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Original Essays | November 9, 2009

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The Lost Symbol

by Dan Brown

The Lost Symbol Cover

Staff Pick

While the rest of the world seems disappointed in Dan Brown's newest Robert Langdon book, I enjoyed it immensely. Yes, it follows a similar pattern as the previous books and, yes, Langdon again is called upon to save the world from some menacing threat that only he can uncover, but I didn't go into it expecting Brown to surpass The DaVinci Code — that just might not be possible. However, The Lost Symbol is a fun read, full of the usual codes and symbols that only Langdon can decipher, that takes us on a fascinating journey into the secrets of the Freemasons. Full of twists and turns, it's worth the read.
Recommended by Lynn, Powells.com

Review-a-Day   (What is Review-a-Day?)

"World-renowned symbologist and all-around cool guy Robert Langdon is summoned to an Imposing Architectural Landmark, where something Really Yucky has been left in a way only he can recognize. You know, as a clue. Langdon snaps into action, and it isn't long before he's uncovered more clues that lead to a Secret Society full of Famous Dead Guys. There's a Super-Duper Secret, and the fate of the universe is at stake, but thank goodness Langdon has help from a Foxy Brainiac, which he needs because he's up against a Major Freak. Langdon and the Foxy Brainiac race through more Imposing Architectural Landmarks, pausing only to lecture each other about symbols and whatnot, and try to win a Race Against Time against the Major Freak." Jeff Baker, The Oregonian (read the entire Oregonian review)

Synopses & Reviews

From Powells.com:

Congratulations to the winners of our Lost Symbol signed first edition sweepstakes! (Want to see a list of who won? Check out our blog.)

Publisher Comments:

Dan Brown's new novel, the eagerly awaited follow-up to his #1 international phenomenon, The Da Vinci Code, which was the bestselling hardcover adult novel of all time with 81 million copies in print worldwide, will be published in the U.S. and Canada by Doubleday on September 15, 2009.

The Lost Symbol will have a first printing of 5 million copies, and it will once again feature Dan Brown's unforgettable protagonist, Robert Langdon. Brown's longtime editor, Jason Kaufman, Vice President and Executive Editor at Doubleday said, "Nothing ever is as it first appears in a Dan Brown novel. This book's narrative takes place in a twelve-hour period, and from the first page, Dan's readers will feel the thrill of discovery as they follow Robert Langdon through a masterful and unexpected new landscape. The Lost Symbol is full of surprises."

Dan Brown's popularity continues to grow. The film of The Da Vinci Code was a #1 box office smash when it was released by Columbia Pictures in May 2006 with Ron Howard directing and Tom Hanks starring as Robert Langdon. Box office receipts were $758 million. The same team will release Angels and Demons theatrically worldwide on May 15, 2009.

Review:

"After scores of Da Vinci Code knockoffs, spinoffs, copies and caricatures, Brown has had the stroke of brilliance to set his breakneck new thriller not in some far-off exotic locale, but right here in our own backyard. Everyone off the bus, and welcome to a Washington, D.C., they never told you about on your school trip when you were a kid, a place steeped in Masonic history that, once revealed, points to a dark, ancient conspiracy that threatens not only America but the world itself. Returning hero Robert Langdon comes to Washington to give a lecture at the behest of his old mentor, Peter Solomon. When he arrives at the U.S. Capitol for his lecture, he finds, instead of an audience, Peter's severed hand mounted on a wooden base, fingers pointing skyward to the Rotunda ceiling fresco of George Washington dressed in white robes, ascending to heaven. Langdon teases out a plethora of clues from the tattooed hand that point toward a secret portal through which an intrepid seeker will find the wisdom known as the Ancient Mysteries, or the lost wisdom of the ages. A villain known as Mal'akh, a steroid-swollen, fantastically tattooed, muscle-bodied madman, wants to locate the wisdom so he can rule the world. Mal'akh has captured Peter and promises to kill him if Langdon doesn't agree to help find the portal. Joining Langdon in his search is Peter's younger sister, Kathleen, who has been conducting experiments in a secret museum. This is just the kickoff for a deadly chase that careens back and forth, across, above and below the nation's capital, darting from revelation to revelation, pausing only to explain some piece of wondrous, historical esoterica. Jealous thriller writers will despair, doubters and nay-sayers will be proved wrong, and readers will rejoice: Dan Brown has done it again." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"[Dan Brown is] bringing sexy back to a genre that had been left for dead....In the end it is Mr. Brown's sweet optimism, even more than Langdon's sleuthing and explicating, that may amaze his readers most." Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Review:

"Brown's narrative moves rapidly, except for those clunky moments when people sound like encyclopedias....The Lost Symbol is more like the experience on any roller coaster — thrilling, entertaining and then it's over." Los Angeles Times

Review:

"As a thriller, The Lost Symbol is exciting, although readers of The Da Vinci Code will notice that some of the same stock characters and creaky plot devices pop up." The Wall Street Journal

Synopsis:

Da Vinci Code symbologist, Robert Langdon, returns in Dan Brown's highly anticipated new thriller, The Lost Symbol.

Synopsis:

In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling--a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.

As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object --artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.

When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon--a prominent Mason and philanthropist --is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations--all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.

As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightning-paced story that offers surprises at every turn. The Lost Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for . . . his most thrilling novel yet.

Video

About the Author

Dan Brown is the author of numerous #1 bestselling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, which has sold more than 80 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling novels of all time. Named one of the World's 100 Most Influential People by Time Magazine, he has appeared in the pages of Newsweek, Forbes, People, GQ, The New Yorker, and others. His novels are published in 51 languages around the world.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 9 comments:
Bookwomyn, October 30, 2009 (view all comments by Bookwomyn)
Bleah.
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(0 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
aphi00, October 16, 2009 (view all comments by aphi00)
Dan Brown won success with his last book by creating a firestorm of attention on the church, art and history. People ate up his words and plotlines with fingers that seemed to explode across the page in a race to the finish, much like the race going on within the pages. Alas, when Dan Brown took time off to write his new book, The Lost Symbol, his book tells the tale of more than just a lost symbol, it tells the tale of a lost enthusiasm. Reading The Lost Symbol is like trying to reconnect with a lost love, it’s sometimes joyful, sometimes uncomfortable, but the result is always the same: you walk away with a sour taste in your mouth and a tainted view of the past. Dan Brown’s genius comes in the guise of creating tension and excitement around a history that is yet to be understood. In this edition to the Robert Langdon legacy, Langdon finds himself, yet again, at the center of a firestorm. He is searching for the key to saving himself, his new (yet again untouched) temptation and his best friend. Why not throw in the possible destruction of one of the nation’s oldest brotherhoods and the future of American Noetic science? Dan Brown bites off more than he can chew in this one and leaves the lump stuck in the caw of all readers. No one will deny that Brown’s books are fairly recipe laden: Smart man educates youth, gets drawn into controversy at his own peril, is pushed to continue to fight because danger comes to those he cares about (including “ideas” themselves), bad guy almost wins, smart guy out smarts others to win the moniker “smart man.” Readers understand this and expect this from Brown. What we don’t understand or accept is the fact that this book's supposed twist is blatant, predictable, and easily grasped within the first few chapters of the book. Brown focuses much of the tension in saving and understanding the brotherhood of the Masons, and little time on saving or understanding Noetic science. This is like showing someone a stake dinner and then switching it out for a hotdog: it satisfies, but not nearly in the same way. I found myself reading the first third of the novel in fervor, giving Brown the benefit of the doubt as to the direction of the novel. But I found myself slowing down as the pages continued, feeling as if I was getting sucked into a sandpit of apathy. I picked up the novel one night, looked at the cover, and sighed. I knew I had to finish but I just couldn’t find the enthusiasm, within myself or in the novel.
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(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
Margie, September 26, 2009 (view all comments by Margie)
I just received this book and have started reading. Already my excitement level has risen just with the first few chapters. Dan Brown certainly know how to pull a reader into the story.
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(3 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780385504225
Author:
Brown, Dan
Publisher:
Doubleday Books
Subject:
Thrillers
Subject:
Washington, d. c.
Subject:
Suspense fiction
Copyright:
Publication Date:
September 2009
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
509
Dimensions:
9.44x6.38x1.58 in. 1.72 lbs.

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