Dan Brown's Next Book is Based on Dante's Inferno, Will Be Released in May, 2013

Posted on January 15, 2013

Doubleday announced today that Dan Brown's next book is completed. Inferno will be published on May 14th in the U.S. and Canada. Inferno continues of the adventures of symbologist Robert Langdon, who also starred in Dan's international bestsellers, The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol.

Sonny Mehta, Chairman and Editor in Chief of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, made the announcement. Inferno is set in Italy and revolves around Dante's Inferno. As expected, the first printing will be huge. Doubleday is planning a four million copy first run. The ebook will be published at the same time as the hardcover.

Brown discussed his inspiration for the new book saying, "Although I studied Dante's Inferno as a student, it wasn't until recently, while researching in Florence, that I came to appreciate the enduring influence of Dante's work on the modern world. With this new novel, I am excited to take readers on a journey deep into this mysterious realm...a landscape of codes, symbols, and more than a few secret passageways."

Mehta is pretty excited about the release saying, "Dan Brown is a masterful storyteller. His ability to fuse codes with well-researched history has helped to make his novels some of the most popular works of all time. With Inferno, Dan has taken a literary classic and animated it in a way that only he can."

Brown's editor Jason Kaufman added, "When we turn the first page of a new Dan Brown novel, we step into a world that seamlessly infuses fascinating history, art, symbols and puzzles. This is Dan's unique ability. In Inferno, we have the added excitement of following Robert Langdon back to the heart of Europe, where he becomes entwined in a mystery that has global ramifications..tied to the ominous and truly mesmerizing details of Dante's masterful work."

Doubleday reminds us that The Da Vinci Code is the bestselling adult hardcover of all time with 81 million copies in print worldwide. Along with The Bible, Harry Potter and Gone with the Wind, it is one of the top ten most read books in the world.

Photo: Dooubleday