The Lost Symbol

By: Dan Brown

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER • An intelligent, lightning-paced thriller set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., with surprises at every turn.

“Impossible to put down.... Another mind-blowing Robert Langdon story.” —The New York Times

Famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon answers an unexpected summons to appear at the U.S. Capitol Building. His plans are interrupted when a disturbing object—artfully encoded with five symbols—is discovered in the building. Langdon recognizes in the find an ancient invitation into a lost world of esoteric, potentially dangerous wisdom.

When his mentor Peter Solomon—a long-standing Mason and beloved philanthropist—is kidnapped, Langdon realizes that the only way to save Solomon is to accept the mystical invitation and plunge headlong into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and one inconceivable truth... all under the watchful eye of Dan Brown's most terrifying villain to date.

©2009 Dan Brown (P)2009 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[I]mpossible to put down....Mr. Brown was writing sensational visual scenarios long before his books became movie material. This time he again enlivens his story with amazing imagery....Thanks to him, picture postcards of the capital's most famous monuments will never be the same....In the end it is Mr. Brown's sweet optimism, even more than Langdon's sleuthing and explicating, that may amaze his readers most." ( The New York Times)
"Thrilling, entertaining....Robert Langdon goes for another roller-coaster ride - this time in a hunt for a Masonic treasure in Washington, D.C." ( Los Angeles Times)

good fiction

Pretty good listen. Finished two from this series so far. Probably listen to the rest some time in the future.

Loved it

I love all Dan Brown books. This book did get rather grim at one point (so much that I wondered why I was reading it), but the story moved on. The author always combines great fiction with history. I love that. My favorite book is Angels & Demons, but this is a good one.

Loved it

I loved all the references to our State Capital, very interesting. It made me want to visit there and see it for myself. I enjoyed the history lessons along with spiritual lessons. Paul Michael's narration was easy to listen to and he did the characters with discernible changes to let me know who was talking. I couldn't stop listening!

Typical Dan Brown

Dan Brown in not a good writer. His books are entertaining because of the references to real world artwork, places and institutions and the way he weaves them into the story. In this case his setting is Washington DC and the world of the freemasons. Brown does his research and it works quite well. However, his characters are wooden and his plot contrived. Also, I don't care for his habit of making declarations about so called "facts" that are nothing of the sort. for example: the Institute of Noetic Science IS a real place and it studies esoteric matters of human potential but it has not achieved such definitive scientific findings as this book states. If you take The Lost Symbol as fiction it is a fun, quick read. If you like mysteries, you'll enjoy the way the plot unfolds, as long as you don't mind a few groan inducing plot twists and lots of corny dialogue.

Popularizing Spirituality

Dan Brown's last book in the Robert Langford series is quite a romp through the real and fictional world of Masonic and American symbols. It is not as stunning a DiVinci Code, or as action-packed as Angels & Demons -- but certainly kept me awake!

Moreover, the final, post-climactic chapters expressed a growing understanding of spirituality that seems to be moving around the country and the world. While Angels & Demons took us inside (and underneath) the Vatican and DiVinci Code opened the general developments in historic research to the mass audience (and this was perhaps the reason the later was such a success as a movie),

Lost Symbol explores the many symbols and ideas that transcend religion to point toward a universal truth of spirituality.

Brown is a fiction writer, and some of his "facts" about the Vatican, the Holy Grail, and the Free Masons are iffy -- oversimplified, over-sensationalized, and occasionally made up of whole cloth. But then, we do have Wikipedia to find the factual answers. What this author does is set the concepts on fire in the popular imagination.

enchanting read!!!

having read the book i had to get the audio version.. this book is a fantastic read from the first page to the last. It is enchanting and egrossing i just couldnt put it down. Dan Brown spins a fantastic tale that if not knowing any better is a realistic as life itself.

Great Listen

Would you consider the audio edition of The Lost Symbol to be better than the print version?

Dont know, have not read the printed version

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Lost Symbol?

The plot twists

What does Paul Michael bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Different voices for each character helps keep everything straight

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

laugh and think

Great Performance

Would you consider the audio edition of The Lost Symbol to be better than the print version?

Yes. Mainly because I was able to enjoy the book while driving, but also because the voice acting was entertaining.

Have you listened to any of Paul Michael’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any other Paul Michael performances, but after finishing this book, I will purchase others that he has read.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely. Unfortunately, since this is the unabridged version, that would have been virtually impossible to do so. I was tempted to try, however.

Mind blowing!

One of the best books of this genre ever! Despite critics, Brown continues to draw science and religion closer together.

Had me riveted!

I’m fascinated with Dan Brown’s topics and even though the story is fictional I resonate with the historical knowledge he shares. This book made me think differently about the Bible and I might even do some research on it! The story line held me in its grasp until the very end!