Which of Dan Brown's five novels is your favorite?

I recently finished reading Dan Brown’s 2000 novel, “Angels & Demons,” and while it’s not my favorite Dan Brown book, it’s still pretty good.

Released in May 2000 by Pocket Books, this best-selling thriller begins with Harvard professor Robert Langdon, a world renowned symbologist, who is called in to examine an unusual symbol that has been branded into the chest of a murdered scientist in Switzerland.

Langdon eventually finds himself in the middle of a plot to destroy Vatican City with a powerful, high-tech, anti-matter bomb. Langdon teams up with the dead scientist’s brilliant and beautiful daughter, and they work together to unravel the mystery behind her father’s death and to save the Catholic Church from destruction.

All of the action takes place in a single day and takes you on a grand tour of Roman churches, museums, streets, fountains and other famous locations. In more than a few places, Brown details famous works of art, which contain hidden clues that help Langdon and his companions located the secret lair of the Illuminati, a ancient secret society supposedly plotting to destory the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.

This book was released about five years before the real Catholic Church had to replace the late Pope John Paul II, and the novel discusses in vivid detail the process that church officials use to select a new leader. I’m no expert on Catholic law, but for a work of fiction “Angels & Demons” rings true in regard to how the church’s high officials elect a new Pope.

Many of you will be familiar with “Angels & Demons” from having seen the 2009 motion picture version of the book, which featured actor Tom Hanks in the roll of Robert Langdon. The movie was directed by Ron Howard and also starred Ewan McGregor.

“Angels & Demons” is very similar to some of Brown’s other novels, which include “Digital Fortress” (1998), “Deception Point” (2001), “The Da Vinci Code” (2003) and “The Lost Symbol” (2009). I’ve read “The Da Vinci Code” and “The Lost Symbol,” and I have to admit that my personal favorite is “The Lost Symbol.”

Langdon is the main character in “Angels & Demons,” “The Da Vinci Code” and “The Lost Symbol.” Many of you have also probably seen the motion picture version of “The Da Vinci Code,” which was released in 2006 and featured Hanks in the role of Langdon. However, in the movies, the events in “Angels & Demons” take place after the events in “The Da Vinci Code.”

For those of you who enjoyed all of the books and movies mentioned above, you’ll be pleased to hear that a motion picture version of “The Lost Symbol” is also in the works. It’s supposed to be released some time next year.

In the end, how many of you have had the chance to read “Angels & Demons”? How many of Dan Brown’s books have you read? Which was your favorite and why? Let us know in the comments section below.