The Lost Symbol

Dan Brown just takes it a bit too far. Most parts leave you just high and dry.

Oh dear. I have casually enjoyed Dan Brown's other tomes; however, The Lost Symbol didn't even have that brain candy charm. Tense scenes were frequently interrupted by several page long asides of dubious relevance. The so-called science was hilariously awful and the end of the book suspense revolved in part around the fear that someone would exsanguinate through a “medical needle” placed in a vein in the antecubital fossa (i.e. venipuncture.) Luckily, that part was so ill-paced that the character was saved before I had to waste too much time screaming about how infeasible it was to be killed by an IV.

The core plot – many important men in Washington are Free Masons, a group that has left hidden symbols all over Washington DC and celebrates human life – was far less intriguing than Brown's other books.

Overall – this was in SORE need of an editor and a fact checker.

Hmmm...This book was mildly entertaining, but nowhere nearly as fun as “Angels and Demons” or “The Davinci Code”. Maybe it's the fact that the story is set in Washington, D.C. rather than Rome or Paris, or perhaps it's because the central mystery involves Freemasonry instead of more specifically Christian themes, but I found myself saying, “Eh, who cares?”

Ho appena finito di digerire, anzi forse è meglio dire metabolizzare, il tomo da 600 pagine, il libro più lungo che Dan Brown ha scritto fino adesso.

Il primo impatto è: bello, mi è piaciuto. Devo dire che mi è anche più garbato del Codice e sicuramente più di Angeli e Demoni, che secondo me non era proprio un degno seguito del Codice. Se andiamo a guardare devo dire che Dan Brown sta migliorando scrivendo, invece che peggiorando come molti scrittori alle prese con lo stesso personaggio in più libri. Non so quanto questo sia dovuto al team che probabilmente ora collabora con lui e lo supporta nelle ricerche e nelle scritture. Ma sinceramente poco importa se il risultato è un bel thriller pieno di simbologia mistica e occulta che ti invoglia a proseguire con la lettura e cosa forse più importante a “cerchicchiare” qua e la su Google, immagini, dipinti, storie. Perchè forse questo è la cosa che mi ha sempre più affascinato dei libri di Brown, la voglia che mi mette addosso di cercare un luogo dove si svolge la parte di una trama, un riferimento misterioso o un quadro citato.

Devo anche dire che sono rimasto piacevolmente colpito anche dal fatto che molti passaggi di questo libro siano sconfinati in un noir più che un thriller e qualche spezzone mi ha ricordato in qualche modo anche la serie cinematografica di Saw.

Certo il dipanarsi della storia è sempre stata uguale nei tre libri con al centro la figura del professore Robert Langdon, mistero da risolvere, personaggio malvagio, ambientazione avventurosa e molta, tanta simbologia. Come già  ho detto per il Codice in passato, credo che questa sia da leggere non come un compendio di sapere (anche se può esserci effettivamente qualche spunto su cui riflettere) ma semplicemente come un buon thriller a sfondo simbolico mistico. Mi piace il personaggio di Langdon, mi piace la simbologia che trovo in questi libri, mi piace lo stile di scrittura non tra i più raffinati, ma non è che stiamo cercando di leggere Proust e mi piace la curiosità  che suscitano in me questi libri.

E' un mix coinvolgente come un buon cocktail che non si può certo dire che non sia stato sapientemente mescolato. Aspetterò anche il film, sicuramente già  in fase di “produzione”.

There has been such a lot of hype surrounding this books release that in anticipation of it I ensured I had finished my previous read so that on release day I could dive straight in.

The book begins when Robert Landon is called to Washington DC to deliver a key notes speech for his old mentor Peter Solomon, but when he gets there he finds his old friend has been kidnapped and possibly killed by a phsychotic madman who wants Langdon to dechiper an ancient mystery that is hidden in the city......sorry is this sounding familiar. Yes it probably is and that's because in no way is The Lost Symbol anything new, it is very very firmly written in the same formulaic manner as both Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.

It is almost as though off the back of the massive money spinning success of those two books his publishers have got in touch and said can you do 500 pages in this amount of time for $XX million, be sure to include the ususal old favourites such as intelligent damsel in distress, Robert Landon trying to unravel strange old mystery, phsychotic madman on the loose threatening and chasing said Professor Langdon, old friend with mysterious past linked to ancient organisation, police detective who seems to be helping/hindering the investigation for unknown reasons. When I write it down in as simple a way as that it becomes evident that Brown is fast running out of creative ideas.

I am sure that a big budget blockbuster of this movie starring Mr Hanks will be along in around 18 months or so, it will probably translate well onto the big screen. It will no doubt sell billions of copies worldwide by the time it's paperback release takes place. I find it dissapointing however that this now ranks as the fastest selling book of all time - this is a diservice to the outstanding work that JK Rowling produced in Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows which was a truly awe inspiring novel. In no way is this book evidently produced for the quick sell mass market a patch on Rowlings last Potter book which previously held that accolade.

I have to admit I only made it 300 pages in. This is easily the worst book I have ever read. I really enjoyed The Da Vinci Code as well as Angels and Demons, and while I can admit neither are great works of literature they were both enjoyable reads. This book, on the other hand, is a boring, ridiculously written piece of crap. I cannot stress enough how unbelievable, cheesy and slow this poorly written book is.

I wish you could give half stars because this really deserves another half star. Dan Brown's Langdon series is one of my all time favorite series. I always feel like I have been taken on a fast paced ride, but also learned a thing or two along the way. This third installment of the series is good, really good, though not quite up there with Angels and Demons, which in my opinion is the best book in the series. I suspect if you are a fan, then you will find yourself enjoying The Lost Symbol. Fingers crossed it doesn't take another 6 years before we see a fourth book...hint hint Mr. Brown. ;D