Illuminati. An ancient mysterious order, famous in the Middle Ages for its fierce struggle against the official church. A legend from a distant past? Perhaps… But then why is their symbol—their own symbol—carved on the chest of a scientist who was killed under mysterious circumstances?
The famous now Dan Brown’s initial fictional and documentary research was set in motion in 1996, when an unknown English-language teacher wrote a novel “Digital Fortress” (“Digital Fortress”) about the activities of the U.S. National Security Agency. Today, four novels by the author are simultaneously on The New York Times bestseller list. Among them is “Angels & Demons,” linked to “The Da Vinci Code” through a recurring character—Professor Robert Langdon, specializing in iconography and the theory of symbols. The writer develops a fertile vein of what can be called a “mystical techno-thriller”: his latest works are full of information about ancient secret societies and the newest methods of forensics, about high technology and secret services, about the mysteries of history and religion. In 2009, this novel was adapted into an eponymous feature film starring Tom Hanks in the lead role!