Inferno. let you go until you close the book.

With these words echoing in his head, eminent Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings. A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city of Florence. Only Langdon’s knowledge of hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers. With only a few lines from Dante’s dark and epic masterpiece, The Inferno, to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the most celebrated artefacts of the Renaissance – sculptures, paintings, buildings – to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat… Set against an extraordinary landscape inspired by one of history’s most ominous literary classics, Inferno is Dan Brown’s most compelling and thoughtprovoking novel yet, a breathless raceagainst time thriller that will grab you from page one and not let you go until you close the book.

About the Book ‘Seek and ye shall find.’ With these words echoing in his head, eminent Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city of Florence Only Langdon’s knowledge of hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers With only a few lines from Dante’s dark and epic masterpiece, The Inferno, to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the most celebrated artefacts of the Renaissance – sculptures, paintings, buildings – to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat… Set against an extraordinary landscape inspired by one of history’s most ominous literary classics, Inferno is Dan Brown’s most compelling and thought-provoking novel yet, a breathless race-againsttime thriller that will grab you from page one and not let you go until you close the book Contents Cover About the Book Title Page Dedication Acknowledgments Epigraph Fact Prologue Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 My Mickey Mouse watch Langdon immediately fastened the collector’s edition timepiece on his wrist The feel of the worn leather band against his skin made him feel strangely secure By the time he had gotten dressed in his own clothes and slipped his feet back into his own loafers, Robert Langdon was feeling almost like himself again Langdon exited the hotel, carrying the delicate package with him in a Hotel Brunelleschi tote bag, which he had borrowed from the concierge The evening was unusually warm, adding to the dreamlike quality of his walk along the Via dei Calzaiuoli toward the lone spire of the Palazzo Vecchio When he arrived, Langdon checked in at the security office, where his name was on a list to see Marta Alvarez He was directed to the Hall o f the Five Hundred, which was still bustling with tourists Langdon had arrived right on time, expecting Marta to meet him here in the entryway, but she was nowhere to be seen He flagged down a passing docent “Scusi?” Langdon called “Dove passo trovare Marta Alvarez?” The docent broke into a broad grin “Signora Alvarez?! She no here! She have baby! Catalina! Molto bella!” Langdon was pleased to hear Marta’s good news “Ahh … che bello,” he replied “Stupendo!” As the docent hurried off, Langdon wondered what he was supposed to with the package he was carrying Quickly making up his mind, he crossed the crowded Hall of the Five Hundred, passing beneath Vasari’s mural and heading up into the palazzo museum, staying out of sight of any security guards Finally, he arrived outside the museum’s narrow andito The passage was dark, sealed off with stanchions, a swag, and a sign: CHIUSO/CLOSED Langdon took a careful glance around and then slipped under the swag and into the darkened space He reached into his tote bag and carefully extracted the delicate package, peeling away the bubble wrapping When the plastic fell away, Dante’s death mask stared up at him once again The fragile plaster was still in its original Ziploc bag, having been retrieved as Langdon had requested from the lockers at the Venice train station The mask appeared to be in flawless condition with one small exception—the addition of a poem, inscribed in an elegant spiral shape, on its reverse side Langdon glanced at the antique display case The Dante death mask is displayed face front … nobody will notice He carefully removed the mask from the Ziploc bag Then, very gently, he lifted it back onto the peg inside the display case The mask sank into place, nestling against its familiar red velvet setting Langdon closed the case and stood a moment, gazing at Dante’s pale visage, a ghostly presence in the darkened room Home at last Before exiting the room, Langdon discreetly removed the stanchions, swag, and sign from the doorway As he crossed the gallery, he paused to speak to a young female docent “Signorina?” Langdon said “The lights above the Dante death mask need to be turned on It’s very hard to see in the dark.” “I’m sorry,” the young woman said, “but that exhibit is closed The Dante death mask is no longer here.” “That’s odd.” Langdon feigned a look of surprise “I was just admiring it.” The woman’s face registered confusion As she rushed off toward the andito, Langdon quietly slipped out of the museum EPILOGUE above the dark expanse of the Bay of Biscay, Alitalia’s red-eye to Boston cruised westward through a moonlit night On board, Robert Langdon sat engrossed in a paperback copy of The Divine Comedy The rhythm of the poem’s lilting terza rima rhyme scheme, along with the hum of the jet engines, had lulled him into a near-hypnotic state Dante’s words seemed to flow off the page, resonating in his heart as if they had been written specifically for him in THIRTY-FOUR THOUSAND FEET this very moment Dante’s poem, Langdon was now reminded, was not so much about the misery of hell as it was about the power of the human spirit to endure any challenge, no matter how daunting Outside the window, a full moon had risen, dazzling and bright, blotting out all other heavenly bodies Langdon gazed out at the expanse, lost in his thoughts of all that had transpired in the last few days The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis For Langdon, the meaning of these words had never felt so clear: In dangerous times, there is no sin greater than inaction Langdon knew that he himself, like millions, was guilty of this When it came to the circumstances of the world, denial had become a global pandemic Langdon promised himself that he would never forget this As the plane streaked west, Langdon thought of the two courageous women who were now in Geneva, meeting the future head-on and navigating the complexities of a changed world Outside the window, a bank of clouds appeared on the horizon, inching slowly across the sky, finally slipping across the moon and blocking out its radiant light Robert Langdon eased back in his seat, sensing that it was time to sleep As he clicked off his overhead light, he turned his eyes one last time to the heavens Outside, in the newly fallen darkness, the world had been transformed The sky had become a glistening tapestry of stars About the Author Dan Brown is the author of The Da Vinci Code, one of the most widely read novels of all time, as well as two other international bestsellers featuring Harvard symbologist Robert La ngdo n, The Lost Symbol and Angels & Demons He has also written two stand alone thrillers, Deception Point and Digital Fortress He lives in New England with his wife ALSO BY DAN BROWN Featuring Robert Langdon The Lost Symbol The Da Vinci Code Angels & Demons Deception Point Digital Fortress TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS 61–63 Uxbridge Road, London W5 5SA A Random House Group Company www.transworldbooks.co.uk First published in Great Britain in 2013 by Bantam Press an imprint of Transworld Publishers Copyright © Dan Brown 2013 Graph “Special Report: How Our Economy Is Killing the Earth” (New Scientist, 10/16/08) copyright © 2008 Reed Business Information–UK All rights reserved Distributed by Tribune Media Services Dan Brown has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781448169795 ISBN 9780593072493 This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly Addresses for Random House Group Ltd companies outside the UK can be found at: The 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