Professor Robert Langdon comes to Prague in Dan Brown’s new novel!
Dan Brown, author of international bestsellers like The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, has set his next mystery-thriller in Prague. Entitled The Secret of Secrets, it will see the return of academic hero Robert Langdon.
Cryptic puzzles, shadowy organisations, ancient secrets, lethal assassins – these are the hallmarks of the author Dan Brown’s bestselling books, and now the city of Prague is set to provide the setting to his next novel. Due for release on September 9th, The Secret of Secrets once again revolves around the adventurous professor of religious iconology and symbology, Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks in the film adaptations of three of Dan Brown’s books.
Each of his books so far, most famously The Da Vinci Code, has offered readers an exciting mixture of mystery, danger, romance, science, religion and the occult, and The Secret of Secrets looks to be no different. Details about its plot are understandably scarce at the moment, but, according to Mr. Brown’s official website, it sees Robert Langdon visiting the city to attend a lecture by Katherine Solomon, a prominent scientist, who then disappears, along with her ground-breaking research.
Why though was Prague chosen as the book’s setting? Petr Onufer, an editor at Argo, the book’s publisher in Czechia, played an unexpected part in Mr. Brown’s choice:
“He comes here quite often. We had the honour of welcoming him here several times and accompanying him. To be honest, we kind of hoped that one day he would write about Prague, because he has always liked it a lot and he has always praised Prague and spoken enthusiastically about it. We always enjoyed his stays here a lot, because Dan Brown is a very nice person … Actually now I'm just starting to figure out how some of the questions that Dan Brown had for us were then creatively used, when building his story.”
Prague will be much more than scenery; the city will play an integral part in how the plot unfolds, as Mr. Onufer explains:
“Prague plays a crucial role in it, as [location] usually does in Brown's novels. I think that one of the reasons for the success of his books is also the environment in which he sets his stories, and Prague is a perfect setting for mysterious and enigmatic plots, with all its history and its current events. Prague really plays a key role here and is absolutely essential for the entire novel.
“I really have to remain silent as the grave until September 9th, when the book comes out, but I can say that there are surprising locations and surprising decisions on the part of the author in places. I liked it because if everything took place only on Old Town Square and in Hradčany, it would probably be a bit boring. Here Dan Brown takes us through a slightly different Prague than we would expect, and it's actually very interesting.”
