#the lost symbol by dan brown

[astridofraftel]

reading challenge review #7

Just finished: Legendborn + Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn + Le symbole perdu by Dan Brown

Next on schedule: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse + Il était une fois dans le Nord by Philip Pullman + And I Darken by Kiersten White

The Legendborn cycle wasn't on my schedule but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I just can't wait to read the third book, I'm almost regretting not waiting another year to devour the whole trilogy in one go.

It's a very good YA series that I highly recommend if you like urban fantasy and Arthurian retellings. I did not really understand the hype at first—I mean, I was enjoying the experience, but it's everywhere on Booktok and I did not see how it really stood out from other YA fantasy books. I was fully and happily convinced by the end of the first tome, though!

The second tome lacked some of the vibes I really liked in the first, and seemed to stretch out in a sort of in-between state for too long, but that is often the case in the second of a trilogy. I remember having the same feeling while reading The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang and you know how that trilogy was? Heart-wrenchingly throwing-up all around AMAZING IT WAS so I guess a weaker middle is just a part of life.

Also spoiler warning but it is at the same time strongly hinting at a polyrelationship all the while denying it happening what the fuck why? Like if the boys could not get romantically involved and just stayed in, like, a queerplatonic relationship together while sharing a girlfriend, I wouldn't mind, but one of them HAD romantic feelings for the other at some point and not anymore so it may NOT HAPPEN AT ALL?? Why include this I'm so confused (and don't tell me Nick is straight nobody is straight in this book)

Anyway, great read, I'll very probably read them again in a few years!

I also read a book that I had scheduled, The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (French translation). I read Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons and Inferno in middle/high-school when I was going through a fixation on theology and philosophy and I really enjoyed these books back then, but I don't remember why I did not immediately follow through by reading TLS which completed the quadrilogy. I procrastinated it for more than 6 years and it shows, because that fixation is now long gone and all the religious talk in this book bored me so much I couldn't even remember what I had liked about this series in the first place.

The symbology was still cool, some bits of theology were interesting and informative if not inspiring, but it was a little too much Christianity for me. Too insistent. Like it was trying to evangelize me.

I have no memory of being disturbed by something like that with the other books (which I've only read once each) so it probably has more to do with my current state of mind than with anything else. I think 16-year-old me would have LOVED it. Maybe I was more interested in intellectual reflection back then, while I now favor emotional affect in reading?

It may be the translation but I'm not so sure at this point: the writing wasn't actually very good, I thought. There was no particular beauty (even when talking about deep stuff) and the wording was sometimes awkward, with some patterns of sentences that were just annoying in their repetition and lost all intended impressive effect. It's maybe just because of the genre of the book and I'm a bad judge.

BUT the plot twists were good, and I did not see half of them coming.

Next up: Siddhartha, to continue on the spiritual theme, or She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, if I decide to ignore my schedule :)

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[amanita-muscaria-lover]

[fearlesstarker]

robert langdon au

known for a brilliant problem-solving mind and his genius, langdon has an eidetic memory. as professor at harvard university, he teaches religious iconology and the fictional field of symbology.

langdon was a diver at phillips exeter academy in prep school and played water polo at princeton university where he went for college. at the age of seven, langdon fell into a well and was trapped there at night. this led to him developing claustrophobia, which is believed to persist in the following years.

he has a cold calculating look. robert is always secretive and silent, but his lectures put into a trance. he amazes with his charm, and his voice sounds like music.

[tinderbox210]

As above, so below.

Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol (2021)

insp. / insp.

[hikarry]

I'm yet to see a woman described as a normal human being in this book

So far, they are either hot babes or have something that makes them supposedly hideous or annoying

I know Dan Brown isn't the high of literature, but he is my guilty pleasure. Yey, the way he describes women in his books is so...sexist.

They can legit be smart as fuck but he mostly focus on their beauty or lack there of. It's very annoying

And, obviously, the hot babe always ends up hooking up with the main character, obviously

Is it too much to ask for a book without the romance? A book that truly focuses on mystery and history and religion and whatnot?

[drish1121]

The Lost Symbol

[bookdragonslayer]

Inferno by Dan Brown

This is a part of the Robert Langdon series (4th book) And it's the only one I own (rest i've read online) but it's brilliant.

It's the story of Robert Langdon and Dr. Sienna Brooks who involve in a deadly chase across Florence to find the secret of Dante's Inferno and a deadly virus.

I loved both this book and the whole series so I definitely recommend it to all the history lovers and also to the people who want to read something brain-burstingly intellectual.....

❤️❤️

[optimisticcyclequeen]

[cinematic-literature]

Sherlock S01E02 (The Blind Banker)

Book title

Snow Blind (2006) by P. J. Tracy

Fermat's Last Theorem (1998) by Simon Singh

London A-Z (1984)

The Lost Symbol (2009) by Dan Brown

Blood’s a Rover (2009) by James Ellroy

Coutts & Co 1692-1992: The Portrait of a Private Bank (1992) by Edna Healey

The Secrets of Codes: Understanding the World of Hidden Messages (2009) by Paul Lunde

Porcelain Through the Ages (1963) by George Savage

Kickboxing Geishas: How Modern Japanese Women Are Changing Their Nation (2007) by Veronica Chambers

A book about Le Corbusier

When Markets Collide (2008) by Mohamed El-Erian

Miller’s Antiques (1996) by Judith Miller

[thoughtfulseason]

now i’d love the other books with ashley zuckerman as robert langdon yes please

[misspeppermint2003]

Professor Robert Langdon from Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series (United States of America)

Commander Maximilian Richter from Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series (United States of America)

Peter Solomon from Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series (United States of America)

Father Patrick McKenna/Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca from Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series (United States of America)

Bertrand Zobrist from Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series (United States of America)

[inky-here]

I am currently reading The lost symbol by Dan Brown as one of my graduation books and I didn't have very high expectations, grad books are often uninteresting and this one in particular is very long and everyone I asked had a different opinion on it.

so. I'm about ¾ through with it and it got SO fun and interesting, it's deadass starting to remind me of my tumblr feed (I like whump prompts so that's probably self explanatory)

and hear me out cause here's what happened so far (spoilers obvi):

the MC's (Robert) best friend (Peter) was kidnapped and Robert is blackmailed into helping the kidnapper

he found out about Peter by FINDING HIS FUCKING HAND, that was straight up chopped off and used as a clue

meanwhile Peter's sister (Katherine) is targeted by the kidnapper as well, he goes to get her and he drowns her assistant in ethanol to get rid of her

then there's this brilliant scene where Katherine is getting away from him

the kidnapper's backstory is literally killing Peter's and Katherine's mom and then getting shot and thrown into a freezing river

and right now the kidnapper took Robert and Katherine, and he straight up has Robert in a coffin that's filling up with water (also Robert's claustrophobic so that makes it better)

and he has Katherine WATCH HIM the entire time

and all of these are described in SUCH DETAIL, my jaw dropped on the floor during the ethanol scene and I haven't managed to pick it up since

and now I legitimately cannot wait for what happens next, I haven't read and enjoyed a book in such a long time, let alone a grad book!! maybe mr dan brown sir will help me get my love for books back

[darkangelofmists]

“Wide acceptance of an idea is not proof of its validity.”

― Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol

[father-of-the-void]

Fact: In 1991, a document was locked in the safe of the director of the CIA. The document is still there today. Its cryptic text includes references to an ancient portal and an unknown location underground. The document also contains the phrase 'It's buried out there somewhere.' All organizations in this novel exist, including the Freemasons, the Invisible College, the Office of Security, the SMSC, and the Institute of Noetic Sciences. All rituals, science, artwork, and monuments in this novel are real.

Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol

[inlovewithquotes]

To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books.

- The Lost Symbol

[hikarry]

I searched it up! Peter is 12 years older than Robert

Now that I've finished the book I believe Robert would be way more into his sister Katherine than Peter, to be honest