Dan Brown's Origins Chapter 1 Synopsis

Good day Steemians. Before I get started, I need to apologize. My new job is taking most of my time lately, so it's been hard to keep up here on Steemit. I'm hoping to get a little ahead though, so I'm not constantly playing catch up. That's enough excuses for today, though so let's jump right in.

Origins Chapter 1

In this chapter we meet the protagonist of the series, Robert Langdon. He is arriving at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilboa, Spain. He received a last minute invitation from his former student, Edmund Kirsch, to attend a presentation of a new scientific discovery he has made.
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While looking at a thirty foot black widow spider sculpture, a man named Fernando welcomes Robert. He is the receptionist handing out nsme tags and greeting new arrivals. Fernando doesn't recognize him immediately, because in his rush to pack, Robert grabbed the wrong suit, so he's wearing a classic tuxedo jacket with tails, white bow tie, and a white waist coat.

They speak for a moment before Edmund is brought up. Even Fernando is left in the dark as to the purpose of Edmund's presentation, so anticipation is rising in all the attendees. Their conversation spurs Robert's memory of Kirsch as a student.

Before Kirsch was a world renowned computer scientist, he attended a seminar held by Robert about codes, ciphers, and the language of symbols. He was a mop haired computer geek with interests in codes, which landed him in Roberts class. His intellect and sophistication impressed Robert from the beginning and a teacher-student bond was formed.

Once a year, Kirsch would return to speak at Cambridge, and he and Robert would meet. Even though Kirsch was a tech savvy computer guy, he would always discuss art with Robert, not technology. Edmund would ask advice about specific pieces, then do the opposite.

During their last meeting, Kirsch surprised Robert by asking about God. Robert explained the overview of the predominant religions with emphasis on the creation myths. Since that night, Robert hadn't heard from Edmund again, until he received the invitation. Kirsch wrote that their last conversation helped make the discovery possible and wanted Robert to attend the announcement.

We jump back to the present time as Robert is making his way into the Guggenheim. The Fog Sculpture and the museum itself are the last exhibits Robert see before entering, which he compares it to entering the mouth of a dragon. The museum is also described like a metallic leviathan earlier in the chapter. This is how the chapter ends.

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This chapter is a good example of why I enjoy Dan Brown's writing. The Guggenheim is a real Museum with the same exhibits. He layers so much fact into his stories it's sometimes hard to distinguish the fact and fiction. He is also starting to build the suspense. We are left wondering what this discovery is, and how it relates to religion.

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One final note I want to make. I have a hunch his outfit will play a part in some manner. To me, it seemed like there was emphasis on what Robert is wearing, so I'm curious to see if my hunch is right. The emphasis doesn't seem relevant to me, but could just be added description. I'm making a note of it now, so I'll know later if I'm correct or not.

As always, thank you all for your time. It's always appreciated,

-Bran the Builder