Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, Bk 3)

The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, Bk 3)
reviewed on + 175 more book reviews


3.0 out of 5 stars Pedantic, boring, tedious..., August 23, 2010

This review is from: The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, No. 3) (Hardcover)
I'm sorry to say that this book was just "ok" for me. I found much of it pedantic and boring and tedious. I skimmed entire chapters, just wanting Brown to get on with the story. Perhaps I'm tired of secret societies and hidden mysteries. I don't have the patience to wait while Langdon works through symbols and codes to get the answer -- oh wait -- that's not all! There was no universal truth or magical end result in this novel. In addition, it was overly long and could have used some serious editing -- or mass deletion of minuscule detail.

I do not like the cliffhanger chapter endings that Brown used throughout this book. I never developed any kind of empathy or interest in the characters that populated this novel, and even Langdon became annoying as he "almost got it" many times. The revelation at the end was not unexpected and certainly wasn't so exciting that it was worth plodding through the previous 500+ pages.

Parts of the story were interesting, but it seemed as if Brown tried too hard to blend religion and science and the ancient mysteries. Recommend that if you must read it, borrow it! Or better yet, wait for the movie...