The Lost Symbol

Having spent an entirely enjoyable weekend reading Dan Brown's Lost Symbol, I am now ready to tear it to pieces. All my positive comments first though- it is a typical Dan Brown book with all the right ingredients- you learn a great deal of Etymology, Issac Newton's cryptic doings, buildings with more skeletons than a serial killer, ancient works of art and literature which would have saved a whole lot of lab space if only they were clearer, and codes which have more layers than Matryoshka dolls. All in all a nice page turner.

Now if only there were about 100 pages less to turn, it would have been all the more enjoyable. If you fall asleep towards the end don't worry, nothing happens in the last 20 pages except a whole lot of pontificating and lecturing - YAWN! Which is probably what the editor was doing when proof reading the book, there are so many parts that could have been edited out that I wonder if DB is some kind of a diva or the editor is totally spineless. Our much tattooed villain is almost comic book - if his evil plot included stealing all books or something it would have been a whole lot more frightening than his lame ass scheme. Although I must say I like the idea of a completely tattooed villain- now I want one too- a tattoo, not a villain. I am thinking of the snake eating its own tail (and in true DB fashion it can be a a tribute to my fav cell phone game).

Another thing I didn't get, other than the evil plot, was why there was not a single character who was relate-able. While I was left feeling dizzy just with Robert Landon seeing everything with dazzling clarity at every 15th page and being confused 5 pages after - all the senior citizens in the book where annoyingly chirpy after being mutilated, praying all night, running around and tackling professional security men. Sigh! No wonder I have never been a heroine in a book. Final say? DB is way more cool bashing the church than eulogising Freemasons; As thrillers go, it is perfectly enjoyable; I am already tired of all people going on about Noetic Sciences, and Freemasons; This book would make a better TV series than a movie (every other episode can end with Landon having an epiphany); Whatever DB says, the Washington Monument still looks like a red eyed devil to me!