Dan Brown - The Lost Symbol

[mountainboii]

Anyone taking a Dan Brown book at face value and expecting it to be 100% factually accurate is kind of missing the point. He seems to intentionally base his stories around issues where facts are thin on the ground, or nonexistant. This allows him to sell the books as roughly historically accurate, but at the same time to have a lot of artistic licence to make up a pile of nonsense. The Da Vinci code was a case in point, where he seemed to weave the odd fact into a web of about 3 or 4 different conspiracy theories.

I don't mind them because they're easy to read. Kind of junk food books, that you can get through in a couple of days without really having to devote all your attention to.

[Hound]

Aerlik, the book Brown based Da Vinci code on was also anti-Catholic.  The entire premise of the book you mentioned is anti-Catholic - I got it first time round and got the message loud and clear

Hound, I assume you aren't a practising Catholic?  If I have assumed correctly then I have nothing more to say

I dunno what that's got to do with anything. Do you have to be a Jew to have an opinion on anti-Semitism? What even is a practising Catholic? Are you a practising Catholic? Do you go to confession regularly? Do you use condoms? Have you ever supported a violent act of the IRA?

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Anyone taking a Dan Brown book at face value and expecting it to be 100% factually accurate is kind of missing the point. He seems to intentionally base his stories around issues where facts are thin on the ground, or nonexistant. This allows him to sell the books as roughly historically accurate, but at the same time to have a lot of artistic licence to make up a pile of nonsense. The Da Vinci code was a case in point, where he seemed to weave the odd fact into a web of about 3 or 4 different conspiracy theories.

I don't mind them because they're easy to read. Kind of junk food books, that you can get through in a couple of days without really having to devote all your attention to.

Thats what Terry Pratchet and the "Discworld" series are there for. 

[Aerlik]

Aerlik, the book Brown based Da Vinci code on was also anti-Catholic.  The entire premise of the book you mentioned is anti-Catholic - I got it first time round and got the message loud and clear

I would suggest that it is anti-Christian if anything seeing as the main events suggested in Holy Blood occured before the reformation.  However the authors have some valid arguments; one could not be a rabbi if one was not married.  Therefore the Mary Magdalene element.  The festival at Les Saint Maries de la mer in France is another.  I think it was Baigent who wrote "The Holy Place".  If you haven't read it already, you should.  Some remarkable theories in that too, as is the DVD.  The Temple And The Lodge is a follow-up read to Holy Blood. 

I don't like Brown's style of writing.  It is not quite as bad as Andy McNab's but not much better.  He styles his writing technique for his target audience.

[nifan]

It is not quite as bad as Andy McNab's but not much better.

Aye andy mcnabs writing is abysmal. Never has the term "slotted" been used in a single book.

[lurganblue]

started this book two nights ago so i'm only 50 pages into it but already it looks to be a typical Dan Brown book and im enjoying it. i really hope it can be as good as Angels and Demons which i loved reading.  Its obviously not War and Peace but i dont expect it to be.  Its easy reading for me at the end of a days work...

glad to see Dan Brown is back...

[clareman]

Have nearly read it myself and I am enjoying it. Am I missing something though? Reports say that the Freemasons are unhappy with it, but I thought they come out of it in a good light? (I have to admit that I don't know much about them).

[Zapatista]

Digital Fortress, Angels and Demons, Deception Point and The Da Vinci Code. Would agree that he'll never win any Nobel prizes for literature but he does write a good page-turner.

I agree with you here.

I didn't read Digital fortress but did the others.  They are very similar too, which some people like but after 3 I had enough although they were good. I read A&D first and really enjoyed it. They got less interesting as they went on.

The woman got a copy of this at the weekend. I might read it at some stage but certainlly won't make it a priority. Even the title makes me think it will be much the same.

[SLIGONIAN]

Like a few posters have said, I read the first 150 pages of Da vinci code and got bored to be honest, found his way with words not my liking, also found it very repititive, same chapter over and over again...

As everyone says it is a fictional book just like the Bible.

I watched Angels and Demons a few days ago and I thought it was a brilliant film, couldnt fault it. And I never watched da vinci code. I guess we are all unique and have unique tastes.

[ardmhachaabu]

Aerlik, the book Brown based Da Vinci code on was also anti-Catholic.  The entire premise of the book you mentioned is anti-Catholic - I got it first time round and got the message loud and clear

I would suggest that it is anti-Christian if anything seeing as the main events suggested in Holy Blood occured before the reformation.  However the authors have some valid arguments; one could not be a rabbi if one was not married.  Therefore the Mary Magdalene element.  The festival at Les Saint Maries de la mer in France is another.  I think it was Baigent who wrote "The Holy Place".  If you haven't read it already, you should.  Some remarkable theories in that too, as is the DVD.  The Temple And The Lodge is a follow-up read to Holy Blood. 

I don't like Brown's style of writing.  It is not quite as bad as Andy McNab's but not much better.  He styles his writing technique for his target audience.

Fair point that it's anti-Christian, that's a better description of it.  I just think that the entire basis of the grail book is to damage Christianity as much as possible. 

Haven't read Temple and the Lodge, spotted it in Bargain Books a while back though so might lift it

[Aerlik]

Haven't read Temple and the Lodge, spotted it in Bargain Books a while back though so might lift it

It is a theory about the history of Freemasonry as opposed to an expose of that organisation.  There are clear references to it in the fillum Da Vinci code.

A particularly interesting assertion made is that the American war of independence was deliberately lost by the English to avoid killing other freemasons.

Beyond the brotherhood is a decent auld gander too. 

As everyone says it is a fictional book just like the Bible.

Too much Nietscke for one day?  Facts are created by powerbrokers rather than discovered by truth seekers. (Herbert, 2006) 

[Harold Disgracey]

Just finished it. It's an enjoyable enough page turner, Dan Brown is no Umberto Eco though.

[lurganblue]

so finished this book last night. i must say i enjoyed it and its a typical Dan Brown page turner.  I didnt think it was as good as Angels and Demons, and the end was dragged out a bit too long.

i thought we saw a different Langdon in this book.  One who wasnt as confident and a little out of his depth at times.  Is this the end of this character?