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)

16 hours you'll never get back ...

I enjoy some good old airport fiction as much as the next person, but there is a limit. The characters are one dimensional - which is fine - the plot however is tissue paper thin, and this is a problem for a book that is entirely plot driven!

We stumble from one poorly realised "revelation" to another under an avalanche of portentous prose that completely fails to deliver anything like excitement or tension.

The narrator does an heroic job, but there are only so many times you can say "the ancient mysteries" and "the wisdom of the ages" before you sound like you're taking the mick. So run don't walk and look elsewhere!

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Very typical of Dan Brown. Easy brilliance.

If you are a fan of Dan Brown then you won't be disappointed with this volume either. Holds your interest and has good solid info presented in his riveting style.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Ending drags on too long

The ending drags on too long. The narrator did an excellent job though. Hope the next book is better.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Preposterous, in a good way

Well, the hype surrounding "the next Da Vinci Code" actually detracted from the experience for me.

I enjoyed this book none the less, as it was pure unadulterated pulp, and pretty self aware. It didn't set out to climb literary mountains, or be worthy or clever. I seemed to be content with just telling a ripping, and totally preposterous story and trying to be entertaining with it.

I was entertained. The story was read very well, and the sound and quality were excellent.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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.

wonderful book and very well narrated

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

Another exciting and intriguing novel !

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

Best book yet!

What did you love best about The Lost Symbol?

the story, and the hidden DC history

What did you like best about this story?

the ending was a surprise

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

No, but he was great

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

lots of laughs and some damns too

Waste of time, a piece of junk.

Although Paul Michael narrated well, this book lacks of depth in all aspects. Story is very predictable, and it's more or less just a repeat of Da Vinci Code. A piece of rubbish by Dan Brown.

A must read

For the open minded. Cermented my curiosity about we humans..our purpose here on earth..what we are capable of and how lost we all are. My journey for enlightenment and apotheosis has began

Did it end?

After all the excitement it took two goes at listening to the ending to realise my player hadn't switched off - it had just run out of story. Pity.

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Pacy, preposterous story marred by finale

I've read the daVinci Code and listened to Angels & Demons by Dan Brown so had a good idea what style of book this would be. As with the earlier books the story is full of complex explanations of symbols and historical references, this time for Masonic Orders coupled with a fast moving thriller. Much of the detail was interesting. The section about weighting the human soul was scientific bunk. As with Angles & Demons the book is marred by a boring finale of nearly an hour: in this book it's turgid religious references. It made the end of the book a damp squib.

21 of 22 people found this review helpful

A SHORT STORY WITH NO TWISTS

This is a very disappointing book.

While well read and dramatised - that is the end of the positives.

The book is really no more than a short story spun out with a lot of tedious detail, trading on the author's reputation.

It is slow, dull and unexciting compared to his previous work.

Definitely the worst book I have had from Audible

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Not brilliant

Long, drawn out, annoying... with bursts of excitement here and there. And Dan Brown needs to work on his endings - it just wasn't good.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Unadulterated tosh

I cannot believe I wasted so many hours of my life listening to this book!! Luckily I was walking the dogs at the time so not a total waste. What started as quite an exciting story was rapidly bogged down in way too much detail. It felt as if Dan Brown was including every piece of research he had ever done, rather than applying any filter as to what was interesting or necessary to the plot. The last 3 hours was a complete waste of time, some parts didn't even make sense. Do not buy this however much you may have enjoyed his previous books.

23 of 26 people found this review helpful

Great fun, but flawed...

Really enjoyed it. Lost a star because of points below (no spoilers)...

1. If your female companion declares she has decyphered an element of the puzzle, you must ask 'You understand??' incredulously as though you had always assumed her an idiot.

2. The nervous wreck Langdon will meet any mild revelation during the proceedings with such actions as staggering, knees giving way, jumping backwards or being utterly shocked.

3. There are two ways you can learn the secrets of the ages. You can either graft your way up the 33 degrees of the Masonic order over a lifetime or, alternatively, you can hand it on a platter to your brattish, spoilt, greedy and indiscreet son.

4. After you have finished your story, reserve an extra 2 hours at the end of the book to preach at the listener.

5. Make your puzzles decypherable only to the sagely initated, oh, and everyone else who has basic knowledge of art, history and architecture.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

A good read

I really liked this book. Not as unrealistic as the others I have listened too and with some good links to real life and ideas.
Liked the end but found it carried on a little too much after the climatic end. This just knocks it off the five stars for me.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

The retrun of the dashing symbologist .....

Here we go again .... In traditional Dan Brown style we are returned to the mystical world of Professor Robert Langdon and yet again he has a sexy, intelligent, companion throughout this epic adventure.
Basically, if you enjoy the Dan Brown style then you will drop lightly into the characters in this tale of the New World. The usual sysbologist aproach to the solving of a mystery, add in the usual secret societies and a touch of drama and awaay you go. Throughly enjoyable.
You will always be left with food for thought and a desire for more if you enjoyed The Davinci Code and Angels and Demons then here is the next step on the staircase.

18 of 23 people found this review helpful

Fantastic!

What made the experience of listening to The Lost Symbol the most enjoyable?

The story was epically gripping. Malak is a fantastic 'baddie'...

What did you like best about this story?

Great depth of characters

What about Paul Michael’s performance did you like?

Well read. No complaints here :)

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

Spine chillingly spooky at times!

Any additional comments?

Well worth a listen

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Tedious

The da vinci code was a bit daft but basically a fun adventure that kept my interest throughout. This book charts new heights of the ridiculous without the redeeming feature of being a good yarn.

I was pleased to get to the end.

8 of 10 people found this review helpful