The book is set in Florence and is the fourth novel in the series featuring symbologist Robert Langdon. It follows 2009’s The Lost Symbol, Brown's last novel. Inferno focuses on the hero uncovering a series of secrets and conspiracies in the writings of 13th century poet Dante Alighieri. The book is likely to offer the same mix of adventure and code-breaking that has appealed to a wide audience, with even the book’s release date of 14/5/13 an anagram of the number pi (3.1415).
Booksellers will be expecting the book to be a big hit. The Da Vinci Code has sold over 80 million copies since its publication in 2003, despite criticisms of Brown’s writing style and the book's historical & scientific inaccuracies. Brown’s The Lost Symbol broke records for adult fiction sales in its first week of publication. The series has also seen two cinematic adaptations starring Tom Hanks, with a third expected in the next year or two.
Businesses and authorities in Florence are hoping the new book will renew interest in the city. Dante academics and experts are optimistic the new Langdon adventure will encourage more people to seek out the poet’s work, despite Brown’s reputation for playing hard and loose with historical fact. Silvano Fei of the Dante Museum in Florence told The Guardian “the important thing about this book is that people talk about Dante.”
You can read an extract of the book here.
