Dan Brown’s Inferno Sells Almost 230,000 Copies in UK on 1st Week; Film Version Coming Soon

If the book version of Dan Brown's latest novel, Inferno, had caught the ire of Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino for describing Manila as the gates of hell, the chairman would likely see red and would move heaven and earth to ban a film version of the novel.

The Web site of Mr Brown said that besides writing a new novel, the author of Da Vinci Code is also working with Columbia Pictures for the film version of the controversial book.

A week after its release, Inferno sold almost 230,000 in UK alone, The Guardian reports. With the huge sales volume, the number two book in terms of sales paled in comparison since The Life by Martine Cole sold only almost 24,000 copies for the same period.

However, unlike American newspapers which liked the book, Mr Tolentino has found an ally in British reviewers who didn't like the novel.

Jake Kerridge of the Daily Telegraph wrote sarcastically that Mr Brown keeps getting better. "Where once he was abysmal he is now just very poor," Mr Kerridge said, adding it is Mr Brown's worst book because "his ambition her wildly exceeds his ability."

Peter Conrad of the Observer said he initially thought Mr Brown was just bad, now "I suspect he might be mad as well."

Mr Brown acknowledged that he tends to get bad reviews among British reviewers, but said he has learned to ignore both harsh critiques and lavish praises. "The best thing to do is just put on the blinders, write the book that you would want to read and hope that other people share your taste. It's really that simple," he said.

Even the Office of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has stepped into the controversy by the gates of hell description with spokesperson Abigail Valte saying, "We trust that ordinary readers will give more weight to the testimonials of real people who have enjoyed their stay here in our beautiful country over the experiences of a fictional character whose narrative is written for maximum effect."

Mr Tolentino has declined to further comment on the issue, but launched a three-week cleanup to clear Metro Manila's waterways and remove street dwellers. Target areas are Roxas Boulevard, a tourist destination, and other parts of Manila.

He said the cleanup of waterways is in preparation for the rainy season to avoid flashfloods, but stressed these initiatives are not in response to Mr Brown's description of Manila.

In Twitter, a significant number of tweets agreed with Mr Brown's description of Manila. Robert JA Basilio Jr even teased Mr Tolentino that "Manila is not heavenly. I want the drug you are taking."