The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you took "Angels & Demons" and "The Da Vinci Code" and put them in a blender cranked to the "crush ice" setting? No? That's OK because if you ever do now you'd know what you'd get. Why, a Bible, of course!
Mr. Brown is one of the most successful writers of our time second only to J.K. Rowling. However, given his linguistic skill his success puts Ms. Rowling to shame.
"The Lost Symbol" as the boring, generic title would indicate puts Mr. Langdon and a female sidekick running around across Washington DC over a 12-hour period trying to uncover the mystery of "Ancient Mysteries" hidden somewhere by the mysterious society of the Masons. And while they are at it -- the world as we know it is about to go to hell -- all because of an avenging all-powerful monster man who cannot be beat.
Given that Mr. Brown has never had literary or historical ambitions, his books are certainly very entertaining in the "opium for the masses" sort of way. Real page turners even if they turn nothing inside you. A potboiler for the potbellied.
Symbol is no exception. However, it is less so and I cannot recommend it because Mr. Brown has this time consciously, cleverly chosen apology over controversy. While the book does hurtle at breakneck speed it still lacks energy. We are not sure why we should care -- even in the most prurient of ways. There are enough very annoying things in the book that make it hard for you to like whatever there is of interest. Too many off-topic discussions, too many end-of-the-world scenarios that are really not a fraction as scary as they are made out to be. And what in the world is up with those italics! Every few paragraphs, anything that is thought internally is italicized as if it were the most critical thing in the world. And what is with the end of editing? Seriously. Every book I read, every movie I watch is about twice as long as it needs to be. Knock it off! I don't have the time.
However, none of this would matter. Mr. Brown already has cracked the modern and ancient mysteries - that of keeping a lot of people fooled a lot of times. Two million folks have found and lost again The Lost Symbol.
(Makes me wonder -- what if Rowling and Brown got together and co-authored a book? "Harry Potter and the lost secret of the angels!" -- Wow! Now we are talking! The book publishing industry saved in a single stroke of marketing genius.)
Mr. Brown is one of the most successful writers of our time second only to J.K. Rowling. However, given his linguistic skill his success puts Ms. Rowling to shame.
"The Lost Symbol" as the boring, generic title would indicate puts Mr. Langdon and a female sidekick running around across Washington DC over a 12-hour period trying to uncover the mystery of "Ancient Mysteries" hidden somewhere by the mysterious society of the Masons. And while they are at it -- the world as we know it is about to go to hell -- all because of an avenging all-powerful monster man who cannot be beat.
Given that Mr. Brown has never had literary or historical ambitions, his books are certainly very entertaining in the "opium for the masses" sort of way. Real page turners even if they turn nothing inside you. A potboiler for the potbellied.
Symbol is no exception. However, it is less so and I cannot recommend it because Mr. Brown has this time consciously, cleverly chosen apology over controversy. While the book does hurtle at breakneck speed it still lacks energy. We are not sure why we should care -- even in the most prurient of ways. There are enough very annoying things in the book that make it hard for you to like whatever there is of interest. Too many off-topic discussions, too many end-of-the-world scenarios that are really not a fraction as scary as they are made out to be. And what in the world is up with those italics! Every few paragraphs, anything that is thought internally is italicized as if it were the most critical thing in the world. And what is with the end of editing? Seriously. Every book I read, every movie I watch is about twice as long as it needs to be. Knock it off! I don't have the time.
However, none of this would matter. Mr. Brown already has cracked the modern and ancient mysteries - that of keeping a lot of people fooled a lot of times. Two million folks have found and lost again The Lost Symbol.
(Makes me wonder -- what if Rowling and Brown got together and co-authored a book? "Harry Potter and the lost secret of the angels!" -- Wow! Now we are talking! The book publishing industry saved in a single stroke of marketing genius.)