Robert Langdon

Oh, by far.

We are, of course, talking about the Robert Langdon franchise based on the mega-selling books by Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, and Inferno.

It is hard to overstate what a massive publishing event The Da Vinci Code was in 2003, before it was ever a film.

It was literally everywhere.

It had everything: a scavenger hunt through the Louvre in Paris, hidden messages in coded paintings, a murdered curator, and a highly controversial blasphemous claim about the bloodline of Jesus Christ that sold tens of millions of copies.

Yep.

Ron Howard directed the 2006 film adaptation with Akiva Goldsman writing the script, putting Hanks in the role of the famous Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon.

The movie made over $750 million globally.

Chapter eighty-three.

I need air, Robert Langdon thought.

A fist, anything.

The windowless fuselage felt as if it were closing in around him.

From Topkapi Palace to the Blue Mosque to the Castle of the Seven Towers, the city is teeming with folkloric tales of battle, glory, and defeat.

Tonight, high in the night sky above its bustling masses, a C-130 transport plane was descending through a gathering storm front on final approach to Ataturk Airport.

Inside the cockpit, buckled into the jump seat behind the pilots, Robert Langdon peered out through the windshield, relieved that he had been offered a seat with a view.

He was feeling somewhat refreshed after having had something to eat and then dozing at the rear of the plane for nearly an hour of much-needed rest.

You know immediately what kind of ride you're on.

Exactly, and to navigate this highly symbolic crime scene, the narrative introduces Robert Langdon.

Our protagonist.

Right.

He is presented as a Harvard University professor of, quote, "symbology," and he is immediately paired with Sophie Neveu, who is a brilliant police cryptographer and also happens to be the murdered curator's granddaughter.

Which is convenient.

Very, but the specific construction of Robert Langdon's academic background is-- I mean, it's a masterclass in establishing unearned authority.

Yes.

I've never seen anything like it.

She thought of Robert Langdon, wondering if he had made any more headway in deciphering Solriss' clues.

If it's of any help, the prophet said, I believe I know who Sober's lover is, he paused.

An individual codenamed FS-2080.

I know exactly who it is.

Chapter 74 The air itself seems fashioned of gold.

Robert Langdon had visited many magnificent cathedrals in his life, but the ambience of St. Mark's Chiesa d'Oro always struck him as truly singular.

For centuries, it had been claimed that simply breathing the air of St. Mark's would make you a richer person.

...

the whole thing is basically there's, like, this secret society and this professor, Robert Langdon, who's the main guy in The Da Vinci Code.

Okay.

Sure.

I was

going to say Robert Langdon for sure.

Robert Langdon.

Right around this time as well.

Yeah.

Despite travelling away from Florence at 174 mph, the Silver Arrow train made almost no noise, its soft repetitive clicking and gently swaying motion having an almost soothing effect on those who rode it.

For Robert Langdon, the last hour had been a blur.

Now, aboard the high-speed train, Langdon, Sienna and Dr Ferris were seated in one of the Vletcher Gentos' private salottini, a small executive-class berth with four leather seats and a fold-out table.

Ferris had rented the entire cabin using his credit card, along with an assortment of sandwiches and mineral water, which Langdon and Sienna had ravenously consumed after cleaning up in the restroom next to their private berth.

As the three of them settled in for the two-hour train ride to Venice, Dr. Ferris immediately turned his gaze to the Dante Death Mask, which sat on a table between them in its ziplock bag.

We need to figure out precisely where in Venice this mask is leading us.

And quickly, Sienna added, urgency in her voice, it's probably our only hope of preventing Sober's Plague.

Hold on, Langdon said, placing a defensive hand atop the mask.