"Have you seen a bald man with a sling on his arm?" "'Google' is not a synonym for 'research'" Once again, we're hitting the same highs and lows. The pacing, suspense, mystery, humor, and characters are all solid, but it's all starting to feel way too familiar. Honestly, I’m starting to think part of the issue is on my end because I’m bingeing the entire Robert Langdon series instead of spacing them out like most readers do. So, I'll keep this brief and avoid a full-blown rant. If you just...

I'm congratulating myself on finishing *The Lost Symbol*... after being lost within its pages for over two months! Why? Well... The novel is a complete, gleaming pyramid dedicated to glorifying cute, kind, and good Freemasons. [Image of Screenshot_2018_08_08_11_39_27_1] "If these rituals were published, the government would be overthrown! The streets would be filled with anti-Masonic protesters and fundamentalists... The truth will be distorted... as always happens with the Freemasons"?!?! T...

(C-) 56% | Very Unsatisfactory
Notes: The secret society in *The Lost Symbol* has no intriguing back-story, the villain is inappropriate and asinine, and the final revelation is utterly lame. As far as Dan Brown books go, this one is a miss. If you're looking for a good book review, skip this one.

"I'm not a Mason...but I respect them."- Robert Langdon"Unfortunately, people misunderstand me...maybe because authors always cast me as the villain. But I'm actually nice...like Kamal Abu Raya...and Mahmoud El Gendy."-Ghassan Matar The MasonsThat's the gist of the novel. This sentiment is repeated throughout the events. But before I start, like I said in my reviews of The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons,if you want to truly enjoy **The Lost Symbol** while reading it, there are two solutions:...

I enjoyed *Angels and Demons* and really loved *The DaVinci Code*, but this latest thriller from Dan Brown barely held my attention and definitely wasn't worth the money. If you're looking for a good book review, I'd suggest skipping this one. *The Lost Symbol* follows Dan Brown's well-worn formula: an ominous conspiracy, a threat to the world as we know it, a relentless villain, and a quest for hidden secrets that require decoding obscure clues. This formula has given us a couple of decent thr...

Dan Brown - image from AARP - photo by Drew Gurion When you pick up a Dan Brown book, you have certain expectations. First, you anticipate a fast-paced adventure where Robert Langdon's intellect is pitted against dark forces aiming to create some kind of mayhem. You expect that religion or religious institutions will play a key role in the story. You expect puzzles to be solved and mysteries within mysteries. You expect murderous sociopaths and police of questionable loyalty. You expect a consid...

I have such issues rating Dan Brown books... I'm leaning towards 1.5 stars, I think. Sarcasm alert!Here's the thing: the man can't write. He's a walking, talking name-dropper and URL dispenser, a Wikipedia fountain of knowledge who CAN'T HANDLE VERB TENSES. He also loves really short sentences. That aren't sentences at all. Seriously. Expect iPhone, Twitter, and Google shout-outs, too. I'm almost surprised he didn't mention the inevitable hash #TheLostSymbol and tell us to use it when we tweet a...

I really don’t understand all the Dan Brown hate. Do people seriously go into these books expecting award-winning works of art? And if so, do you critique *every* book you read with that same expectation? Because if you do, that sounds exhausting.Like movies, I don’t expect every single one I watch to be an Oscar winner. If I did, I'd barely see any films. I go to be entertained, plain and simple (whatever that means on any given day). That’s how I approach the books I read, especially fiction, ...

This book, Dan Brown's *The Lost Symbol*, is both terribly written and utterly impossible to put down. I think that pretty much nails it. For more book reviews, keep reading!

I really enjoy Dan Brown's stories. I've read Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, I'm currently reading Deception Point, and plan on reading Digital Fortress. I absolutely love his storytelling. I've seen mixed reviews, and I think the negative ones are just from people who take life too seriously. For goodness sake, it's a book for entertainment, not a non-fiction story! Though, I've read some non-fiction stories that are more fiction than Dan Brown's books. Brown's books are entertaining ...