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PROLOGUE

As the ancient cogwheel train clawed its way up the dizzying incline, Edmond Kirsch surveyed the jagged mountaintop above him. In the distance, built into the face of a sheer cliff, the massive stone monastery seemed to hang in space, as if magically fused to the vertical precipice.

This timeless sanctuary in Catalonia, Spain, had endured the relentless pull of gravity for more than four centuries, never slipping from its original purpose: to insulate its occupants from the modern world.

Ironically, they will now be the first to learn the truth, Kirsch thought, wondering how they would react. Historically, the most dangerous men on earth were men of God . . . especially when their gods became threatened. And I am about to hurl a flaming spear into a hornets nest.

When the train reached the mountaintop, Kirsch saw a solitary figure waiting for him on the platform. The wizened skeleton of a man was draped in the traditional Catholic purple cassock and white rochet, with a zucchetto on his head. Kirsch recognized his host s rawboned features from photos and felt an unexpected surge of adrenaline.

Valdespino is greeting me personally.

Bishop Antonio Valdespino was a formidable figure in Spain not only a trusted friend and counselor to the king himself, but one of the country s most vocal and influential advocates for the preservation of conservative Catholic values and traditional political standards.

Edmond Kirsch, I assume? the bishop intoned as Kirsch exited the train.

Guilty as charged, Kirsch said, smiling as he reached out to shake his host s bony hand. Bishop Valdespino, I want to thank you for arranging this meeting.

I appreciate your requesting it. The bishop s voice was stronger than Kirsch expected clear and penetrating, like a bell. It is not often we are consulted by men of science, especially one of your prominence. This way, please.

As Valdespino guided Kirsch across the platform, the cold mountain air whipped at the bishop s cassock.

I must confess, Valdespino said, you look different than I imagined. I was expecting a scientist, but you re quite . . . He eyed his guest s sleek Kiton K50 suit and Barker ostrich shoes with a hint of disdain. Hip, I believe, is the word?

Kirsch smiled politely. The word hip went out of style decades ago.

In reading your list of accomplishments, the bishop said, I am still not entirely sure what it is you do.

I specialize in game theory and computer modeling.

So you make the computer games that the children play?

Kirsch sensed the bishop was feigning ignorance in an attempt to be quaint. More accurately, Kirsch knew, Valdespino was a frighteningly well-informed student of technology and often warned others of its dangers. No, sir, actually game theory is a field of mathematics that studies patterns in order to make predictions about the future.

Ah yes. I believe I read that you predicted a European monetary crisis some years ago? When nobody listened, you saved the day by inventing a computer program that pulled the EU back from the dead. What was your famous quote? At thirty-three years old, I am the same age as Christ when He performed His resurrection.

Kirsch cringed. A poor analogy, Your Grace. I was young.

Young? The bishop chuckled. And how old are you now . . . perhaps forty?

Just.

The old man smiled as the strong wind continued to billow his robe. Well, the meek were supposed to inherit the earth, but instead it has gone to the youn

Inhalt

#1 WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER  "Dr. Langdon is once again wrapped up in a global-scale event that could have massive ramifications on the world s religions. As he does in all his novels, Brown[ s] extensive research on art, architecture, and history informs every page."  Entertainment Weekly

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend the unveiling of a discovery that will change the face of science forever. The evening s host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist, and one of Langdon s first students.

But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch s precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced to flee. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch. They travel to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch s secret.

Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme re­ligion, Langdon and Vidal must evade an enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain s Royal Palace. They uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch s shocking discovery and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us.

Über den/die Autor*in

DAN BROWN is the author of numerous #1 international bestsellers, including The Da Vinci Code, Inferno, The Lost Symbol, Angels & Demons, Deception Point, and Digital Fortress.

Produktinformationen

erschienen

2017

Verlag

Penguin Random House; Doubleday

Infos

480 Seiten; 241 mm x 163 mm

Sprache

English

ISBN

978-0-385-51423-1

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