6: ANGELS AND DEMONS¹ (2000)

 

"Angels and Demons" is a 2000 best-selling mystery-thriller novel written by Dan Brown. Robert Langdon discovered a brotherhood² called Illuminati. This anti-Christ underground movement creates a viral frenzy³ in the Vatican City, coinciding with the murder of a physicist⁴, the death of the pope and the abduction of four cardinals⁶. The Illuminati threatened to kill each cardinal⁵ every hour and then put the Vatican City to dust with the antimatter. Robert Langdon, a religious symbologist together with Vittoria, a scientist, raced against time to unravel⁷ the clues and discover where the destructive weapon was hidden. The two heroes, Vittoria being the researcher of the dangerous prototype of the antimatter and Robert being an expert tour guide must travel throughout Rome to discover the horrific truth behind the Illuminati's wrath⁸ in merely 4 hours.

 

7: THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (2003)

 

Did you know that "The Devil Wears Prada" is Lauren Weisberger's first written novel? Published in 2003, this delightful⁹ novel about landing on a first job with a devilish superior maintained to stay six months in the New York Times best-seller list. "The Devil Wears Prada" takes the readers to the hilarious¹⁰ world of Andrea Sachs. Her mishaps¹¹ as assistant to Miranda Priestly, a high profile editor, a sophisticated woman, and an iron-clad fisted boss, elicit¹² humor and inspiration to readers. This book also gives an inside look in New York and International fashion with full references to designers, models, clothes and glamour¹³, from the trendiest to the most expensive, name it. Andrea and Miranda symbolize¹⁴ the reality at the workplace where the boss is always right. As a whole, the depiction¹⁵ of work life, fashion statement and success of a newbie cast a spell to the readers.

 

8: TWILIGHT¹⁶ (2005)

 

Stephanie Meyer undoubtedly¹⁷ justified¹⁸ her sensibility to enable the readers to thirst for more in her very own version of a vampire¹⁹ story, the "Twilight". A vampire story for people who don't want vampire is just one of the many unified²⁰ notions for this novel about the impossible love, the family mystery and the extraordinary life of Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan. Each page is savored²¹ that compels and touches the readers to feel like they are unwilling²² to give up hope for a seemingly doomed²³ relationship. Bella's undying love and Edward's hidden monstrous²⁴ character lead the romance to a bloody²⁵ twist. On the one hand for the sake of trivial pursuit, "Twilight" was rejected by 14 agents, right before it was published in 2005 with a print-run of 75,000 copies. "Twilight" peaked at Number 1 at New York Times Bestseller list and later went on to become the Bestselling Book in 2008.

 

9: THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE (2003)

 

Although "time travel" suggests a science fiction genre²⁶, Audrey Niffenegger successfully conveys a timeless love story beneath the title "The Time Traveler's Wife". Henry is 36 and Clare is 6 when they first met yet the truth is Henry is only 8 years older than Clare. Yes, Henry was plagued by time travel a genetic²⁷ mutation²⁸ disorder²⁹, as he traveled he discovered much of the future and he could even go back in time. Clare on the other hand was love driven so she opted³⁰ to live with Henry's curse as part of her life. Henry became her deepest secret. Clare's struggles were devastating³¹ yet the love they shared was passionate³² and enduring. This wonderful novel also explores the multiple ages of Henry and how he foresees his death. "The Time Traveler's Wife", published in 2003 literally³³ buries the readers and gets everyone immersed with Henry and Clare's life, love and destiny.

 

10: TAKEN (2006)

 

"Taken" a novel written by Edward Bloor tackles life two decades from today and lets the readers expect the unexpected. In 2035, what would life be? The rich will be twice as glorified³⁴ and the poor will be twice as forsaken³⁵ where kidnapping will become the menial job of the meek³⁶. On a New Year's Eve, Charity Meyer is kidnapped, as it is a common situation and every rich kid is well trained on kidnapping protocols³⁷, initially³⁸ she is very calm just waiting to be ransomed⁴⁰. However, when she identified one of the kidnappers⁴¹, she knows a ransom³⁹ will not save her. She has no way out but to fight for herself. Scared as she is, there are even much scarier things she has to take to flee. Clueless, unguided and lost, who will save Charity Meyer?

 

On the whole, it is quite obvious that these written works have become bedrock to the writers and a silent force of economic advancements⁴²: the books are bestseller; the films are highest-grossing. Nevertheless, the popularity of the books make the films vulnerable to unfavorable reviews such as slaughtering⁴³ the real story due to chronic⁴⁴ rush of sequences, exaggerations and overtones. The question is, what beholds⁴⁵ the viewers' eyes?

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