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bethanygladhill's review against another edition
1.0
I remember liking The DaVinci Code, but either my memory is wrong or I was otherwise influenced when I read it. The Lost Symbol really is a terribly-written book, and I'm sort of embarrassed I spent time on it.
marsh_nichols's review against another edition
2.0
This easily could have been worthy of 4 stars if a real writer had written it. Dan Brown sucks sooooo bad.
shereadsceaselessly's review against another edition
1.0
The plot: Blah blah religion good, blah blah technology bad. Blah blah mysticism good, blah blah science bad. Throw in the occasional explosion, babble about Noetic science, some history about Masons, et voila! That's the book. The whole book. Seriously.
In every way that The Da Vinci Code was exhilarating and unique, though not terribly well-written, this book was almost cookie-cutter religious fiction. Quite honestly, I believe this "Go FAITH! Rah rah!" book was written simply to pander to (and quiet the protests of) all the Bible-beating Christians who were offended by the alternative ideas proposed in the first two books in the Robert Langdon series.
In every way that The Da Vinci Code was exhilarating and unique, though not terribly well-written, this book was almost cookie-cutter religious fiction. Quite honestly, I believe this "Go FAITH! Rah rah!" book was written simply to pander to (and quiet the protests of) all the Bible-beating Christians who were offended by the alternative ideas proposed in the first two books in the Robert Langdon series.
starrynews's review against another edition
3.0
Robert Langdon is back with another crazy adventure. Poor guy can't catch a break. DC and the Masons make for an interesting setting and topic for this latest book.
cmandler's review against another edition
If you're a fan of Dan Brown, you won't be disappointed. This is a typically page-turner by Brown as the chapters are short and the characters, especially the "bad guys" are complex and take time to develop. How Langdon isn't automatically recognized by law officials at this point is still beyond me. He always ends up being a fugitive. Brown takes the mysteries of modern life and turn them into thrilling reads. Is this book a bit formulaic? Yes. If you're a fan of Dan Brown, is it a problem? No. You know going in that you're in for quick-paced plot with twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes. I love that the most obvious symbols for Langdon to solve always end up being more than they seem at first, but that's what keeps it all interesting. Definitely worth reading! The beginning can be a bit slow, but it picks up fast!
sonadora9's review against another edition
3.0
Not as good as the first Langdon book, but a fairly quick and entertaining read all the same. Slightly predictable. Probably because Dan Brown's formula is getting old.
iainp's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad to start with, but gets incredibly waffly as it goes. Brown's characters' dialogue is better than some previous novels, but still stilted and unnatural in places.
The pace is great up until around half way when the chapters suddenly double in length and all the excitement seems to leave the story. Quick action gives way to long, boring philosophical arguments and the final "reveal" of the secret being searched for is incredibly underwhelming.
Also - page 578 - a progress bar and a task bar are different things. You'd think a guy who wrote a novel about the computer systems being used within the NSA would know this. Actually, remembering how poor that book was, perhaps not.
It still surprised me that Dan Brown is given so much credit for this genre of novel when he wasn't the first to write one, and when his are certainly not amongst the best. I guess he has a good publicity department.
The pace is great up until around half way when the chapters suddenly double in length and all the excitement seems to leave the story. Quick action gives way to long, boring philosophical arguments and the final "reveal" of the secret being searched for is incredibly underwhelming.
Also - page 578 - a progress bar and a task bar are different things. You'd think a guy who wrote a novel about the computer systems being used within the NSA would know this. Actually, remembering how poor that book was, perhaps not.
It still surprised me that Dan Brown is given so much credit for this genre of novel when he wasn't the first to write one, and when his are certainly not amongst the best. I guess he has a good publicity department.
mshelen's review against another edition
4.0
I gave this book 4 stars because I loved it. I will not spoil it for other readers, but my question is...Are we God?
dkakes's review against another edition
3.0
enjoyable, but some parts were a little predictable for a Dan brown book, very interesting though.