14
votes

The Robert Langdon book series by Dan Brown consists of:

  • Angels & Demons (2000)
  • The Da Vinci Code (2003)
  • The Lost Symbol (2009)
  • Inferno (2013)
  • Origin (2017)

Does it make the most sense to read them in that order, or does it not matter if they're read in the right order?

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  • 11
    So funny to see that this question was migrated from Literature to Science Fiction & Fantasy.
    – camden_kid
    Commented Mar 29, 2013 at 15:04
  • 13
    I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because I think it belongs on literature.stackexchange.com (where it came from) - this is neither Sci-Fi nor Fantasy.
    – Reinstate Monica - Goodbye SE
    Commented Jun 2, 2015 at 11:50
  • This was migrated from the old Literature, which failed in beta. There is now a new one, which seems to be doing quite well.
    – SQB
    Commented Sep 18, 2018 at 8:04
  • Question locked after meta discussion.
    – Rand al'Thor ♦
    Commented Sep 22, 2018 at 22:26

6 Answers 6

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13
votes

The books can be easily read standalone, there is very little cross over between them (despite having the same protagonist). If you read them in publishing order (which is also chronological) you will get a little more from it.

However, the three books have quite different appeals. Beyond the common theme of symbology:

  1. Angels & Demons (my favourite) combines technology and religion
  2. The Da Vinci Code has a lot about puzzles and history
  3. The Lost Symbol is Freemasonry, and has more "action" than the last two

Given that the crossover is minimal, this could influence any choice in reading order (or even whether you read them all!)

3
  • are you sure? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_%26_Demons angels and demons was before da vinvi code
    – Mohammad Efazati
    Commented Aug 16, 2011 at 19:15
  • I wasn't listing them in order :) just wrote the list as I went. Sorry for the confusion!
    – Errant
    Commented Aug 16, 2011 at 19:26
  • tnx for order ... i wrote comment because question was What order should I read the Robert Langdon books?
    – Mohammad Efazati
    Commented Aug 17, 2011 at 4:45
5
votes

You should read Angels & Demons first, then The Da Vinci Code second, then The Lost Symbol third, and finally Inferno. A new book in the series has been released, called Origin. This new book also features Robert Langdon; it should probably be read last.

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    You're the first answer with the new book! Great find!
    – Edlothiad
    Commented May 8, 2017 at 23:13
2
votes

I haven't read Angels & Demons, but there are certainly references in The Lost Symbol that refer to events in The Da Vinci Code. I believe there's at least one semi-important event in the latter that refers back to Angels & Demons. Definitely read them in that order.

2
  • 1
    Rather quite minor: the character of Vittoria has an active role in Angels and Demons, and there is a brief mention of Robert meeting her in an airport a few months back (in the timeline of the story of course) in Da Vinci Code. Additionally, the librarian they visit in Da Vinci knows about Robert's visit to the Vatican archives in Angels and Demons. (I don't know if there's anything else I can say that won't be a spoiler for they who haven't read...)
    – J. M.
    Commented Aug 14, 2011 at 18:27
  • I was racking my brians for what the crossovers were :) so thanks very much!
    – Errant
    Commented Aug 15, 2011 at 17:15
0
votes

Each book is pretty standalone. Overall there are minor references from the later ones to the earlier ones, but they will not impact you if you haven't yet read the earlier books.

Interestingly, the movies for the first two seem to be mixed up - Angels & Demons has some mentions of events which evoke The Da Vinci Code.

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    Angels and Demons was published three years before Da Vinci Code... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_brown
    – shadowfission
    Commented Aug 16, 2011 at 16:51
  • My bad. I got Da Vinci Code well before I got Angels and Demons, so I probably assumed that was the order they were published.
    – Grant Palin
    Commented Aug 16, 2011 at 17:39
-1
votes

I read Angels & Demons and I believe that should be the first book you read because it is the one that introduces Robert Langdon to us. In addition, Angels & Demons came out in 2000, The Da Vinci Code came out in 2003 and The Lost Symbol in 2009. There is also another book now in the Robert Langdon series, Inferno, which came out in 2013. You should read that last.

-1
votes
  1. Angels & Demons
  2. The Da Vinci Code
  3. The Lost Symbol
  4. Inferno
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  • 4
    Why is this the correct order?
    – phantom42
    Commented Jun 2, 2015 at 11:36

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