GRcade

OnlyShallow wrote:

Better than Da Vinci, on par with Angels and Demons. The amount of copycat books on the market after Da Vinci was released really dumbed down most aspects of the book, and when linked with the fact the Masons mean nothing to me it definitely didn't have that "OMG Jesus is alive" moment that Da Vinci gave us.

This made me laugh considering The Da Vinci is itself a copycat book. Dan Brown fans, do yourselves a favour and read this Foucault's Pendulum. It has more original ideas in one paragraph than all of Dan Brown's collective writing.

It may be a copycat book, but doesn't make that statement any less true. Da Vinci Code sparked the sudden release of the books not Foucaults Pendulum.

Fallen Phoenix wrote:

OnlyShallow wrote:

Better than Da Vinci, on par with Angels and Demons. The amount of copycat books on the market after Da Vinci was released really dumbed down most aspects of the book, and when linked with the fact the Masons mean nothing to me it definitely didn't have that "OMG Jesus is alive" moment that Da Vinci gave us.

This made me laugh considering The Da Vinci is itself a copycat book. Dan Brown fans, do yourselves a favour and read this Foucault's Pendulum. It has more original ideas in one paragraph than all of Dan Brown's collective writing.

It may be a copycat book, but doesn't make that statement any less true. Da Vinci Code sparked the sudden release of the books not Foucaults Pendulum.

I don't really get what your statement was to be honest. Is it that copy cat books blunted the appeal of the Lost Symbol? Which aspects were "dumbed down"?

I read Da Vinci Code on the basis of all the hype surrounding it and the stuff about the Holy Grail, the family of Jesus still being alive. Now i'm not saying I believed it or anything, but it was my type of book and I really enjoyed it. So afterwards whenI was buying new books I did tend to go for the books that looked and sounded similar because I knew i'd enjoy them. So reading this now I didn't find anything particularly original or that hasn't been done already in another similar type book.

Fallen Phoenix wrote:I read Da Vinci Code on the basis of all the hype surrounding it and the stuff about the Holy Grail, the family of Jesus still being alive. Now i'm not saying I believed it or anything, but it was my type of book and I really enjoyed it. So afterwards whenI was buying new books I did tend to go for the books that looked and sounded similar because I knew i'd enjoy them. So reading this now I didn't find anything particularly original or that hasn't been done already in another similar type book.

Ahhhh. In that case you really do need to read Foucaults Pendulum, if you haven't already. If you haven't read it yet I'll warn you now that it isn't a bit of fluff like Dan Brown's writings. You can tell that Eco has seriously researched this stuff, so this is not your usual light hearted read. You have to put effort into reading it, but will be fully rewarded for it.

£4.99 on amazon.

Memento Mori wrote:£4.99 on amazon.

Plus postage if you buy it on its own.

Fallen Phoenix wrote:

Memento Mori wrote:£4.99 on amazon.

Plus postage if you buy it on its own.

I bought some go go crazy bones at 79p a packet to take me over the magic £5 mark.

Hexx wrote:Huh.

That was...odd.

There's some good trashy thriller bits, but there's some horrid existential crap - and there's about 5 chapters to many after the final.

Fully agree. The last 2/3 chapters are a right slog to go through and I actually skipped most of them just to finish it. After going back and quickly reading them and seeing if it added anything I found its just more of the same type of crap that too me didn't have much to do witht he story at all and was just Dan Brown trying to stir up a bit more controversy.

Fallen Phoenix wrote:

Moggy wrote:

Fallen Phoenix wrote:Aparantly its only £5, but thanks to Tesco Clubcard vouchers picked it up from there instead for £7.

Sounds like a good deal...

Had £7 worth of vouchers so cost me nothing

Finished last night, overall a good read

Better than Da Vinci, on par with Angels and Demons. The amount of copycat books on the market after Da Vinci was released really dumbed down most aspects of the book, and when linked with the fact the Masons mean nothing to me it definitely didn't have that "OMG Jesus is alive" moment that Da Vinci gave us.

On par with Angels?! I hope it picks up as it's been a bit slow so far. They are just going under the capital dome to find that special room. It's really quite interesting, especially the thing about George Washington in the painting.

I can't believe some of you have finished it already.

Fallen Phoenix wrote:

Moggy wrote:

Fallen Phoenix wrote:Aparantly its only £5, but thanks to Tesco Clubcard vouchers picked it up from there instead for £7.

Sounds like a good deal...

Had £7 worth of vouchers so cost me nothing

Finished last night, overall a good read

Better than Da Vinci, on par with Angels and Demons. The amount of copycat books on the market after Da Vinci was released really dumbed down most aspects of the book, and when linked with the fact the Masons mean nothing to me it definitely didn't have that "OMG Jesus is alive" moment that Da Vinci gave us.

On par with Angels?! I hope it picks up as it's been a bit slow so far. They are just going under the capital dome to find that special room. It's really quite interesting, especially the thing about George Washington in the painting.

I can't believe some of you have finished it already.

Picked it up today will finish the book I bought from Smiths to get this at £6.99 first as its rather good

I'd say some of the "thriller" sections are on a par with Angels, but the rest of it often lets it down.

I think it's the overall weakest of the 3 Langdon ones, and it's prob 3rd or 4th of the 5.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/6194031/The-Lost-Symbol-and-The-Da-Vinci-Code-author-Dan-Browns-20-worst-sentences.html

Hexx wrote:I think it's the overall weakest of the 3 Langdon ones, and it's prob 3rd or 4th of the 5.

That would make it the weakest of all his books for me.

This book is fascinating so far. Borrows a bit from Da Vinci Code but I'm really enjoying the history and the Solomon backstory. Mal'ahk is just badass.

Weakest for me is most likely Deception Point, but even that was fantastic.

Deception Point is probably my favourite of the lot, just ahead of Digital Fortress.

Drumstick wrote:Deception Point is probably my favourite of the lot, just ahead of Digital Fortress.

I still think Digital Fortress is best just

Was Deception point the one with the aliens that were sea creatures?

I rather liked that one. Can't remember much of it, though.

aaronayl1 wrote:Was Deception point the one with the aliens that were sea creatures?

I rather liked that one. Can't remember much of it, though.

That is correct. It had the Alpha team trying to take down the main guys, the ambush on the ice plates, and the whole presidential election with Senator Sedgewick Sexton.

DrDoom wrote:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/6194031/The-Lost-Symbol-and-The-Da-Vinci-Code-author-Dan-Browns-20-worst-sentences.html

I haven't read any of his books. I am definitely not going to now.