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A review by nas12
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
3.0
It’s impossible avoiding the comparisons between this book and the previous two in the series, and in that aspect this novel comes losing for me. Not because it’s a bad one, but because I found the atmosphere in the previous novels to be way more captivating and enthralling. Langdon says that Washington has to offer in terms of symbols and story the same as some of the greatest European Capitals, and there I have to politely disagree. It may be because I know Paris, Rome or the Vatican better than I know Washington, but while the first ones added an eerie and even romantic air to the story, the last one, protagonist of this new adventure, didn’t.
Another thing that made this novel feel less absorbing than the previous two was the lack of “puzzles” and mysteries to unveil to keep moving with the plot. Maybe it was a wrong perception on my side, but I felt that this novel was more focused on the action than in unveiling ancient secrets (what made this series well known). That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have its fair share of conspiracies theories, intellectual puzzles and the need of tons of historical knowledge if you want to overtake Langdon in his conclusions; it’s just a feeling I got. Also, ironically, it took me, more or less, as many hours to read this novel as the hours the plot takes in real time; and yet the novel felt longer even though it didn’t drag and there were no filler scenes. Maybe this kind of realistic pacing of the plot doesn’t work for me (and I know that the other two had similar pacing, but in this one I noticed it more9.
The plot twist or big reveal of the identity of Mal’akh wasn’t that much of a surprise; it could be guessed since nearly the beginning of the novel. Regardless, Mal’akh was quite an interesting character, especially when we got a glimpse of his thoughts through the first person narration, and his backstory was also gripping, so I didn’t mind so much the failed plot twist. This novel contained other interesting characters such as Katherine, Sato or Warren Bellamy; and I was happy to learn more about Peter Solomon and his relationship with Langdon. Going back to the talk about the twists, I can admit that the ending, the solving of the Word, was something I couldn’t have ever guessed. What I can guess is that it hints to the next novel and I don’t mind, the plot seems promising.
Learning about the Masons was also interesting, especially since I didn’t know anything about them so every bit of information was surprising for me.
Another thing I didn’t like about this novel was the inclusion of certain aspects, such as Noetic Science, the breathable liquid or that substance that the brain segregates to cure the body. When I read a Dan Brown novel I don’t expect hard cold facts and realism, but I feel that the other two novels were more grounded while this one come too close to giving a magic explanation to everything. But maybe it’s because I’m not well versed in science (and "Magic is just science that we don't understand yet." ― Arthur C. Clarke), or because I’m a skeptic like Langdon.
All in all this was an entertaining read, and while I felt that it didn’t reach the level of the other two, it still was a very well thought novel that made me want to keep on reading this series.
Another thing that made this novel feel less absorbing than the previous two was the lack of “puzzles” and mysteries to unveil to keep moving with the plot. Maybe it was a wrong perception on my side, but I felt that this novel was more focused on the action than in unveiling ancient secrets (what made this series well known). That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have its fair share of conspiracies theories, intellectual puzzles and the need of tons of historical knowledge if you want to overtake Langdon in his conclusions; it’s just a feeling I got. Also, ironically, it took me, more or less, as many hours to read this novel as the hours the plot takes in real time; and yet the novel felt longer even though it didn’t drag and there were no filler scenes. Maybe this kind of realistic pacing of the plot doesn’t work for me (and I know that the other two had similar pacing, but in this one I noticed it more9.
The plot twist or big reveal of the identity of Mal’akh wasn’t that much of a surprise; it could be guessed since nearly the beginning of the novel. Regardless, Mal’akh was quite an interesting character, especially when we got a glimpse of his thoughts through the first person narration, and his backstory was also gripping, so I didn’t mind so much the failed plot twist. This novel contained other interesting characters such as Katherine, Sato or Warren Bellamy; and I was happy to learn more about Peter Solomon and his relationship with Langdon. Going back to the talk about the twists, I can admit that the ending, the solving of the Word, was something I couldn’t have ever guessed. What I can guess is that it hints to the next novel and I don’t mind, the plot seems promising.
Learning about the Masons was also interesting, especially since I didn’t know anything about them so every bit of information was surprising for me.
Another thing I didn’t like about this novel was the inclusion of certain aspects, such as Noetic Science, the breathable liquid or that substance that the brain segregates to cure the body. When I read a Dan Brown novel I don’t expect hard cold facts and realism, but I feel that the other two novels were more grounded while this one come too close to giving a magic explanation to everything. But maybe it’s because I’m not well versed in science (and "Magic is just science that we don't understand yet." ― Arthur C. Clarke), or because I’m a skeptic like Langdon.
All in all this was an entertaining read, and while I felt that it didn’t reach the level of the other two, it still was a very well thought novel that made me want to keep on reading this series.