(Image courtesy: New Indian Express)L Suresh reviews Dan Brown’s ninth book ‘The Celestial Deluge’ and warns readers not to forget to breathe.
The master is at it again, with his famous hero who seems to have a whirlwind romance with anything that takes him centuries back in time. The ninth in the series and the sixth featuring Robert Langdon, The Celestial Deluge is a tale crammed with intrigue and imagination, as we are taken on a high-voltage rollercoaster ride – one minute on the high seas and in the next, plumbing the depths of the ocean.
This one begins in Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico, with Jesse Jessop found in a foetal position, all rolled up and sucking his thumb, suspended from a stalactite that had gone through him, and covered by seaweed that stank to high heavens. Near him is a life-jacket with Robert's Langdon's name scribbled on it with indelible ink. And a blood-stained copy of The Daily Republican, dated January 24th, 1909.
The story picks up speed and in a matter of pages, we realise that Jesse Jessop is the grandson of Violet Jessop, who was a survivor of the Titanic. And of the Olympic. And of the Britannic. The seaweeds point to the waters and Langdon finds that almost each of the White Star Line's ships that have sank have had Violet Jessop on them. The newspaper and the date on it point to the fourth of the disaster liners - the RMS Republic - that sank near the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. But what makes this ship different is that it had a US Navy Payroll, 15 tonnes of gold bars and a five-ton shipment of mint condition American Gold Eagle coins - all worth around US$15 billion.
Did Violet Jessop have a hand in each of the disasters? Or did she know something that the rest of the world didn't - the map to a US$15 billion treasure? Langdon finds himself in the company of Rose Jessop, great-granddaughter of Violet Jessop and an instructor in a scuba diving school.
The action shifts underwater as Rose and Langdon scour the seabed for the Republic - and out comes what looks like the prototype of a ship, measuring 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet deep - the exact measurement of Noah's Ark. It is here that Brown plants another of his conspiracy theories that is sure to raise the hackles of several countries and communities. Was this truly THE ARK?
What follows is an unbelievable tale of vicious twists and turns as Langdon debunks the original cause of the great deluge. The Black Sea flood wasn't caused by rain - so what could have caused it? What was the origin of the great disturbance in the seas that, like a giant motor that churning the oceans, created a multitude of pressure points?
The answer lay in the clamour for power and immortality that resulted in the fiercest display of strength – the churning of the ocean by the mighty Devas and the Asuras. And that was what caused the great deluge, prompting Noah to set out on his Ark.
Religious leaders, historians, researchers and believers have already slammed the book for its blasphemous content which they feel, is trying to unite religions when they should actually be kept apart. Efforts are on to ban this book in India and in Vatican City. So if you are planning to read this book, pick up your copy fast.
Brown however, seems to have anticipated this and has built his defences halfway through the book where he states that the wine that Noah got drunk on after seeing the various life forms to safety was actually the amrit that was obtained at the end of the churning. The Ark is also stated to be the giant turtle shell that was used as a ship.
The book does have its inconsistencies. While the Celestial Churning happened over 300 million years ago, the Great Deluge was a more recent occurrence, according to some believers. Moreover, if all the life forms were on board the Ark, how did the Devas and Asuras find a serpent in the seas? And when they were using the serpent as a rope and a turtle as a pivot for the churning, what were the animal rights activists doing? Sadly enough, these and more unanswered questions plague what could have been a fine example of pacy storytelling.
The narration too, resembles a badly-knit sweater with too many loose threads. What happened to the search for gold that Langdon and Rose embarked on? Is Violet Jessop vindicated of the accusations that she was guilty of sabotage? Does Rose become Roshni after being inspired by Hindu mythology?
Brown is also guilty of turning Langdon into a larger-than-life character, a superhero, who is a Harvard symbologist by day and a trouble-shooter by night. And after years of seeing Tom Hanks as Langdon, one will have to get used to seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role. Rumour has it that Arnie found a strong connect with Langdon as both of them favour the “I’ll be back” line and sequels.
Each of Dan Brown's books has a code that is deciphered by taking the first letter of the number of the chapter mentioned in the code. In this case, the number at the back of the book is 9-23-39-18-1-19-27-51-32-28-44-3-11-5-12-20. The resulting text is arranged into a matrix of 4 x 4, using the Caesar Square cipher. Reading the message top down, we get 'LANGDONFORUSPREZ'. Adding spaces at the right places, the message is clear - 'Langdon for U.S Prez'.
Whether this is Brown's sense of humour at work or he is seriously approaching senility is anyone's guess.
The master is at it again, with his famous hero who seems to have a whirlwind romance with anything that takes him centuries back in time. The ninth in the series and the sixth featuring Robert Langdon, The Celestial Deluge is a tale crammed with intrigue and imagination, as we are taken on a high-voltage rollercoaster ride – one minute on the high seas and in the next, plumbing the depths of the ocean.
This one begins in Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico, with Jesse Jessop found in a foetal position, all rolled up and sucking his thumb, suspended from a stalactite that had gone through him, and covered by seaweed that stank to high heavens. Near him is a life-jacket with Robert's Langdon's name scribbled on it with indelible ink. And a blood-stained copy of The Daily Republican, dated January 24th, 1909.
The story picks up speed and in a matter of pages, we realise that Jesse Jessop is the grandson of Violet Jessop, who was a survivor of the Titanic. And of the Olympic. And of the Britannic. The seaweeds point to the waters and Langdon finds that almost each of the White Star Line's ships that have sank have had Violet Jessop on them. The newspaper and the date on it point to the fourth of the disaster liners - the RMS Republic - that sank near the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. But what makes this ship different is that it had a US Navy Payroll, 15 tonnes of gold bars and a five-ton shipment of mint condition American Gold Eagle coins - all worth around US$15 billion.
Did Violet Jessop have a hand in each of the disasters? Or did she know something that the rest of the world didn't - the map to a US$15 billion treasure? Langdon finds himself in the company of Rose Jessop, great-granddaughter of Violet Jessop and an instructor in a scuba diving school.
The action shifts underwater as Rose and Langdon scour the seabed for the Republic - and out comes what looks like the prototype of a ship, measuring 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet deep - the exact measurement of Noah's Ark. It is here that Brown plants another of his conspiracy theories that is sure to raise the hackles of several countries and communities. Was this truly THE ARK?
What follows is an unbelievable tale of vicious twists and turns as Langdon debunks the original cause of the great deluge. The Black Sea flood wasn't caused by rain - so what could have caused it? What was the origin of the great disturbance in the seas that, like a giant motor that churning the oceans, created a multitude of pressure points?
The answer lay in the clamour for power and immortality that resulted in the fiercest display of strength – the churning of the ocean by the mighty Devas and the Asuras. And that was what caused the great deluge, prompting Noah to set out on his Ark.
Religious leaders, historians, researchers and believers have already slammed the book for its blasphemous content which they feel, is trying to unite religions when they should actually be kept apart. Efforts are on to ban this book in India and in Vatican City. So if you are planning to read this book, pick up your copy fast.
Brown however, seems to have anticipated this and has built his defences halfway through the book where he states that the wine that Noah got drunk on after seeing the various life forms to safety was actually the amrit that was obtained at the end of the churning. The Ark is also stated to be the giant turtle shell that was used as a ship.
The book does have its inconsistencies. While the Celestial Churning happened over 300 million years ago, the Great Deluge was a more recent occurrence, according to some believers. Moreover, if all the life forms were on board the Ark, how did the Devas and Asuras find a serpent in the seas? And when they were using the serpent as a rope and a turtle as a pivot for the churning, what were the animal rights activists doing? Sadly enough, these and more unanswered questions plague what could have been a fine example of pacy storytelling.
The narration too, resembles a badly-knit sweater with too many loose threads. What happened to the search for gold that Langdon and Rose embarked on? Is Violet Jessop vindicated of the accusations that she was guilty of sabotage? Does Rose become Roshni after being inspired by Hindu mythology?
Brown is also guilty of turning Langdon into a larger-than-life character, a superhero, who is a Harvard symbologist by day and a trouble-shooter by night. And after years of seeing Tom Hanks as Langdon, one will have to get used to seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role. Rumour has it that Arnie found a strong connect with Langdon as both of them favour the “I’ll be back” line and sequels.
Each of Dan Brown's books has a code that is deciphered by taking the first letter of the number of the chapter mentioned in the code. In this case, the number at the back of the book is 9-23-39-18-1-19-27-51-32-28-44-3-11-5-12-20. The resulting text is arranged into a matrix of 4 x 4, using the Caesar Square cipher. Reading the message top down, we get 'LANGDONFORUSPREZ'. Adding spaces at the right places, the message is clear - 'Langdon for U.S Prez'.
Whether this is Brown's sense of humour at work or he is seriously approaching senility is anyone's guess.
(Appeared in the New Indian Express Sunday Supplement on 30 October, 2005)
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