Origin: Robert Langdon

After an absence of some three years since the publication of Inferno, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon returns in Origin, the fifth in Dan Brown’s all-conquering thriller series that began with Angels & Demons. Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum plays host to a spectacular announcement that promises to “change the face of science forever.” Leading the address is tech magnate and futurist Edmond Kirsch; in attendance is his friend and former mentor Langdon, intrigued as to what this discovery might be. Speculation however is cut brutally short as Kirsch is slain, launching Langdon on a desperate quest to uncover the sinister network behind his friend’s murder and reveal what Kirsch was so desperate to unveil. In the company of Ambra Vidal, the Guggenheim's curator, Langdon’s pursuit of the truth takes him across Europe to the secretive universe of Gaudi and his extraordinary Sagrada Família, the jewel in Barcelona’s crown. There Langdon must confront both leading-edge technology and a revelation so profound that everything we believe is about to change. The spellbinding new Robert Langdon novel from the author of The Da Vinci Code. 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. Tonight 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. Son of a university mathematics teacher, Dan Brown is no stranger to puzzles, secrets and mental challenges. Inspired by Sidney Sheldon's The Doomsday Conspiracy he began to write thrillers in his 40s with his first novel, Digital Fortress. His breakthrough came with the phenomenally successful The Da Vinci Code which made the New York Times bestseller list in its first week, he followed this up with Angels and Demons, The Lost Symbol and Inferno. His books have been translated into 56 languages around the world, selling over 200 million copies.