| The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, No. 3) |  | Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $17.51
as of 3/21/2010 21:05 CET details
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Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  2337 reviews
Sales Rank: 75
Media: Hardcover
Edition: First Edition
Pages: 528
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.1 x 1.7
ISBN: 0385504225
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780385504225
ASIN: 0385504225
Publication Date: September 15, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9780385504225 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
New Novel by Dan Brown, author of Digital Fortress, Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, and Breaking Point. Supposedly with content on the Mormons and on Freemasonry! New adventures of Robert Langdon.
Amazon.com Review
Let's start with the question every Dan Brown fan wants answered: Is The Lost Symbol as good as The Da Vinci Code? Simply put, yes. Brown has mastered the art of blending nail-biting suspense with random arcana (from pop science to religion), and The Lost Symbol is an enthralling mix. And what a dazzling accomplishment that is, considering that rabid fans and skeptics alike are scrutinizing every word.
The Lost Symbol begins with an ancient ritual, a shadowy enclave, and of course, a secret. Readers know they are in Dan Brown territory when, by the end of the first chapter, a secret within a secret is revealed. To tell too much would ruin the fun of reading this delicious thriller, so you will find no spoilers here. Suffice it to say that as with many series featuring a recurring character, there is a bit of a formula at work (one that fans will love). Again, brilliant Harvard professor Robert Langdon finds himself in a predicament that requires his vast knowledge of symbology and superior problem-solving skills to save the day. The setting, unlike other Robert Langdon novels, is stateside, and in Brown's hands Washington D.C. is as fascinating as Paris or Vatican City (note to the D.C. tourism board: get your "Lost Symbol" tour in order). And, as with other Dan Brown books, the pace is relentless, the revelations many, and there is an endless parade of intriguing factoids that will make you feel like you are spending the afternoon with Robert Langdon and the guys from Mythbusters.
Nothing is as it seems in a Robert Langdon novel, and The Lost Symbol itself is no exception--a page-turner to be sure, but Brown also challenges his fans to open their minds to new information. Skeptical? Imagine how many other thrillers would spawn millions of Google searches for noetic science, superstring theory, and Apotheosis of Washington. The Lost Symbol is brain candy of the best sort--just make sure to set aside time to enjoy your meal. --Daphne Durham
More from Dan Brown  |  |  |  | | The Da Vinci Code | Angels & Demons | Deception Point | Digital Fortress |
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 2337
 Fast paced page turner. I will read it again. March 21, 2010
Takes a dramatic look at the mysteries that surrounded the original leaders of America. I would recommend it to those who love mystery and are open to old/new ideas.
Decent Read, but Predictable March 21, 2010
C. Signorelli
All due respect to Dan Brown and fellow readers, I must say that while I was excited to read his latest book, I found myself extremely disappointed about half-way through. It wasn't that the book was poorly written (though I must agree with other reviewers that certain elements were extraneous), but rather that the story felt suspiciously familiar: I'm sure many will remember the Bruckheimer blockbuster "National Treasure" that all but tells the same story--though, in my opinion? Theirs was better.
On the whole, the book was very interesting. Brown did a great job of introducing mass numbers of readers to a newer field of science that is unlikely to be commonly known and, as some others have said: good for him for spawning the thousands of subsequent Google searches. However, for all the elements that are individual to the novel, the story was far too predictable for my taste, and, as I said earlier: far too close to "National Treasure." Don't get me wrong, mostly--I enjoyed the book. I got a little bogged down in certain areas because the book tended to drag along--but mostly, it was very fascinating historical material that did its job in making me curious enough to keep reading (that and, after paying so much for a hardback, I was certainly going to finish the thing). But the formula felt desperate--it seemed to follow almost the exact general idea of "National Treasure", though the specifics were different. The characters are in DC, searching for some great mythological 'treasure' and there's a token bad guy desperate to beat them to it. While that summary is extremely generalized, if I were to go into detail it would get boring.
Basically, I found the book good up until about half way through when I realized I could already see the exact path it was going to take. Even the scenes of suspense were simple enough to guess how they would play out, and some even felt desperately contrived (ie: Langdon's "experience" at the end--not to give anything away). I give Brown major points for turning out what is considered a bestseller with such pressure after two previous hits (especially after the success of "The Da Vinci Code")--but I think there was too much pressure on him to create a book of the same caliber, and in the end I found this to be far below the bar set for it. It wasn't a horrible book by any means--it was entertaining enough and paced well enough that I got through it. Plus, I give him credit for delving into dark details that would likely make a lot of people uncomfortable. I won't lie: there were parts of that book that just plain creeped me out--but that was the nature of the subject material he was investigating and I have to give him props for being willing to go there knowing the type of fan-base he'd have reading the novel. Also: to start the action with a severed hand? That's brave. It wasn't just some hand--it was the hand of a character you'd already been introduced to and predisposed to feel compassion for. For this and similar elements, I was hoping the book would have the same feel of academic adventure as the previous two--but in the end, I felt as if the plot were pushing an agenda (not unlike Da Vinci Code) and the whole last third of the book was not too difficult to dissect and predict. Now, that is not likely a typcial result for readers, and again: no offense to those who praise this as a work of literary brilliance--but simply for my own opinion? I'd much rather sit and watch Bruckheimer's film every day than ever read this book again, and I sincerely hope that this novel has not already been offered a film contract because I truly think the stories would be far too similar for it to be properly enjoyed.
 Brown's Strengths & Weaknesses on Display March 20, 2010
Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States)
Everyone interested in books seems to feel passionately about Dan Brown, whether love him or hate him. I rarely feel that passionately about an author. Dan Brown is no exception. I enjoy some of his books more than others, and I feel he has some weaknesses as an author as well as some great strengths. What follows outlines some of those strengths and weakness as put on display in this, his latest novel, The Lost Symbol.
Brown's greatest strength as a writer is his ability with the cliffhanger. He knows how to keep a novel moving forward at breakneck speed. I ripped through these 500 pages of text in a couple short sittings. For the bulk of the novel I was always interested in what was coming next. He also needs to be credited with creating a good lead character in Robert Langdon. The Harvard symbologist as leading man is credible and interesting, for all that he and his profession is invented. Finally, he always manages to create the weirdest antagonists--in this case, a tattooed Mason-hater--which, though their skills at murder always seem rather idealized, are fun in novels of this type.
On the other hand, Brown's biggest weakness is that the payoff at the end of his novels is usually not worth the effort it takes to get there. The ridiculous helicopter-crashing climax at the end of Angels & Demons leaps to mind. Here, all the passion expended over this Masonic secret the government is desperate to protect is a complete let-down. If I had been in Langdon's shoes and knew in advance what everyone was so desperate to protect, I would have shrugged my shoulders and walked away.
For me, this book also suffers from another weakness: Masonic intrigues are just not as inherently interesting as the science vs. religion conflict of Angels & Demons and the art study/grail legend redux of The DaVinci Code. Granted, finding a really fascinating topic for this type of novel must be a challenge, but Brown is not quite up to the challenge here.
Still, the road to the conclusion has it pleasures. Most pseudo-intellectual thrillers are plodding affairs that are a slog to the uninteresting conclusion. Despite their disappointments, I have never found Brown's novels to be boring. This novel is no exception in that regard.
Frantic and Breathtaking March 20, 2010
Joao Cortez (Porto, Portugal)
Dan Brown sticks to a winning formula. In the timespan of one day, Robert Langdon goes through a dramatic thrilling adventure. Similar to 'The Da Vinci Code', Dan Brown is excellent in mixing history, religion, philosophy, science and legends to make the story even more compelling. I could not rest until I finished the book - highly entertaining, frantic and breathtaking!
Another silly ending, but fun getting there March 19, 2010
monsieurms (USA East Coast)
I'm not going to write an A-Z review--it is too well covered by everyone else. I would like to focus just on one point, as I've recently read Steve Berry's Templar Legacy as well as this in quick succession---I'm weary of these inane endings where some stunning revelation is (or is not) made and then no one ever finds out about it. It is beyond belief that so many important things can happen--and then they are just covered up. If you can live with the inevitable "HUH? You gotta be kidding..." which is particularly going to happen with this book, which ends with a whimper not a bang, it is a fun read. But authors who bite off more than they can chew inevitably wind up disappointing in the end. Brown had nowhere to go with this.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 2337
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