The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Book Title: The Lost Symbol
Author: Dan Brown
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
My Grade: B-
# of Pages: 509
Summary: In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling - a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths... all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.
As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object - artfully encoded with five symbols - is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation... one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.
When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon - a prominent Mason and philanthropist - is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations - all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.
As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightening-paced story that offers surprises at every turn. The Lost Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for... his most thrilling novel yet.
My Thoughts: I don't think Brown will be able to out-do The Da Vinci Code. The Lost Symbol definitely falls short compared to the sensation of it's predecessor. And I didn't even have high expectations to begin with to be honest. I think Dan Brown put so much heart and soul into The Da Vinci Code there wasn't a lot left to put into this one.
The main problem I had with the book was unlike The Da Vinci Code and even Angels & Demons where information and clues were doled out while on the run and in the middle of action, The Lost Symbol paused to feed us what we needed to know, which dragged the book down severly. At the end of one short chapter you have something exploding and the next you're casually sitting in an office without a care in the world hearing a dry explanation on an order of symbols. I felt like it wasn't until I was almost halfway through the novel that things started picking up and it became a page turner.
The ending (without giving anything away) was also a bit disappointing for me. You get your answer, but it's a bit of a letdown and you still kind of feel like there should be something more. And I'm talking the ending ending (because there are a couple), the ones before it were actually exciting and worthwhile.
There are many interesting situations and nail-biting moments scattered throughout the slow beginning of the book that keep you reading. And Langdon remains entertaining, along with his partners in crime, so don't think I'm saying the novel's a total bust. Neccessary character background is put in during appropriate times and doesn't come across as an awkward nuisance or glaringly obvious hints to what's coming that can so easily happen in other mystery novels. Plus, our main bad guy in the book... creepy and evil as hell. Especially because this time we know who it is which makes it even scarier when we see our good guys continuously walk into his traps.
In the end it's a mediocre, bordering on good, pop-fiction mystery, with enough scientific, philosophical, historical and religious jargon thrown in there to make you feel kinda smart. Like always don't let my negatives or positives throw you from a book you may have been anticipating. As my friends and family read my copy that's being passed around I'm very curious to see if they found it to be better, the same or worse than The Da Vinci Code. If and when you've read it, I'd like to know what you think as well.
Next Book: Coraline by Neil Gaiman • review
Back to the Book List.
Author: Dan Brown
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
My Grade: B-
# of Pages: 509
Summary: In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling - a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths... all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.
As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object - artfully encoded with five symbols - is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation... one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.
When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon - a prominent Mason and philanthropist - is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations - all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.
As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightening-paced story that offers surprises at every turn. The Lost Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for... his most thrilling novel yet.
My Thoughts: I don't think Brown will be able to out-do The Da Vinci Code. The Lost Symbol definitely falls short compared to the sensation of it's predecessor. And I didn't even have high expectations to begin with to be honest. I think Dan Brown put so much heart and soul into The Da Vinci Code there wasn't a lot left to put into this one.
The main problem I had with the book was unlike The Da Vinci Code and even Angels & Demons where information and clues were doled out while on the run and in the middle of action, The Lost Symbol paused to feed us what we needed to know, which dragged the book down severly. At the end of one short chapter you have something exploding and the next you're casually sitting in an office without a care in the world hearing a dry explanation on an order of symbols. I felt like it wasn't until I was almost halfway through the novel that things started picking up and it became a page turner.
The ending (without giving anything away) was also a bit disappointing for me. You get your answer, but it's a bit of a letdown and you still kind of feel like there should be something more. And I'm talking the ending ending (because there are a couple), the ones before it were actually exciting and worthwhile.
There are many interesting situations and nail-biting moments scattered throughout the slow beginning of the book that keep you reading. And Langdon remains entertaining, along with his partners in crime, so don't think I'm saying the novel's a total bust. Neccessary character background is put in during appropriate times and doesn't come across as an awkward nuisance or glaringly obvious hints to what's coming that can so easily happen in other mystery novels. Plus, our main bad guy in the book... creepy and evil as hell. Especially because this time we know who it is which makes it even scarier when we see our good guys continuously walk into his traps.
In the end it's a mediocre, bordering on good, pop-fiction mystery, with enough scientific, philosophical, historical and religious jargon thrown in there to make you feel kinda smart. Like always don't let my negatives or positives throw you from a book you may have been anticipating. As my friends and family read my copy that's being passed around I'm very curious to see if they found it to be better, the same or worse than The Da Vinci Code. If and when you've read it, I'd like to know what you think as well.
Next Book: Coraline by Neil Gaiman • review
Back to the Book List.