• The Lost Symbol

  • By: Dan Brown
  • Narrated by: Paul Michael
  • Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (20,145 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Lost Symbol  By  cover art

The Lost Symbol

By: Dan Brown
Narrated by: Paul Michael
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $27.00

Buy for $27.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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)

Featured Article: Audible Essentials—The Top 100 Screen Adaptations of All Time


As the category of great page-to-screen storytelling continues to grow, we scoured our libraries, grilled audiophiles and cinephiles, and vetted the entire Audible catalog for the 100 greatest screen adaptations for watchers and listeners alike. These are the stories that inspired some of the greatest on-screen stories of all time, from Academy Award winners and cult classics to must-see TV. They're well worth the price of admission.

What listeners say about The Lost Symbol

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10,127
  • 4 Stars
    5,658
  • 3 Stars
    2,895
  • 2 Stars
    917
  • 1 Stars
    548
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9,063
  • 4 Stars
    3,070
  • 3 Stars
    863
  • 2 Stars
    159
  • 1 Stars
    100
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7,672
  • 4 Stars
    3,310
  • 3 Stars
    1,594
  • 2 Stars
    489
  • 1 Stars
    276

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

In love with books again

I havent enjoyed a good book in quite a long time. I grabbed this just because it was on the Best Seller list. I had never read or watched the Davinci Code. I LOVED this book and I love Robert Langdon. I love the symbolism mixed with religion and Masonry. Since reading this book I went back and grabbed Angels n Demons which I enjoyed equally. Davinci Code and me have a date next weekend while on family vacation. I find the books very easy to read, without too much filler. I personally can live without the few times where Dan Brown crosses reality over to futuristic transportaion, fuels and weapons. I much prefer stories that teeter right on the edge of reality making me question the fine line of what is believeable. Overall though... a great book. PC

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

47 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Pretentious Trash

This book was just awful. I really can't find a good thing to say about. The writing is terrible. The characters are unlikeable and engage in the most unrealistic dialogue this side of a George Lucas film. The plot is plodding, boring, and tedious.

A good narrator can propel a mediocre book to greater heights. Paul Michaels is, however, not a good narrator. Coupled with the unrealistic and boring plot, Michaels' poor narration makes this audiobook just about unbearable. Why, with a novel as popular as this, would the publishers not secure a more capable narrator?

I'm not entirely clear who Brown's target audience is. This book is so pretentious that you would believe it is aimed at a fairly sophisticated audience. However, it is so poorly written it is unlikely to appeal to any reader who wants their authors to have at least a modicum of talent. I'm willing to overlook talent for an author who can tell a good story, but Brown doesn't even succeed on this front with this book.

As has been said before, if you like this sort of thing, then The Lost Secret is the sort of thing you'll like. However, if you're interested in good writing, or even just good storytelling, this has neither.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

32 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Preachy

Loved his other books, but this one...not so much...Long on detail...repeated over and over and over again just in case you missed it the first 10 times. Cookie cutter action...same old formula with different names and places. Very preachy...is he trying to start a new religion?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Classic or Typical

Depending upon your view, this was either "classic" Dan Brown or "Typical" Dan Brown. Being a fan, I will say "classic", but definately not the best of Brown.

Robert Langdon was once again, after an early morning call, running around a large city with a beautiful, very smart, scientist; being chased by the authorities, and a scary, extremely creepy bad guy. Of course Robert has to decode something to save a life and once again it all has religious overtones. (Okay, overtones is an understatement.)

There were plot twists that I saw coming and a couple that caught me off guard. All in all, I did enjoyed the ride. But, as others have said, once the ride was over, it just kept going! Not only did the ending go on too long, but the behavior was not believable. All the people involved had just been through a harrowing, intense experience - The emotions or lack of, did not ring true.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!

This was a great book. Very fast paced and full of interesting information. I thought that the first book would be a really hard book to top, but it really did a good job in following up the Di Vinci Code.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Lost Symbol

What a disapointment. I would not have given this one star but 0 star is not an option. I was looking forward to going on Dan Browns newest adventure. I'm feeling let down by Mr. Brown. I have read his other books this once is not even close to his other novels. In fact I would like a refund!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

The book starts off well enough, but by the end of the first third of the book you will have already figured out who the bad-guy really is and how that came about. Many of the characters are portrayed as incredibly inept (or stupid). By the time you are two thirds through the book you wish it would just end. When it finally does end, it doesn't end but preaches (or drones) on and on and on. Contrived and predictable is a good description of the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Not his best

Although a big fan, I was not impressed with this read. Too much story for such a let down in the end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

His worst book ever

This is not what i was expecting from Dan Brown. I love all his previous books. But this one is just horrible. The plot is sooooo lame. There is really nothing good to say about this book. Very disappointing.

Do not waste your credit on this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

The Lost Symbol

As others have said "a wasted credit", I feel cheated.
Shame on Dan Brown.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful