Origin
Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend the unveiling of a discovery that will change the face of science forever. The evening's host is his friend and former student, Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old tech magnate whose dazzling inventions and audacious predictions have made him a controversial figure around the world. This evening is to be no exception: he claims he will reveal an astonishing scientific breakthrough to challenge the fundamentals of human existence. But Langdon and several hundred other guests are left reeling when the meticulously orchestrated evening is blown apart before Kirsch's precious discovery can be revealed. With his life under threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape, along with the museum's director, Ambra Vidal. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch's secret. In their path lie dark forces which will do anything to stop them. To evade a tormented enemy who is one step ahead of them at every turn, Langdon and Vidal must navigate labyrinthine passageways of hidden history and ancient religion. On a trail marked only by enigmatic symbols and elusive modern art, Langdon and Vidal uncover the clues that will bring them face-to-face with a world-shaking truth that has remained buried - until now. —Publisher's description.
Stats for nerds
2recommend
7mentions
7people
2018–2023years
29% recommend71% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Try starting with something suspense based that does not have convoluted writing and really grabs your attention, like a Dan Brown book or Harry Potter (read by Stephen Fry). Also, go for the professional readings (i.e. not most of Librivox) and pay careful attention to what reviews say about the reader, as their performance is essential for comprehension. Play around with listening speed a bit (both too slow and too fast won’t work, depending on the material). I could easily increase material complexity after getting through suspense-based books.
I could not get into audiobooks (even after years of listening to scientific talk podcasts) until I got hold of Origin by Dan Brown in an Audible trial, and ended up being gripped by the 20 hour book for two weeks straight. It has been 15+ audiobooks from various sources per year for me since then, which has really enriched my life. Retention is better since I finish the books that can be integrated with various activities not requiring verbal thinking way faster.
- If you’re looking for a good fiction read relating to this, I just finished “Origin” by Dan Brown, would recommend.
- Is this the church-turned-datacenter featured in Dan Brown's Origin?
- Also featured in Dan Brown's "Origin" book.
- A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts - Andrew Chaikin. Loved it
A Man for all Markets - Edward O. Thorp. Loved his stories about counting cards and then moving onto hedge funds etc.
American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road – Nick Bilton. Not a bad rundown on the Silk Road. I came across this book after listening to the Casefile podcast https://casefilepodcast.com/case-76-silk-road-part-1/ which I highly recommend.
Origin - Dan Brown. Enjoyed his first couple of books and thought that this might be alright. It was okay.
- Some of the books I read
Artemis Andy Weir Liked it.. but liked the Martian better
Origin Dan Brown If you are into this sort of thing.. I know his writing is not the best but I like the story
We were Yahoo! Jeremy Ring
About the rise and fall of yahoo.... some interesting stuff
1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music Andrew Grant Jackson Good read.. lots of events that year
Ready Player One Ernest Cline what is there to say....
A Frozen Hell William Trotter About the the war between Finland and the Soviet Union
3 Kings: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and Hip-Hop's Multibillion-Dollar Rise Zack O'Malley Greenburg Like this a lot
The Outsider Stephen King Back to classic King.. recommended
Stalin New Biography of a Dictator Oleg V. Khlevniuk If you are interested in this character..then I recommend this
Skin In The Game Nassim Nicholas Taleb Taleb's latest
Dead Reckoning: The Untold Story of the Northwest Passage Ken McGoogan After watching the Terror on tv.. I had to read this
Nobu Nobu Matsuhisa What a life, loved it
Hunting El Chapo Andrew Hogan/Douglas Century Good read
Bad Blood John Carreyrou WHat a messed up person and company
Tesla: Inventor of the Modern Richard Munson This was very good
The Revenge of Analog David Sax I liked this book a lot... maybe because I remember all these items when they existed
Tasting the Past: The Science of Flavor and the Search for the Origins of Wine Kevin Begos If you want to learn a little more about wines and the origins..
Bag Of Bones Stephen King One of his best
Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Joseph E. Aoun We all know it's coming
