The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown)
by Dan Brown
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Book Reviews of The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown)
Book Review: A Fair Review and Some Advice
Summary: 3 Stars
I want to be fair to Dan Brown.
Elitist literary critics say that Brown is not a good writer, and that his stories are bland. I personally think that if you manage to genuinely entertain and awe your audiences, then you have accomplished something worthy of reading. I also think that "The Da Vinci Code" was nearly an impossible act to follow. People will have all sorts of crazy expectations for your next book that you won't be able to fulfill. As such, I write this review as fair as I can, trying to assess it on its own merits, but comparisons are inevitable.
The Lost Symbol isn't a bad book, but it is a letdown. I didn't like this one for the same reason I didn't like Angels and Demons as much. Also, Brown doesn't advance the story at a good pace. A good two-thirds of the book (I'm not exaggerating, I counted the pages) was filled with variations on such a scene:
Character A: Have you heard of X?
Character B (usually Langdon): Yes, but I thought that was just a myth.
Character A shows or tells B something.
Character B reacts with shock.
Then, insert scenes of people walking from one place to another, being chased.
Then, insert the sentence "Suddenly everything made sense." At least for the next ten pages.
Repeat.
After reading this, I had to wonder whether Brown is a writer on Lost, where people can't seem to give straight answers, and where scenes never resolve any questions.
Here's my advice to Dan Brown:
1. Fire your editor. There were some whole passages, even chapters, that served no purpose other than to inflate your book to an unnecessary size. I don't mind reading big books, but I do mind reading through unnecessary words. Ch. 69, for example, is unnecessary. If your editor didn't ask you to take it out, then he should be fired. Sorry.
2. We don't need to know exactly how every character moves from one location to the next, which turn they took, what street they walked across. If it serves the plot, if the geography is important (as it was in Angels and Demons), then fine. Geography was crucial at certain moments in this book, but many times, the passages when you describe how someone moves from one part of a house to another part, what door they opened and closed, all that is boring and tedious.
3. Don't write your novel like a screenplay. Whether you've done it consciously or not, your short chapters read as if you had in mind exactly what camera shots you expect out of an inevitable movie adaptation. Leave that to the screenwriter. If they can adapt a book like "Naked Lunch," they can surely adapt your book as well. Write your novel as a novel.
4. Be careful of hubris. You're in a unique and rare position that, I'm sure, many authors dream of: your books will sell millions by default and you will get a multi-million dollar movie deal without question. Good for you! Some authors handle that well (e.g. J.K. Rowling), some don't (e.g. Stephen King, Michael Crichton). It's not that the latter are bad writers, but that they are capable of writing some really bad stuff. Having said that, I'm not saying that The Lost Symbol is bad, just that it needs to lose about 100-pages of unnecessary, repetitive scenes. Speaking of Crichton, the reason I stopped reading him is that he became too formulaic. All his books are about a bunch of mismatched experts going to some remote location and something goes wrong. Formula isn't bad per se. Rowling is formulaic too. Most of her books revolve around the Hogwarts school year, but she puts enough story in there to make it work. You should do more of that.
5. Know what you're good at. You know your technology, which makes your book authentic. You also know that your readers are likely to go Google a painting or artist you mentioned and be awed by what you described. That's great! I bet that also saves you the pain of having to request reprint permissions of artwork and such. Also, since most people don't know their history, let alone the etymology of words they use everyday, you have literally an endless supply of stories. That's what you're good at. I'd say, forget the science stuff. It's interesting, but, as with Angels and Demons, it's an awkward fit. I don't recall there being any modern science in The Da Vinci Code and I was fine with that.
6. Try a recurring character. Langdon is fine, but consider having a character or two that returns in subsequent books. Make them interesting, of course, and don't make them a love interest.
So, here's the good news. Dan Brown hasn't nuked the fridge, at least not for me. Also, now that this book is out in the open, readers are likely to give his next book a much fairer assessment. So, I look forward to reading that, but, I probably won't be buying it on the first day it's out.
Book Review: Mr. Langdon Goes to Washington....
Summary: 4 Stars
Fortunately for Mr. Smith when he went to Washington, he didn't have to endure the fear, suspense, and agony that Mr. Robert Langdon must. Speaking of movies, National Treasure (Widescreen Edition) enjoyed box office numbers in part because of Dan Brown's humongous hit of a novel, The Da Vinci Code. But instead of mining clues from European symbols in architecture and secretive organizations, it focused on Washington D.C. and its Freemason founders. Now, Dan Brown ironically chooses the same location and the same Masonic brotherhood as the basis for his newest Robert Langdon thriller, The Lost Symbol.
NATIONAL TREASURE was considered by many to be perhaps a rung below THE DA VINCI CODE in terms of plot and general implementation of its idea. How then does THE LOST SYMBOL measure up to THE DA VINCI CODE? Well, this reviewer would say that lightning did not strike twice. This novel doesn't cohere as naturally as did THE DA VINCI CODE; at times THE LOST SYMBOL gives the impression of being a bowl into which interesting but not necessarily connected research was tossed together. Nevertheless, Brown's latest packs enough of his trademark suspense, chilling violence, and brainteasing puzzles for fans to snap it up and devour it as fast as possible.
Here are a few specific examples of why THE LOST SYMBOL doesn't quite live up to its wildly best-selling predecessor: THE DA VINCI CODE revolved around a mystery that became very human (literally). THE LOST SYMBOL doesn't quite go the same distance; although there is undeniable human drama for Robert Langdon and his friends, Katherine and Peter Solomon, its core mystery (no spoiler here) remains more esoteric and more cerebral. This wouldn't necessarily be a demerit, but somehow Brown's eagerness to fashion a mystery around the Capitol's architecture and the supposed foundations of Masonic beliefs, together with rather vague inclusions of noetic studies, near death experiences, decreased puzzle-solving, and other "potpourri" of ingredients doesn't quite gel as successfully as his dazzling -- though not without much-bandied-about flaws -- fictional tale about searching for the Holy Grail. Possibly, "unmasking" Masonry can't push the same buttons as when turning Christianity on its head.
Brown also errs in THE LOST SYMBOL by intimating the possible onset of a huge catastrophe if Langdon and others cannot stop the central villain. The build-up suggests something truly earthshaking, but the revelation of the actual consequences turns out to be anticlimactic.
And, as usual, Brown infuses his fast-paced novel with some twists and turns, but most can be predicted by the reader in advance. Perhaps Brown intentionally structures his books thusly to make the readers feel smarter than hero Langdon. If so, this is a double-edged sword because readers can judge the plot too obvious and beset with some howling instances of foreshadowing.
Interestingly, Langdon, in THE LOST SYMBOL, is often in the role of student rather than teacher. He does, assuredly, tap his vast knowledge of symbols at crucial times, but he, not being a Mason, more often than not, accedes to others with more intimate understanding. In short, he appears more diffident, more secondary, in this novel than in THE DA VINCI CODE.
Allegedly, some folks believed that THE DA VINCI CODE was -- despite its claim to the contrary -- nonfiction. THE LOST SYMBOL clearly states before the story opens on which basic facts Brown built to get this novel off the ground, but just as clearly the novel is just that, a novel. And due to its subject matter (Masonry,etc.), fewer people will probably, at any point, wonder whether this thriller actually does reveal real secrets than did when devouring the previous blockbuster.
This novel will provide solid hours of signature Brown entertainment even if it doesn't cohere as naturally as did THE DA VINCI CODE. Just curiosity to find out what is happening to Robert Langdon now and how he might conquer his latest misadventure is reason enough to secure a copy of THE LOST SYMBOL and decide for yourself how much you like it. And when THE LOST SYMBOL is made into a movie, we can all compare it apples to apples to NATIONAL TREASURE as well. While we're at it, it wouldn't hurt to catch Mr. Smith Goes to Washington again either. :)
3.7 stars.
Book Review: Who shot the editor?
Summary: 2 Stars
I was pleasantly surprised by The Lost Symbol. In a my-blind-date-was-a-bit- plain-but-that's-good-because-I-was-expecting-Roseanne-Barr kind of way.
Other than that, not by any measure was this a remotely good book. From voices "as soft as falling snow" to "bewildered applause" to "rocketing" SUVs, we're once again assaulted with prose that is clumsy, amateurish, and anything but subtle. The only well-turned phrases in The Lost Symbol are those that are left spinning in their graves.
The plot, such as there was, was both contrived - what luck! all the principals are DC bigwigs; a century on all the clues are still hanging about literally within blocks of each other - and riddled with dei ex machina. Plot twists, when not completely nonsensical, are often (e.g., Mal'akh's true identity) telegraphed chapters earlier than Brown intended. And Brown continues to patronize, hand-holding his readership through even the most obvious points (e.g., the etymology of "sincere").
Character development is typically Brownian: either underdeveloped (Robert "Day Late, Dollar Short" Langdon); grotesquely over-the-top ("I'm such a work of art" Mal-akh'; Sato); or far too dependent on cliche - from night-goggle-wearing, laser-sighted-rifle-bearing, black-SUV-driving, spy-speak-spouting CIA agents (who, at one point needing to commandeer a civilian vehicle, manage to commandeer - wait for it - a black SUV!) to the star of the show: a secrecy-riddled, death-ritual-performing, cabalistic Masonic Order so far out in left field it was hard to keep from guffawing my way through the climax.
Bad acting abounded -- characters were continuously "stunned" or "reeling with shock" or "recoiling in horror" -- and the whole story felt like wading through a movie-of-the-week teleplay, with Dan Brown's (in)famous mini-cliffhangers all ending with "fade to commercial break".
Nearly every mystery Brown sets Langdon up to solve is nothing more than a cheap word game. Is the Lost Word literal or metaphorical? Brown spends half the book toying with his readers on that point. Langdon finally solves the riddle of "The Order Eight Franklin Square" when, in a brilliant burst of intellectual acumen, he realizes he's misplaced his comma. And - in an effort to prove that even punnery isn't beneath him - Brown reveals that squares are not really squares, but that legends are indeed legends. Sort of. (Don't ask.)
Brown's facts, historical and otherwise, are as confused as they were in The DaVinci Code: Falcon 2000s don't have Pratt and Whitney engines; Alexander Graham Bell did not send the world's first "wireless" message; traceroutes don't do pings; Jefferson redacted the Bible not seeking hidden messages but simple to eliminate the miraculous; the Washington Monument is a) not the highest point in Washington, DC, b) was never legislated to be, and c) was completed nearly a generation later than Brown seems to think; Kalorama Heights (google it) lies south, not north, of the National Cathedral; the conveyor belt system in the Library of Congress has been out of commission for a decade or more; Isaac Newton was never a freemason; etc., etc.
And the preaching! This being a work of fiction, I normally wouldn't mention it. But I had to sit through entire chapters of neo-gnostic prattle so banal and confused it makes New-Ageisms like "the secret of the universe is one hand clapping" seem like theological profundities by comparison.
And, as noted by many other reviewers, the denoument was so convoluted I'm still not sure what secret the Masonic Order thought it was protecting. It couldn't have been the Ancient Mysteries themselves, as Brown asserts they're preserved throughout the corpus of history's great religious texts. Nor can it be either the Verbum Perdo or its location since, as it turns out, neither was the Verbum ever Perdo (nearly every American home has at least one copy), nor has it ever been a secret that there's a you-know-what buried you-know-where. In short, the biggest Secret of history turned out to be an unSecret. And that, had I been Peter Solomon ready to sacrifice my life and my family, would have left me seriously peeved at the Order.
Now, having said all that, I don't entirely blame Brown for its faults. Both it and The DaVinci Code (like the Harry Potter series) were clearly in need of a good editor. But alas, I understand editors are dinosaurs in the publishing industry, and a good many authors these days are seeing print without their essential services. Brown, apparently, is one (Rowling another).
So, because there was the germ of an interesting idea here that COULD have been salvaged, I give TLS two stars. And that's a shame.
Book Review: I hated it and I loved it
Summary: 3 Stars
I did not have the opportunity to read "Da Vinci Code", but had watched the movie. I found the movie bland and filled with Hollywood style fluff. None of the information and "secrets" in the plot was new to me either - that happens when you watch the History Channel enough times ! Thus I decided to read The Lost Symbol as I wanted the perspective from a complete and actual book and not a screenplay. Boy was I disappointed. Firstly - it's hard to read a book and already know which actor will play the role - and thus I had to have a few hours of Tom Hanks stuck in my head. I felt that the writer was writing the story with the big screen in mind. I could picture this little Japanese woman played by Lucy Liu. I saw Peter Facinelli (spelling?) as his good friend Peter that was kidnapped.
The requisite, intelligent leading lady role was a mild irritation. Her jumps to sudden insight ahead of the lead, Langdon, simply did not make sense where he is supposed to be the super smart historian, symbolist et al. Each chapter gives the reader a moment where suddenly, an awe inspiring discovery or revelation is made - and you have to read through a couple of pages to find out what that is. And when it is revealed, you are let down as you expected something more earth shattering and mind blowing.
I am not too worried on whether his book is accurate in terms of technology, symbology or history - I am fully aware that it is a work of fiction - however I still felt that some of the things mentioned was unnecessary and I wasn't sure what purpose it served. I was also boggled that the old story on how man once believed the world to be flat - was mentioned over and over as if the reader needed reminding that we shouldn't discount anything as impossible ! I felt that was an insult to our collective intelligence. The ending that was supposed to be the major-what-the-world-has-been-waiting-for "secret" - was again....a major let down. The fact that the secret verbum significatium was "The Word" - which was from the Bible - as in "And the word was..God". I man really now !! Maybe I'm expecting too much from Dan Brown's readers, fans and new initiates into his work. Maybe I'm expecting them to be familiar with the ideas that perhaps God does lie within all of us, or we are Gods, or God created us in His image (our minds at least), or that there is only one God, or that We Are All One - hasn't various works of fiction, non-fiction and movies taught many that much. So to have it suddenly be this big secret and then use another old cliche that the Bible contains all we need to know - we just have to look for it - or that there are hidden messages in there etc etc.
The only plausible reason for all that I can come up with - is that Dan Brown is prepping everyone for his next book - something along the lines of the Bible being loaned to him by Peter to be decoded. And we will then have a whole new book that steals much of the body of The Bible Code.
Nevertheless - despite all of the above - what I actually liked about the book - was that Dan Brown creates a page turner. He has the ability to tease the enquiring minds that still read books - by ending each chapter with a cliff hanger. Regardless of whether he is a skillful writer or not - the fact that I could not put the book down until I had read it completely - bears testament to the fact that he definitely has a latent talent for turning moderately intelligent people into little kids eager to be let in on the secret. Also I enjoyed the tidbits of Masonry. Everything I've ever read or watched paints Masonry in a dark light - this was the first time I have seen it portrayed in a benevolent way - makes me think Dan Brown is a closet Mason - or Rosicrucian at least (not - I have no desire to google whether he is or isn't , just my opinion). I also enjoyed the busting of a few myths I didn't know. As learned and cultured as I'm sure many readers are - I for one am slightly learned but definitely not cultured, and did not know a few things he mentions in his book such as the work with Noetic Sciences, The Intention Experiment, the whole Mayan 2012 world ending doodads, the existence of the paintings and sculptures he describes.
So - as with any book - I am reviewing it based on whether it was worth my time reading it, and if I gained anything by reading it - whether it's good entertainment value or whether I took anything new away from reading it. It was a moderate in entertainment value - however I am a very curious person so I love myth busting, revelations and learning new information - and that's where I rate it highly.
Book Review: Very average
Summary: 3 Stars
Having read through the book in a weekend sitting I have to say this can only represent a downward spiral for Dan Brown.
After the popularity of Da Vinci Code it would be hard in fairness to the author to match that book however this is weak in the extreme. There are several reasons for this the main one being holding the book back for so long (Keeping it under lock and key) Giving a handful of newspapers 50 odd pages to review (As though you could even get a half decent review from that especially considering the book is over 500 pages) Made the reader feel that they were getting a top quality read here.
Unfortunately this is just seen it all before, read it all before and frankly lost interest. This book, is much less Da Vinci and much more regressing to his previous books where the reader is frankly bored to death with tedious technological ramblings posed as intellectual snobbery. The book centers around Langdon being summoned to Washington DC at (He assumes) The invitation of an old friend and mentor to give a last minute lecture on his behalf, unbeknown to him he has been summoned on false pretence by a mysterious individual who has in fact kidnapped his old friend and is using him as a bartering tool to convince Langdon to assist him in revealing a lost secret (That coincidental Langdons old friends sister is also working on but by scientific means rather than symbolic/religious and it seems has found the answer) I wont bother revealing this great "Secret" So I dont spoil what plot there is or amazon delete the review but trust me, you are not missing mutch.
Que the secret society (Illuminati in Angels and Demons Opus Dei in Da Vinci) This time its the Masons (Though the Masons are in fact the good guys here, protecting the worlds secrets from, well the world at large it would seem) Its almost as if Brown has took his que from the film "National Treasure" We can only assume that its only if you are a Catholic, Jew, Muslim that you are de facto an extremist hell bent on death and destruction if you are a Mason however you are just missunderstood.
Instead of the plump bungling French detective we have a 4"9 Japanese woman who is the head of the CIA (And for some reason has a remarkable degree of ignorance of history but dont worry Langdon helps her out) Bungling police, our usual dastardly villain this time Mal'ak a multi millionaire (Who spent some time in a Turkish jail) with almost super human strength and a taste for tattoos and a spray tan that covers them with remarkable skill (He needs to tell us what brand that is he would make a fortune on most council estates in the UK) Instead of a villainous monk. Langdon runs through endless tunnels under the US capital (Same as Angels and Demons in Rome) deciphers puzzles and ancient mysteries, hooks up with his old friends sister, escapes from the police, gets help from a few Mason mates, goes on the run and generally saves the day.
The main problems with the book is its just so damn tedious to read. It really is like a "Novel for the thick" Brown cant just tell us for example "Langon arrived in DC" oh no, he has to tell us what the flight plan was, what airport, how nice the plane was, what shoes Langdon worn etc. He bores us to death with detail that just isnt needed (Such as when Mal'ak disables a lock on a door what chemicals he uses, what they do and what PH they are (Seriously Dan do you think we care?)) Or how about his lectures on symbols, what they "Really mean" How "Most people dont know" etc etc...... Take another example when Langdon and female side kick espace on a DC subway. Brown just cant help himself he cant just say "Landgon got on the next train and headed eat" Oh no we have to be treated to what train lines exist in DC what colour the lines are, when they were built, what colour dog the builder owned etc etc I mean who cares?
Brown was able to save himself with Da Vinci because most people have some knowledge of the Church or even some interest, most of us know what the holy grail is (Even if its just by watching Monty Python) However endless lectures about masons, science and various religious symbols in Browns usual condescending manner is just frankly boring. A 500 page book that could quite easily have been 300.
Oh and by the way Dan. Soganlik is a district of Kartal/Istanbul not just the name of a prison (Do they even have a prison in Soganlik?). I should know, I used to live there!