For whatever criticisms one might level against Dan Brown and his first four novels, it is hard to argue against the fact that his first four novels were page turners. They may not have been challenging or his own material, but they were definitely hard to put down.
Unfortunately that compliment can't be given to his latest work, "The Lost Symbol." In this attempt Brown has created a "Da Vinci Code"-lite. The twists are numerous, but are accompanied by road signs miles ahead that make them easy to anticipate. The clues are muddled and don't really pay off for the reader once they're solved. The characters are, for lack of a better word, boring.
For a book about my country and the capital i love, I was oddly detached from the whole affair. I wasn't particularly intrigued. In fact, my motivation to finish the last hundred pages was severely lacking and for a while i thought i might stall out and never finish.
I don't want to give too much away, so i won't give anything away.
Brown seems to have fallen into the same position as M. Night Shymalan (is that even close?). THey both follow the same formula, but lately they've been using different ingredients and it doesn't seem to work.
Brown needs to walk away from the Langdon character. He needs to allow himself the literary freedom to develop other characters and different scenarios. Pull a John Grisham and write about a house in the midwest. Sure it might suck. Sure I won't read it. But maybe you'll come back with more zest and a better energy.
The first three hundred pages of this book are entertaining. They don't grab you the way the other Langdon books do, but you're at least excited for the big bang.
Unfortunately, this book goes out with a whimper, which isn't a surprise because the rising action isn't that potent. If you love Brown's other books, you need to read this one just because. But don't say i didn't warn you.
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