Forgive me, but I am going to break from my normal format of first offering a short Synopsis of the book, followed by My Two Cents Worth.
I feel like I just read the same 500 page book for the third time. Just see the summaries of The DaVinci Code or Angels & Demons - the story lines are nearly identical, but in The Lost Symbol we are in Washington DC discovering the long lost secrets of the Masons instead of the Knights Templar in England, or the Catholic Church in Rome.
"A diabolical madman is threatening to destroy the world's religious orders by exposing the 'truth' through a series of secret codes, paintings, rituals, and ancient symbols. At stake is the most significant treasure the world has ever known. If the treasure falls into the hands of the evil one, chaos will ensue, all of the world's religions will be exposed as fraudulent and cease to exist. It is up to Robert Langdon to solve the cryptic riddles and thwart the evil one and stop the human sacrifices." This could preface any of the three books.
Seriously, I respect an author's right to sell his work and become wealthy doing so, but this is a study in redundancy. His formula for selling a blockbuster is much too shallow and transparent, much like the National Treasure movies. The first one was cutting edge and captured the imagination, but the later installments were written and produced for no other reason than to cash in on the success of the original. We were sold the same story with a different cover.
I can't help but feel like The Lost Symbol was commissioned by Hollywood to support the sequel to The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons. A screenplay masquerading as a novel.
The most important thing to remember is that all three of these books are works of FICTION. Despite the ingenious marketing campaign that promoted the controversy of Brown's ability to blur the line between Biblical scripture and and conspiracy theory, the entire premise is purely fictional.
I did enjoy the book, as I love the cryptic puzzles; it was a compelling story. However, if you expect The Lost Symbol to be anything other than a repackaging of the first two books, you will surely be disappointed. Save your money.
Hardback
528 pages
6 1/4 hours
I feel like I just read the same 500 page book for the third time. Just see the summaries of The DaVinci Code or Angels & Demons - the story lines are nearly identical, but in The Lost Symbol we are in Washington DC discovering the long lost secrets of the Masons instead of the Knights Templar in England, or the Catholic Church in Rome.
"A diabolical madman is threatening to destroy the world's religious orders by exposing the 'truth' through a series of secret codes, paintings, rituals, and ancient symbols. At stake is the most significant treasure the world has ever known. If the treasure falls into the hands of the evil one, chaos will ensue, all of the world's religions will be exposed as fraudulent and cease to exist. It is up to Robert Langdon to solve the cryptic riddles and thwart the evil one and stop the human sacrifices." This could preface any of the three books.
Seriously, I respect an author's right to sell his work and become wealthy doing so, but this is a study in redundancy. His formula for selling a blockbuster is much too shallow and transparent, much like the National Treasure movies. The first one was cutting edge and captured the imagination, but the later installments were written and produced for no other reason than to cash in on the success of the original. We were sold the same story with a different cover.
I can't help but feel like The Lost Symbol was commissioned by Hollywood to support the sequel to The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons. A screenplay masquerading as a novel.
The most important thing to remember is that all three of these books are works of FICTION. Despite the ingenious marketing campaign that promoted the controversy of Brown's ability to blur the line between Biblical scripture and and conspiracy theory, the entire premise is purely fictional.
I did enjoy the book, as I love the cryptic puzzles; it was a compelling story. However, if you expect The Lost Symbol to be anything other than a repackaging of the first two books, you will surely be disappointed. Save your money.
Hardback
528 pages
6 1/4 hours
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