Dan Brown returns with Da Vinci Code sequel, The Lost Symbol

lewstherin · 18th September 2009, 15:11

Finished the lost symbol last night and thought it was fantastic. Not really a fan Of Dan Brown but did enjoy this.

Nick 0208 Ldn · 20th September 2009, 03:31

So...

To those who have read other Dan Brown books and have completed The Lost Symbol, where would you rank it?

Obviously better than Deception Point

, but would you have it above either of Angels and Demons or The Da Vinci Code? Although it did thankfully and noticeabley improve from the opening chapters, i don't...think that i could myself.

December_16 · 20th September 2009, 05:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick 0208 Ldn

So...

To those who have read other Dan Brown books and have completed The Lost Symbol, where would you rank it?

Obviously better than Deception Point

, but would you have it above either of Angels and Demons or The Da Vinci Code? Although it did thankfully and noticeable improve from the opening chapters, i don't...think that i could myself.

Tough question, really. The Lost Symbol has some of its unique fantastic moments, but also there are also plot holes to be sweetly disappointed about.

Spoiler

Admittedly I've only read Dan Brown books about Robert Langdon, so here's the ranking in my humble opinions:

1. Angels & Demons
2. The Lost Symbol
3. The Da Vinci Code

phelans shorts · 21st September 2009, 00:32

below angels and demons, above da vinci code for me, the other two were nothing much to talk about either, the real identity of mal'ack was too obvious for me

Lance Uppercut · 22nd September 2009, 14:43

I wasn't overly impressed with this.

Spoiler

Nick 0208 Ldn · 22nd September 2009, 15:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lance Uppercut

I wasn't overly impressed with this.

Spoiler

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lance Uppercut

Spoiler

jdmufc · 22nd September 2009, 19:49

bloody things sold 2 million copies already

Bilbo · 23rd September 2009, 13:04

Is it just me that finds his overuse of Italics really, really annoying?

Pogue Mahone · 23rd September 2009, 13:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilbo

Is it just me that finds his overuse of Italics really, really annoying?

It's not just you and it's not just overuse of italics.

The bloke can't write for toffee but is one of the most widely read authors in the world today. Now that is really really annoying.

Quote:

The Lost Symbol and The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown's 20 worst sentences

The Lost Symbol, the latest novel by The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown, has gone on sale.

We pick 20 of the clumsiest phrases from it and from his earlier works.

By Tom Chivers
Published: 4:33PM BST 15 Sep 2009

If Dan Brown’s new novel The Lost Symbol is anything like his previous works, it will not go down well with the critics. Famously, comedian Stewart Lee mocked him for using the sentence “The famous man looked at the red cup” in his bestselling The Da Vinci Code.

In fact, Lee was making that up – the sentence never appears in the book. So are the critics unfair on Brown?

They’re certainly harsh. Edinburgh professor of linguistics Geoffrey Pullum says “Brown's writing is not just bad; it is staggeringly, clumsily, thoughtlessly, almost ingeniously bad.” He picks out some excerpts for special criticism. The female lead in Angels and Demons learns of the death of her scientist father: “Genius, she thought. My father . . . Dad. Dead.” A member of the Vatican Guard in the same book becomes annoyed by something, and we learn that "his eyes went white, like a shark about to attack."

Below we have selected 20 phrases that may grate on the ear. It’s not a definitive list. It couldn’t be: he has published five novels, each around 500 pages long, and the arguments over which are the worst bits will go on for a while. But it’s our list. Add your own in the comment box below.

20. Angels and Demons, chapter 1: Although not overly handsome in a classical sense, the forty-year-old Langdon had what his female colleagues referred to as an ‘erudite’ appeal — wisp of gray in his thick brown hair, probing blue eyes, an arrestingly deep voice, and the strong, carefree smile of a collegiate athlete.

They say the first rule of fiction is “show, don’t tell”. This fails that rule.

19. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 83: "The Knights Templar were warriors," Teabing reminded, the sound of his aluminum crutches echoing in this reverberant space.

“Remind” is a transitive verb – you need to remind someone of something. You can’t just remind. And if the crutches echo, we know the space is reverberant.

18. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 4: He could taste the familiar tang of museum air - an arid, deionized essence that carried a faint hint of carbon - the product of industrial, coal-filter dehumidifiers that ran around the clock to counteract the corrosive carbon dioxide exhaled by visitors.

Ah, that familiar tang of deionised essence.

17. Deception Point, chapter 8: Overhanging her precarious body was a jaundiced face whose skin resembled a sheet of parchment paper punctured by two emotionless eyes.

It’s not clear what Brown thinks ‘precarious’ means here.

16. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 4: A voice spoke, chillingly close. "Do not move." On his hands and knees, the curator froze, turning his head slowly. Only fifteen feet away, outside the sealed gate, the mountainous silhouette of his attacker stared through the iron bars. He was broad and tall, with ghost-pale skin and thinning white hair. His irises were pink with dark red pupils.

A silhouette with white hair and pink irises stood chillingly close but 15 feet away. What’s wrong with this picture?

15. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 4: As a boy, Langdon had fallen down an abandoned well shaft and almost died treading water in the narrow space for hours before being rescued. Since then, he'd suffered a haunting phobia of enclosed spaces - elevators, subways, squash courts.

Other enclosed spaces include toilet cubicles, phone boxes and dog kennels.

14. Angels and Demons, chapter 100: Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers glorified the four major rivers of the Old World - The Nile, Ganges, Danube, and Rio Plata.

The Rio de la Plata. Between Argentina and Uruguay. One of the major rivers of the Old World. Apparently.

The Da Vinci Code, chapter 5: Only those with a keen eye would notice his 14-karat gold bishop's ring with purple amethyst, large diamonds, and hand-tooled mitre-crozier appliqué.

A keen eye indeed.

13 and 12. The Lost Symbol, chapter 1: He was sitting all alone in the enormous cabin of a Falcon 2000EX corporate jet as it bounced its way through turbulence. In the background, the dual Pratt & Whitney engines hummed evenly.

The Da Vinci Code, chapter 17: Yanking his Manurhin MR-93 revolver from his shoulder holster, the captain dashed out of the office.

Oh – the Falcon 2000EX with the Pratt & Whitneys? And the Manurhin MR-93? Not the MR-92? You’re sure? Thanks.

11. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 4: Captain Bezu Fache carried himself like an angry ox, with his wide shoulders thrown back and his chin tucked hard into his chest. His dark hair was slicked back with oil, accentuating an arrow-like widow's peak that divided his jutting brow and preceded him like the prow of a battleship. As he advanced, his dark eyes seemed to scorch the earth before him, radiating a fiery clarity that forecast his reputation for unblinking severity in all matters.

Do angry oxen throw their shoulders back and tuck their chins into their chest? What precisely is a fiery clarity and how does it forecast anything? Once again, it is not clear whether Brown knows what ‘forecast’ means.

10. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 4: Five months ago, the kaleidoscope of power had been shaken, and Aringarosa was still reeling from the blow.

Did they hit him with the kaleidoscope?

9. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 32: The vehicle was easily the smallest car Langdon had ever seen. "SmartCar," she said. "A hundred kilometers to the liter."

Pro tip: when fleeing from the police, take a moment to boast about your getaway vehicle’s fuel efficiency. And get it wrong by a factor of five. SmartCars do about 20km (12 miles) to the litre.

8. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 3: My French stinks, Langdon thought, but my zodiac iconography is pretty good.

And they say the schools are dumbing down.

7 and 6. The Da Vinci Code, chapter 33: Pulling back the sleeve of his jacket, he checked his watch - a vintage, collector's-edition Mickey Mouse wristwatch that had been a gift from his parents on his tenth birthday.

The Da Vinci Code, chapter 6: His last correspondence from Vittoria had been in December - a postcard saying she was headed to the Java Sea to continue her research in entanglement physics... something about using satellites to track manta ray migrations.

In the words of Professor Pullum: “It has the ring of utter ineptitude. The details have no relevance to what is being narrated.”

5. Angels and Demons, chapter 4: learning the ropes in the trenches

Learning the ropes (of a naval ship) while in the trenches (with the army in the First World War). It’s a military education, certainly.

4, 3, and 2. The Da Vinci Code, opening sentence: Renowned curator Jacques Saunière staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum's Grand Gallery.

Angels and Demons, opening sentence: Physicist Leonardo Vetra smelled burning flesh, and he knew it was his own.

Deception Point, opening sentences: Death, in this forsaken place, could come in countless forms. Geologist Charles Brophy had endured the savage splendor of this terrain for years, and yet nothing could prepare him for a fate as barbarous and unnatural as the one about to befall him.

Professor Pullum: "Renowned author Dan Brown staggered through his formulaic opening sentence".

1. The Da Vinci Code: Title. The Da Vinci Code.

Leonardo’s surname was not Da Vinci. He was from Vinci, or of Vinci. As many critics have pointed out, calling it The Da Vinci Code is like saying Mr Of Arabia or asking What Would Of Nazareth Do?

Linky

EricaNo7 · 23rd September 2009, 21:23

i read it in a day but i can't say i enjoyed it - not even slightly.
very disappointing

pillory · 24th September 2009, 00:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilbo

Is it just me that finds his overuse of Italics really, really annoying?

They are in fact the most annoying things I've ever encountered in a book.

esmufc12 · 24th September 2009, 00:19

When he uses them well, they are good. He uses them far too often though.

surf · 8th October 2009, 01:57

Bump.

It's a matter of opinion, but I think one of the basic premises of the novel is wrong: that exposing certain behaviour of certain individuals to the public is a bad thing. Embarrassing yes, political scandal yes, national disaster no.

The content looks a lot like Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, except from the point of view of the masons rather than the church. Hence Langdon again.

Dan Brown is skilful in basing his ideas on reality and then running with them, so you don't know where fact ends and fiction begins. This may be why he upsets the church, because they are afraid that people believe everything they read as it can seem plausible the way he tells it.

He may not be such a good "writer", but his books are more about the ideas than brilliant use of language. Like JK Rowling, he has a vivid imagination.

esmufc12 · 20th March 2011, 08:45

Forgot I had this book, picked it up and started it on Tuesday and finished it Saturday morning. Enjoyable read all in all, though the twist of Mal' akh being Zachary Solomon was fairly obvious I thought (and going by this thread a few others did too). Angels and Demons is still his best book IMO, though I'd rank The Lost Symbol above The Da Vinci Code. Deception Point and Digital Fortress weren't anything great but decent reads.

I'd also forgotten how enjoyable reading can be. Starting Lee Child's Killing Floor tonight, hopefully it's another good book, and I'll look at picking up what Pogue and Wibble have recommended in here.

TLS I'll give 7/10. Far too many filler chapters for me which were unnecessary, but as I said all in all a good read.

RDCR07 · 20th March 2011, 08:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by esmufc11

Forgot I had this book, picked it up and started it on Tuesday and finished it Saturday morning. Enjoyable read all in all, though the twist of Mal' akh being Zachary Solomon was fairly obvious I thought (and going by this thread a few others did too). Angels and Demons is still his best book IMO, though I'd rank The Lost Symbol above The Da Vinci Code. Deception Point and Digital Fortress weren't anything great but decent reads.

I'd also forgotten how enjoyable reading can be. Starting Lee Child's Killing Floor tonight, hopefully it's another good book, and I'll look at picking up what Pogue and Wibble have recommended in here.

TLS I'll give 7/10. Far too many filler chapters for me which were unnecessary, but as I said all in all a good read.

Completely agree there - Angels & Demons is still one of my favorite books.

I m a huge fan of Lee Child. I have pretty much all his books. My manager at Barnes & Noble bookstore recommended him to me.

esmufc12 · 20th March 2011, 08:56

It was a poster off here (philipb231190) who recommended them to me, he insists Jack Reacher is better than Jack Bauer, which I find hard to believe.

Yeah Angels and Demons for the most part was excellent. I finished that in two days. I often said, "One more chapter" with that book.

wr8_utd · 20th March 2011, 09:32

An absolutely rubbish book.

TheMancRedDevil · 20th March 2011, 09:43

Finally got around to reading Da Vinci code last week. Really enjoyed it and am now reading Angels & Demons (yes, I know that's the wrong way round but...)

Bought Lost Symbol for my dad for Xmas so I'll probably nick it off him when I've finished A&D. He gets some flack does Dan Brown but I find him very easy to read - just the right balance between keeping the story going and slipping in a few bits of background information when needed.

If you like the subject matter and would like to read something that isn't a novel, check out stuff by Graham Phillips such as The Marian Conspiracy.

Maajid · 20th March 2011, 10:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pogue Mahone

Angels and Demons, opening sentence: Physicist Leonardo Vetra smelled burning flesh, and he knew it was his own.

Badunk · 20th March 2011, 20:20

They're page-turners. I enjoyed them. Okay, they are very samey after you've read a couple, but they're nothing more than the tabloid equivalent of.....a book, I suppose.

philipb231190 · 20th March 2011, 20:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by esmufc11

It was a poster off here (philipb231190) who recommended them to me, he insists Jack Reacher is better than Jack Bauer, which I find hard to believe.

Yeah Angels and Demons for the most part was excellent. I finished that in two days. I often said, "One more chapter" with that book.

Lee Child's books aren't exactly high end literature but they are quite enjoyable all the same.

Jack Reacher is immense.

Wibble · 5th February 2012, 04:48

I recently made the mistake of reading a Clive Cussler novel for the first time in about 30 years. I read these and quite enjoyed them when I was a kid even though I knew they were badly written at the time. Reading one now I was being massively generous. What an utter pile of tripe. Misogynistic, unbelievable and so clunkily written that it makes Dan Brown seem like a genius.

Wibble · 16th February 2012, 02:55

I've given up. I can't finish this garbage.

22nd September 2009, 14:43	#125 (permalink)
Lance Uppercut First Team Regular Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: NOBODY, calls Dugan a turd. Posts: 19,765	I wasn't overly impressed with this. Spoiler As has been said, the twist was obvious, it read like a tour guide of D.C, far too many "info dumps" from the author, and I just wasn't buying the supposed magnitude of the "crisis." It was a bit of a damp squib.

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18th September 2009, 15:11	#121 (permalink)
lewstherin Reserve Team Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Derry Posts: 4,199	Finished the lost symbol last night and thought it was fantastic. Not really a fan Of Dan Brown but did enjoy this.

20th September 2009, 03:31	#122 (permalink)
Nick 0208 Ldn News 24 Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: In the spirit of Jane Lane. Posts: 12,230	So... To those who have read other Dan Brown books and have completed The Lost Symbol, where would you rank it? Obviously better than Deception Point , but would you have it above either of Angels and Demons or The Da Vinci Code? Although it did thankfully and noticeabley improve from the opening chapters, i don't...think that i could myself.

21st September 2009, 00:32	#124 (permalink)
phelans shorts First Team Regular Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Gaz. Is a Mewling Quim. Posts: 19,519	below angels and demons, above da vinci code for me, the other two were nothing much to talk about either, the real identity of mal'ack was too obvious for me

22nd September 2009, 19:49	#127 (permalink)
jdmufc Roboheart Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: long tongue phooey,number one super guy,long tongue phooey quicker than the human eye. He's got style, a groovy style, and a car that just won't stop. When the going gets tough, he's really rough, with a long tongue Phooey chop (Hi-Ya!) Posts: 13,303	bloody things sold 2 million copies already

23rd September 2009, 13:04	#128 (permalink)
Bilbo First Team Sub Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 7,282	Is it just me that finds his overuse of Italics really, really annoying?

23rd September 2009, 21:23	#130 (permalink)
EricaNo7 Scarlett woman ( Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn ) Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: more right wing than andrei kanchelskis Posts: 17,551	i read it in a day but i can't say i enjoyed it - not even slightly. very disappointing

24th September 2009, 00:19	#132 (permalink)
esmufc12 Unclean Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 22,463	When he uses them well, they are good. He uses them far too often though.

8th October 2009, 01:57	#133 (permalink)
surf Reserve Team Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: In the wilderness Posts: 3,913	Bump. It's a matter of opinion, but I think one of the basic premises of the novel is wrong: that exposing certain behaviour of certain individuals to the public is a bad thing. Embarrassing yes, political scandal yes, national disaster no. The content looks a lot like Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, except from the point of view of the masons rather than the church. Hence Langdon again. Dan Brown is skilful in basing his ideas on reality and then running with them, so you don't know where fact ends and fiction begins. This may be why he upsets the church, because they are afraid that people believe everything they read as it can seem plausible the way he tells it. He may not be such a good "writer", but his books are more about the ideas than brilliant use of language. Like JK Rowling, he has a vivid imagination.

20th March 2011, 08:45	#134 (permalink)
esmufc12 Unclean Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 22,463	Forgot I had this book, picked it up and started it on Tuesday and finished it Saturday morning. Enjoyable read all in all, though the twist of Mal' akh being Zachary Solomon was fairly obvious I thought (and going by this thread a few others did too). Angels and Demons is still his best book IMO, though I'd rank The Lost Symbol above The Da Vinci Code. Deception Point and Digital Fortress weren't anything great but decent reads. I'd also forgotten how enjoyable reading can be. Starting Lee Child's Killing Floor tonight, hopefully it's another good book, and I'll look at picking up what Pogue and Wibble have recommended in here. TLS I'll give 7/10. Far too many filler chapters for me which were unnecessary, but as I said all in all a good read.

20th March 2011, 08:56	#136 (permalink)
esmufc12 Unclean Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 22,463	It was a poster off here (philipb231190) who recommended them to me, he insists Jack Reacher is better than Jack Bauer, which I find hard to believe. Yeah Angels and Demons for the most part was excellent. I finished that in two days. I often said, "One more chapter" with that book.

20th March 2011, 09:32	#137 (permalink)
wr8_utd 1st wr8_muppetry Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 25,308	An absolutely rubbish book.

20th March 2011, 09:43	#138 (permalink)
TheMancRedDevil Banned Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: GCHQ Saved The World! Posts: 4,849	Finally got around to reading Da Vinci code last week. Really enjoyed it and am now reading Angels & Demons (yes, I know that's the wrong way round but...) Bought Lost Symbol for my dad for Xmas so I'll probably nick it off him when I've finished A&D. He gets some flack does Dan Brown but I find him very easy to read - just the right balance between keeping the story going and slipping in a few bits of background information when needed. If you like the subject matter and would like to read something that isn't a novel, check out stuff by Graham Phillips such as The Marian Conspiracy.

20th March 2011, 20:20	#140 (permalink)
Badunk First Team Sub Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Kagawacafe.net Posts: 5,779	They're page-turners. I enjoyed them. Okay, they are very samey after you've read a couple, but they're nothing more than the tabloid equivalent of.....a book, I suppose.

5th February 2012, 04:48	#142 (permalink)
Wibble Ingadus Speramus Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Centre Back Posts: 49,870	I recently made the mistake of reading a Clive Cussler novel for the first time in about 30 years. I read these and quite enjoyed them when I was a kid even though I knew they were badly written at the time. Reading one now I was being massively generous. What an utter pile of tripe. Misogynistic, unbelievable and so clunkily written that it makes Dan Brown seem like a genius.

16th February 2012, 02:55	#143 (permalink)
Wibble Ingadus Speramus Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Centre Back Posts: 49,870	I've given up. I can't finish this garbage.