Origin

Arriving to the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to witness a momentous announcement—the presentation of a discovery that “will change the face of science forever”—is Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology. Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old futurist and millionaire, will be hosting the event. His bold forecasts and impressive high-tech creations have elevated him to a prominent position in the world. Twenty years later, Kirsch—one of Langdon's earliest pupils at Harvard—is about to make a startling discovery that will provide answers to two of the most important problems concerning human existence. As the event gets underway, Langdon discovers that a very unique presentation will attract him and several hundred other attendees. Langdon never would have guessed that this presentation would be as contentious as it is. However, the painstakingly planned evening abruptly devolves into pandemonium, and Kirsch's priceless find verges on irretrievably disappearing. With a danger looming, Langdon is compelled to make a last-ditch effort to get out of Bilbao. Ambra Vidal, the chic museum director who collaborated with Kirsch to organise the thought-provoking event, is with him. Together, they make their dangerous way to Barcelona in search of the mysterious password that would reveal Kirsch's secret. Langdon and Vidal must avoid a troubled adversary who appears to have all-knowing authority coming from Spain's Royal Palace itself as they make their way through the dim passageways of extreme faith and secret history. This adversary will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. Langdon and Vidal follow a path lined with contemporary artwork and mysterious symbols, following hints that finally lead them to Kirsch's startling discovery and the amazing truth that has long escaped humanity. Dan Brown's most inventive and enjoyable book to date is Origin.