The Lost Symbol

I know a lot of book snobs look down on Dan Brown and his ilk. I know they probably have really smart sounding reasons - but I'm not sure what they are. Nor, to be honest, do I really care.

We've already established that I wasn't a good English major.

My bookshelves might garner a few upturned noses, and that's ok, I have room in my life for a pretty wide variety of writing. Can Dan Brown be compared to, say, Dostoevsky? Probably not. But that's not really the point, is it?

Isn't (at least one of) the point(s) of reading to enjoy yourself? I think so. Sure, I read to learn things, but I also read to have a good time - and that fact that these books are FUN, is really all the argument I need  to be convinced that they are worth some shelf space.

With that said, I missed this one when it came out, but decided to pick it up when I read a description of his newest book, Inferno. I'm a sucker for books about books. And I especially love when the modern world interacts with Classics. Easy A, anyone?

But I digress.

I am incapable of skipping books in a series, so I couldn't pick up Inferno until I read The Lost Symbol, so I picked it up last time I was at the Library. I really enjoyed The DaVinci Code, and to a slightly lesser extent  Angels & Demons (yes, I read them out of order...it still bugs me).  It's been quite a while since I read them, so my memories of the details are a little fuzzy, but I remember them being a little more action packed, and a little less lectury than this one.

I didn't hate this book, but I also didn't find it as gripping as his others. The basic story line was a familiar one - and I love "treasure" hunts. I love trying to figure out the codes and clues and seeing where things end up. This time though, I felt like the book was about 100 pages too long. Professor Langdon was more pretentious and less likable than I remembered, and I got a little bored of his constant, "I'm a fancy pants academic, and therefore too skeptical to buy into your ridiculous legends." Except that he participates in every step along the way, so I wasn't really buying him.

So, while this was not my favorite of Dan's books, I still fully plan to pick up and read Inferno at some point in the near future. And I'd definitely be interested in some more non Robert Langdon books. I really enjoyed both Deception Point and Digital Fortress quite a bit.

My conclusion: If you're a fan, keep moving forward, but maybe be prepared to skim a little, especially in the last third of the book. 3 Stars.