The Lost Symbol
Ratings587
Average rating3.4
For some reason, I haven't read this and only when Inferno came out was that I even found out that that was the fourth book and this is the third. Like seriously, is there a pact where everybody agreed to never talk about it again?
This on was close to the standard set by dan brown in his very first book ‘the davinci code'..not somebody to miss out on a langdon adventure this one was a far better ride than his second one ‘angels and demons' in which we saw our favourite professor turned into a crossbreed between indiana jones and jason bourne...what worked magic for dan brown was his extra ordinary talent on plotting tales in such a way that it could make even a veteran historian enter a state of confusion and to recheck whatever he studied again to reassure himself that the so called facts mentioned in the story are just a part of a cleverly plotted story-line.I hope he keeps up the standard with his upcoming works too...
I do enjoy Dan Brown's writing, which I know is a bit of a faux-pas in the reading community, at least the ones I've been involved in. It's just one of those authors I can just sit down with, turn some of my brain off, and just enjoy an adventure with some mysticism sprinkled in. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Dan Brown found a formula, and reuses it ad infinitum, and honestly? I don't mind that. I have ADHD, some reliability here and there is nice ;)
Dan Brown has done it again.
Brown weaves together characters that don't behave like real humans, dialogue that is decidedly unnatural, and absurd amounts of pointless information (in not-so-cleverly placed info dumps) into a paradoxically engrossing thriller. Every chapter ends with a cliffhanger because for some reason every character wants to hold onto every last bit of information until the last possible second. One thing that I will give Brown credit for here is that the female lead is not there just for Langdon to ogle, and so she actually is a useful character.
As always, Dan Brown writes utter garbage that is impossible to put down.
This was my first Dan Brown experience, and what a wowzer. The way he builds up suspense, while still being very informative on trivial subjects - I almost felt I was watching a movie. Dan has a very movie script-like writing, but his concise descriptions are amazing.
The cliffhangers at the end of every chapter left me hooked with interest in the pages that followed. I would say the most captivating is that all the mystery, puzzles and search for the hidden symbols in our History are actually based on real events. I would sometimes stop reading to just Google an image or to try and complete the puzzles on my own to see if I could find something by myself.
As an atheist and a scientist alike, this book - although semi-fictional - completely changed my once 100% negative view on religion because it gave me an identifiable logic with all the cultures around the world. The pure concept of faith and inner spirituality changed for me, and only Dan is the culprit.
I loved the Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons and Inferno movies, so I bought the book to check out Dan's skill, and the moment I saw pictograms of puzzles, I instantly bought it.
No fue tan atrapante como “Angeles y Demonios” o “El Codigo Da Vinci”, pero no estuvo mal.
Another great one from the master story teller. Didn't failed to amaze us with his page turner. Excellent.
Ending was boring as it went from reality of locations and historical events to crazy Deepak Chopra pseudoscience mysticism that just took me out of the story.
I read the first two Robert Langdon novels, Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code. After these books, you develop an expectation for a story involving the tweed-clad symbologist. You have a treasure hunt through an significant city (or cities) filled with secrets, an intelligent woman that is emotionally tied to the plot, and a game-changing plot twist.
The Lost Symbol delivers on these three expectations, but does not live up to the other two books in other ways. First of all, Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code, while somewhat controversial, still seem somewhat grounded in comparison to The Lost Symbol. Without giving anything away, The Lost Symbol is extremely mystical in tone, from the exploration of the “science” of Noetics to the conclusions reached during the conclusion of the story.
Also, the two main plot twists were pretty clear to me from about halfway through the story. I'm not sure if I have just adjusted to Dan Brown's writing style after reading two of his other books, or whether he just dropped way too many hints in this story. Obviously you don't want plot twists to come out of thin air, but at the same time if they are totally transparent there is no point in presenting them as shocking plot twists.
In conclusion, this book wasn't terrible, but it doesn't live up to the former two books. If you really enjoyed those two books, then this book will not waste your time. I enjoyed the ride while it lasted, but it definitely left a sour taste in my mouth at the end.
En realidad, este libro se merece un 3.8
Comencé a leerlo con muchas ganas y entusiasmo porque me pareció interesante y cautivador, pero conforme pasaron las páginas, se volvió terriblemente extraño y confuso. Mal'akh es un personaje al cual no comprendo del todo. Sus motivaciones son muy extrañas y con cuando la historia llega a su clímax, se vuelve aún más.
Lo que no me gustó es que la historia decayera en el final pues todo pareció sacado de un volante de ciencia noética. Sin embargo, reconozco que el autor se esmeró con este trabajo, aunque creo que no es el mejor de sus obras (al menos, de las que he leído hasta ahora)
I like this kind of story, even though there's a lot of silliness, and Robert Langdon is the most boring, pedantic thriller hero I've ever known.
Отличная книжка. Лучшая из серии, после “Кода”. Легко читается, хорошо подаётся и разжёвывается материал. Поклонники Брауна оценят.
The Lost Symbol is the third Dan Brown book about the character Robert Langdon. Dan Brown books seem to follow a pattern in the Style they are written. Because of this, if you enjoyed The Da Vinci Code you will probably enjoy The Lost Symbol. The chapters are short making it easy to read the book in small chunks one chapter at a time. What is lacking is the surprise of the other Robert Langdon stories. Many of the twist and surprises are predictable. The central focus in The Lost Symbol is Washington D.C. and The Masons. After finishing 1/4 of the book I had already figured out who the villain is and where The Lost Symbol was hidden. Many of the problems with this book are the same problems the movie versions of the last two Robert Langdon stories and I think that was Dan Brown's intention in order to make the book more movie script friendly. Even though I enjoyed The Lost Symbol, I only gave it three stars because I felt it could have been better if a movie version had not been thought about while writing the book.
I hate this book. Hate it. I've endured the book because I thought it had to get better, it's Dan Brown. Nope, it doesn't. I knew who the bad guy was, but I thought, it couldn't possibly be that simple. Oh. It was. The twist is revealed about two-thirds of the way through the book, the bad guy revealed and dispatched and then you're just dragged through the most boring, useless, arbitrary history lesson. Sure, Brown lectured us in Angels & Demons and in The Da Vinci Code, but that was interesting and woven throughout the story. This was just boring and frustrating. I so badly wanted the book to be over. These are some other things that annoyed me.
1. Robert Langdon. He was just annoying.
2. The absurd repetition. Explaining or describing things over and over again. It's as if Brown believes people are picking up the book at random chapters and need to be filled in along the way. I can't tell you how many times Mal'akh tattoos have been described. How many times the pyramid was described or other parts of the story repeated from albeit different characters, but not with any new information.
3. For smart people Katherine Solomon and Robert Langdon do some truly idiotic things.
4. Noetic Science is dumb. I don't need a Freemason version of ‘The Secret'.
5. Brown tries to inject suspense throughout the book by only giving some of the information then going to another chapter, leaving you wondering what was said or seen. For example, after Peter shows Robert the Ancient Mysteries Robert asks Peter to do him a favor as a friend. ‘Peter replies ‘Of course. Anything.' Langdon made his request...firmly.' But you don't know what Robert asks until the next chapter when you discover the favor was for Peter to go to the hospital. Really? That was the mystery? Get over yourself Dan Brown.
I'm pretty sure that Brown wrote this book to appease all the religious people he pissed off with his two previous novels. I'm going to have to ask him to knock that crap off.
La novela mas madura de Dan Brown, aunque use casi el mismo patrón de siempre, pero el tema es tan interesante o incluso mas trascendental.
While I loved this book, it was not as good as either De Vinci or Angels and Demons. The pace was great and it made me think, but there seemed to be more unneeded plot twists then in the previous books. Dont get me wrong, I loved it and will read his next without doubt.. I just think Brown set the bar very high with his last 2 books.
very detail oriented. leaves your mind spinning from all the details. another great read!
The third book with Robert Langdon back in the spotlight after Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code was indeed an addictive novel that I could never put down. Reading it in four days, this book had the same elements that Dan Brown always incorporates in his books: suspense, thrills and alluring details that captivate the mind. In this book, Robert is urgently sent to Washington D.C to give a speech in front of his dear friend Peter Solomon and his colleagues. Little did he know that it was a hoax set up by a power hungry man named Mal'ahk who disguises himself as different people to get his way. Peter Solomon, a wealthy Mason has everything that people want, power and money. Mal'ahk on the other hand, wants the wisdom that is stored within the pyramid, handed down to the masonic family from generation to generation. To keep the summary vague, Mal'ahk goes through all measures to get what he wants and once again, Robert goes on another life-risking journey to save his friend and the secrets of the free masons.