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)

wonderful book and very well narrated

loved it, great read, gives a different perspective about religion. totally worth it, would do it again.

Weakest of 'The Three'

I enjoyed symbologist Robert Langdon's previous two adventures, but I found this one to be predictable and trying far too hard to be 'clever'. I was engrossed for the first third of the book, the remainder was a struggle. Brown's constant overuse of adjectives and constant 'eureka' moments really started to get on my nerves this time around. 'Angels & Demons' was a great switch-your-brain-off title. 'The Da Vinci Code' was a commendable follow-up. 'The Lost Symbol' felt like an author who had to try very hard, with limited fresh ideas. OK, but not great.

Hard to follow after Da Vinci Code…

Angels and Demons was the mold, Da Vinci was the success, Lost symbol was what was left: still interesting of course, but -spoiler alert- there is a yet better symbol under the Statue of Liberty..: the Constitution.

Not his best work

I have followed Brown and always found the stories entertaining and delightfully implausible. But this one, although well narrated, suffers from 'success syndrome' much the same way Cussler went as his fame increased. It feels 'made' rather than 'written' and there is an annoying repetition of information already delivered in much the same way you see on television when delivering pseudo documentaries. There are 'moments' but it fails to deliver his brand, that being 'believable/possible'.

Tedious

The narrator did a good job, but the story was formulaic and tedious. I couldn't wait for it to end so that I could move onto something better

Another good story from dan brown, but .....

I like the Robert Langdon character, and the semi historical nature of the plot I dan Browns stories is excellent.
However
This one lost itself and became unconvincing in the last few chapters. After the dramatic climax, the key scene the whole plot had been building towards, it was totally unbelievable that the cast would then wander off sightseeing and continue discussing historical contexts of religion and politics , given what they'd just been through. at the end it totally spoiled the whole experience for me.

Exhilarating!

This book is so fascinating and fun! Fascinating insights into history which will be a plus if you love history.
This novel got my pulse racing!

Another Dan Brown formula

Any additional comments?

Not original anymore. Will be good for those die hard Dan Brown fans or those who loves this type of genre. I loved Angels and Demons, but after that book its been the same formula, different city, different cult and different villain.

Another exciting and intriguing novel !

As per usual, I was not disappointed ! Enjoyed the story and the narrator was excellent.

Good Book, Great Narration

First time audible listener so it was difficult to get into in the start, however the performance of the narrator was great. He really drew me into the experience and each character was given a unique voice and personality. The ending of the book sort of meandered but overall a great listen and thoroughly enjoyed.