As with his previous 4 books, this one kept you reading from start to finish!! Highly recommend.

Average Rating:

Rating: - Wonderful Read
As with his previous 4 books, this one kept you reading from start to finish!! Highly recommend.

Rating: - Easy to digest but not much of a departure from Da Vinci Code
If there was a long lost formula for writing a formulaic work of fiction, then Robert Langdon would be the man to track it down and decipher its many interpretations to the point of exhaustion, all while being chased through corridors, caverns and cathedrals. Dan Brown is definitely using this formula in The Lost Symbol, his remarkably similar follow-up to The Da Vinci Code. In this go round, the Masonic Order and Washington DC are his subject and setting, as a mysterious tattooed man threatens to bring the secret society to its knees. After having gained surreptitious initiation into The Order's 33rd degree, our villain kidnaps a close Masonic friend of Langdon's in his quest to learn the most hidden and revered secrets of the society. The book derails about a quarter the way through, round about the time that Langdon starts "remembering" the most inconceivably remote coincidences of Masonic symbology. A reader can only suspend their disbelief for so long, and Langdon's photographic memory does a bit too much heavy lifting here for such a slight frame. Full credit must be given to Brown for his thorough research, and for the inclusion of some interesting code breaking puzzelry and a plethora of military and CIA minutia. He even opens the door to the unique world of noetic science, which no doubt will serve to enlighten a few readers with its bizarre claims and pursuits. But the sum of many interesting parts does not make for a very engaging read. At the end we are left with a plot twist that was a dead give away in the first few chapters, and a long drawn out conclusion that fizzles and pops with very little resolve. Dan Brown had a tough hill to climb after having reached such a pinnacle with his previous work; the subject of The Lost Symbol worked, he just could have told a much better story with the formula he seems so comfortable using on each expedition.

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Rating: - Quick Read
I must have been reading a different book then the other reviewers. I thought the book was interesting and a quick read. I have read all of Dan Browns books even Deception Point (which has different characters). The book is not going to win any awards, but I knew exactly what I was getting into when I bought this book. A quick fun read that would take me away from my everyday life. That is exactly what I got out of the book. For those of you who are looking for thought provoking words and literary genius, you will have to go somewhere else. But for the plebes like me this book satisfied my quench for adventure and excitement.

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Rating: - The Lost Symbol
First I would like to say that I really enjoyed The Da Vinci Code,The Lost Symbol however is a boring writing disaster. It is as though Dan Brown uses a template to create his characters and plot lines. The evil villain displays similar attributes as villains from previous novels. Robert Langdon thought processes are shallow and unimaginative.The characters lack depth and and are uninteresting. The writing drags on and on without anything to keep you interested. This book was difficult to stay focused on because it was so boring. The many flashbacks in the novel do not add interest to the story but rather make it a more cumbersome read. I also dislike the short disjointed chapters. It is not worth the read.

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Rating: - `I come for wisdom and he offers me wealth.'
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon travels to Washington DC to meet his old friend, mentor and prominent mason Peter Solomon. Langdon is to deliver an evening lecture in the US Capitol Building. On arrival he finds the severed right hand of his friend placed in the Capitol rotunda. Yes, the night has taken a bizarre turn ... and the bizarreness keeps on happening right through to the end.

Langdon's mission is to save Peter Solomon who has been kidnapped. This involves joining forces with Peter's sister Katherine, delving into Masonic secrets, and (of course) treading on the toes of the CIA. Oh, and I must mention the new bad guy and Langdon's adversary: Mal'akh, the tattooed eunuch bodybuilder.

I found this novel highly entertaining, in a very implausible way. There is frenetic action galore, some interesting snippets of information about the Freemasonry and Washington DC. A good escapist read for those of us who sometimes need and enjoy a novel that requires no commitment except for time.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith


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