First Look: Origin by Dan Brown

Global publishing phenomenon Dan Brown, author of the number one international blockbusters Inferno and The Da Vinci Code, has a new Robert Langdon thriller in store for us – Origin. We’ve been speculating for some time about the book’s setting and plot, and now some details have finally been revealed!

Unfolding entirely in Spain – Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and Bilbao, the home of the Guggenheim Museum – Origin thrusts Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, into the intersection of two of humankind’s most enduring questions – Where do we come from? Where are we going? – and the earth-shaking discovery that will answer them.

Langdon arrives at the Guggenheim Museum 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.

In keeping with his trademark style, Dan Brown interweaves codes, science, religion, history, art and architecture with a decidedly fresh twist; the art is modern and the science taps into the most advanced cutting edge technology available today.

Origin by Dan Brown will be published in the UK on 3 October 2017 in hardback, audiobook and ebook formats by Transworld.

Bill Scott-Kerr, Publisher at Transworld, says: “Over the past fifteen years it has been an utter privilege to publish Dan Brown‘s unique blend of electrifying storytelling, historical reinterpretation and genius code making. The fact that there is to be another instalment in this record-breaking run of books will be hugely exciting to his millions of fans around the world and gives us in the publishing world another extraordinary event to look forward to next year.”

Dan Brown is the author of six number one international bestsellers, including The Da Vinci Code, Inferno, The Lost Symbol, Angels & Demons, Deception Point and Digital Fortress. There are more than 200 million copies of Dan Brown’s books in print worldwide, and his novels have been translated into 56 languages.

Want to find out more about Origin by Dan Brown? Sign up to our newsletter now to be the first to hear the latest news.