The Lost Symbol

By: Dan Brown

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

The Lost Symbol, the stunning follow-up to The Da Vinci Code, is a masterstroke of storytelling - a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes and unseen truths...all under the watchful eye of a terrifying villain. Set within the unseen tunnels and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object - artfully encoded with five ancient symbols - is discovered in the Capitol Building. The object is an ancient invitation, meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of hidden esoteric wisdom. And when Langdon's mentor Peter Solomon - prominent Mason and philanthropist - is kidnapped, Langdon's only hope of saving Peter is to accept this invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon finds himself 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.

The Lost Symbol is exactly what Dan Brown's fans have been waiting for...his most thrilling novel yet.

©2009 Dan Brown (P)2009 Random House Inc.

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)

Kept me in suspense

I did enjoy this book. It keep me guessing what would happen next. The masonic theme was fascinating. Dan Brown fans will enjoy this one.

A book to listen to again and again.

I've read this book and now listened to it. It's a story that engulfs you and you don't want to stop.

Great story superbly told

As always Dan Brown does not disappoint
The story is a super mixture of fact and fiction

Waiting for the film version with Tom hanks as Richard Langton

Hey everyone, look how much smarter I am than you!

This is only the second Dan Brown book I’ve read/listened to. I’ve avoided his books because I’ve heard his prose is terrible. Having said that, I found “Digital Fortress” to be highly enjoyable and thought I’d give him the benefit of the doubt. I know this review is long, but bear with me. I may save you some time and money.

“The Lost Symbol” returns us to Harvard Symbologist Robert Langdon, and his search for the mythical pyramid of the Freemasons. It’s a good idea with loads of potential and the pace initially seems to be well set (it actually isn’t). As always there appears to be plenty of research put into the subject by Brown and the elements that bring the story together are very intriguing. But Brown’s greatest strength is also his most frustrating one.

Brown appears to cast himself in the role of Langdon (the all-knowing teacher) and relishes talking down to the rest of the characters (and his students), who represent the majority of the “ignorant dumb masses” that think they know things, but are sadly mistaken i.e. us. There are many scenes involving these other characters making statements about a historic building or event, only to have Langdon correct them. There is an overwhelming sense of Brown’s pomposity and condescension present when these scenes take place that it’s almost enough to make you turn off the audiobook.

The other frustrating thing Brown does is tiptoe around the big revelations of the story, making the characters spell out every step involved in deducing the big reveal instead of just getting to the bloody point. It’s like they forget they’re racing against the clock. ”I know Peter is about to die any minute and the future of the country is at stake, but let me spend 15 minutes giving you a dissertation on something…” It’s enough to make you gouge your eyes out!

Add to that the fact that certain chapters end on “big” cliffhangers and we don’t return to those scenes for some time after. It’s designed to keep you “turning the pages” until you discover the next anti-climactic irrelevant plot point, but it just ends up making you want to punch Brown in the face…repeatedly...with a shovel. Oh and did I mention Langdon seems to have become a complete moron? You’d think after his DVC and A&D adventures he would be more open-minded about things, but no. The same old scepticism first, be-shocked-and-dumbfounded-after-being-proven-wrong second, still applies.

The narrator cannot be faulted though. He sincerely gives the book his best reading and performance and does a good job of depicting the characters. But even he can’t save this train wreck.

All that being said, I nevertheless found myself swept up in the book as it approached its climax (I know right. WTF?). The character of Mal’akh is actually quite interesting, if a little too similar to Thomas Harris’ Francis Dollarhyde and a complete cliché. The book ends up being an okay read if you can stomach the negatives and the twist that many will see coming from a continent away. The last hour of the book is also unnecessary and the final revelation of the Ancient Word is a complete “That’s it?” moment. Don't waste your time.

Simple fun or ridiculous? You decide.

Here we go again. Robert Langdon and a random woman go on a trail of secret symbols to uncover the meaning of life, the universe and everything, this time in Washington DC and via Freemasonry. My relief that Brown was leaving Christianity alone evaporated in the last hour of this preposterous revision of US history. As with his previous 2 books knowing where fact stops and fiction begins is horribly difficult, this time especially for a Brit. However, his numerous errors with science, Biblical quotes and simple facts (apparently you can go south from DC on a line of longitude 24,000 miles long...) are easy to spot and either forgiveable (as its fiction anyway), or complete spoilers, suggesting Brown hasn't researched as he should. There are a few moments of genuine tension, and a couple of surprising twists, but by the time you get there you'll be wanting to grab Langdon by the trousers (sorry, pants) and give him an all time great wedgie. You'll also be wishing all sorts of horrible ends for the annoying CIA woman. Written undoubtedly with Hollywood in mind, Brown has crafted a story that might make a fun movie - all that CGI in Washington DC! As a book though I found it ultimately disappointing with a hint of annoyance bordering on offence, as he has no grasp of Christian teaching. His mishandling of Biblical references to Jesus, especially in the gospel of John, is so glaringly and straightforwardly wrong that it undermines his entire thesis, and left me finishing this book with one word uppermost in my mind - ridiculous. Am I right? You decide!

Nothing much to write about

I was really disappointed with this book. There was about 10 minutes worth of suspense in total and the last hour of listening to this book was so boring that I fell asleep a few times and had to go back to listen to it again. I will not easily spend money on the next Dan Brown book before reading the reviews.

Dan Brown has lsot more than a Symbol!

I was totally and utterly disappointed in this book which trades on his (Brown's) past success. It is repetitive, predictable, stupid and badly written!

only OK

A little 'same old -same old' and laborious at times.

Snoooozzzzzee

What disappointed you about The Lost Symbol?

Dan Brown managed to take one character and clone him into several supporting characters. All of the main characters use the same phrases ("Patience," "I assure you") to no end.Where Angels and Demons was a fast paced adventure, this was a slow dragged out performance. Endless lists of all the various symbols and organisations, cost me hours of my life. It is quite acceptable to provide such lists but when every character thinks about them, it forces me to hear it again and again. I should however not be surprised, as Da Vinci Code lost a great deal of the momentum from Angels and Demons. Even in DVC Dan Brown managed to turn on the snooze with his insistence on providing so much "proof" that his story is no longer plausible.I am rambling...

Would you ever listen to anything by Dan Brown again?

I have not yet read Deception Point and will give it a go, purely because Angels and Demons, and Digital Fortress were two of my favourite books.

Would you be willing to try another one of Paul Michael’s performances?

Probably, he was not bad.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Frustration. I nearly did not finish it.

Tedious

The basic plot is interesting, unfortunately it does not survive the lectures on ancient mystecism. I fastworwarded through a big portion of the book. This would probably do better as a film. I enjoyed the narrator though.