The Lost Symbol: a lost opportunity A certain sense of déjà vu: Dan Brown seems to have found a personal formula that works for him - and he sticks to it book after book.
 
The discovery of the Da Vinci Code was pleasant enough: as a first contact with Dan Brown's writing, it makes for a good light reading. Going back to his other books, I couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed. Still, we tend to learn and evolve, and after the success of the "Da Vinci Code" one could hope that the author would try some different explorations of his characters and world.
 
Sadly, "The Lost Symbol" now confirms that if you're read one book by Dan Brown, you've read them all. Plot and twists are previsible, and the puzzles the characters encounter cannot offer any intellectual stimulation to the reader. Worse still, I had better memories of the "Da Vinci Code" style and construction, but found myself making an effort not to skip some quite boring passages in "The Lost Symbol".
 
The book can still make for some pleasant light reading during the summer days. But after the first evasion, you most probably won't read it again a second time. A good tip for broke students: if you're willing to wait some time, you most probably will found a good number of copies of "The Lost Symbol" in the bargain bin this winter...