflects on the moral message of Brown’s Inferno, that, “The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis,” as well as some of the other references and allusions Brown makes to both Dante’s culture and his own. While one or two of the essays might be considered a bit too academic for the average reader, Secrets of Inferno is a relaxing read overall and is well worth the time whether you've read Brown’s Inferno or not and whether you’re a fan of Dan Brown or not. (For Dan Brown fans I should add that this book contains significant spoilers of Brown’s Inferno, so be sure to read that first.) At the very least Secrets of Inferno might convince you to read Dante’s Inferno (and Purgatorio and Paradiso), which I think would satisfy Messrs Burstein and De Keijzer. I know it has convinced me.