Origin

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

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.

"Fans of The Da Vinci Code rejoice! Professor Robert Langdon is again solving the mysteries of the universe."
People Magazine
 
"A brisk new book that pits creationism against science, and is liable to stir up as much controversy as The Da Vinci Code did. In Origin, the brash futurist Edmond Kirsch comes up with a theory so bold, so daring that, as he modestly thinks to himself in Brown s beloved italics, It will not shake your foundations. It will shatter them. Kirsch is of course addressing The World, because that s the scale on which Brown writes.  Brown and serious ideas: they do fit together, never more than they have in Origin."  
Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"Origin asks the questions Where do we come from? Where are we going? They are questions about humanity--but they could just as easily be questions about Robert Langdon. The Mickey Mouse watch-wearing, claustrophobic, always-near-trouble symbology professor is back in Dan Brown s latest book. And just like he was in his original exploits (Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code), 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

"Entertaining . . . Loyal fans of his globetrotting symbologist Robert Langdon will no doubt be thrilled with the fifth book in the series."
USA Today 

"Dan Brown is once again taking on the big questions: God and science and the future of the world. Origin is a familiar blend of travelogue, history, conspiracies and whodunit, with asides on everything from the poetry of William Blake to the rise and fall of fascism in Spain."
Associated Press

"The bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code is back with a new book that looks to the future. Origin features many of