[QuickTidal]

So, while not really "other fantasy", it is other author, so I'll put it here.

Dan Brown and Doubleday did a press release on the new Robert Langdon thriller (Following up Angels & Demons, and The DaVinci Code) and it will not be called "The Solomon Key" as it has been referred to for the last 5 years while Brown wrote it, and will instead be titled "The Lost Symbol".The press release said that the release date it September 15th of 2009 and that the whole story takes place in a 12 hour time period.

I liked the previous Langdon novels a lot. Fun, thriller, popcorn fare. I look forward to the new book.

As an aside: I would love to see the look on the faces of the few anti-Dan Brown, Christian rights groups who, five years ago when they heard the title and the loose premise of the 3rd book, jumped on the lynch wagon and wrote books debunking "Dan Brown's Solomon Key" and it's supposed contents....there's like 4 of those books out...LOL! What a bunch of wankers. I wouldn't be surprised if the Lost Symbol contains NONE of the crap they thought they were debunking. Way to go Brown and Doubleday on concealing the title and premise for so long and sending press and detractors on a wild goose chase. HAHA!

Anyways, have a look at the link below for the full press release on Brown's official site.

http://www.danbrown....ost-symbol.html

[Aptorian]

I'm anxious about this one.

I liked the Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, much preferred Angels & Demons and am looking forward to the film.

These books are by no means amazing stories, great writing or filled with anything new per say, but they were just very good at doing what they did. Popcorn thriller action that you've seen before, just not with quite the same charm.

On the other hand I have since also read Digital Fortress and Deception Point and those two are some of the worse crap I've read. And this is strange, because they are actually much the same as the two book with Langdon. When I thought about it I realised that if you've read one Brown book you've more or less read them all.

Some great mystery is a foot, our protagonists are sent to investigate, turns out something different is happening, then you have 3 or 4 big twists and in the end its always the bad guy that is the good guy and the good guy that is the bad guy. There's a strong but flawed female character and a passionate but gentle educated man. They are in love or fall in love, they almost die and in the end they over come their fears and bond. Also the government is always evil. It's intelligent no doubt and Brown always does his research, that may be his real strength... but it gets oh so predictable.

I really hope Brown used 5 years creating something new.

[Skywalker]

Uh-oh... Dan Brown just re-armed Werthead's GRRM defense team

Totally agree with Apt that if you've read one DB book you've read them all... that said, I will probably read this one, if nothing else I'll get a kick out of comparing it with the two National Treasure movies and guffawing at the combined idiocy of the three.

Related thought... Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum" makes for such a tragi-comic comment on Dan Brown's Langdon books...

[dktorode]

Apparently Columbia studio's movie execs have already secured the rights and have started adapting this...even though its only being released in September...hahahaha

[Aptorian]

That man must be rolling in cash.

[wolverine]

Agree with many of the assessments above. I have only read Angels and Demons and Davinci Code, but after having read DC I was just waiting for the big "surprises" and completely expecting the vilian to be a known "good" character. It was still a fast enjoyable read, but it made the book a litlle anticlimactic to me.

What was that about Focault's Pendulum? I read The Name of the Rose (awesome) and The Island of the Day Before and wanted to read another of his books.

[Skywalker]

wolverine, on Apr 21 2009, 07:44 PM, said:

What was that about Focault's Pendulum? I read The Name of the Rose (awesome) and The Island of the Day Before and wanted to read another of his books.

Foucault's Pendulum is a must read for you then wolverine!

It's about these editors working for a publisher that has an occult books print that start imagining/ researching links between various occult mysteries and theories, into a grand tapestry of a 'Plan' for the world. They manage to weave together a tapestry involving pagan rituals, voodoo, the Knights Templar, Rosicrucians, Freemasonry, and whatnot, often making HUGE leaps of intuition and coincidence. The novel is about how all this sort of backfires when the occultists who REALLY believe in all the stuff these guys are goofing around with start to come calling.

Wont spoil it for you, but it is simultaneously a tour-de-force through many occult/ pagan mysteries and a poignant tale...

Da Vinci Code is to Foucault's Pendulum what a Hardy Boys mystery is to Sherlock Holmes.

[Sixty]

wolverine, on Apr 21 2009, 07:44 PM, said:

Da Vinci Code is to Foucault's Pendulum what a Hardy Boys mystery is to Sherlock Holmes.

The Hardy Boys! Two young whippersnappers with a knack for solvin' mysteries!

*ahem*

Couldn't help myself. D:

But to stay somewhat on topic, this looks like it could shape up to be a decent read. I enjoyed reading his other books, but then again when I read them I also thought Goodkind was a good writer so who knows? Hopefully he's improved in terms of plot structure...but either way I'll probably be borrowing this from the library a couple months after release.

This post has been edited by Sixty: 22 April 2009 - 01:33 PM

[Abyss]

I've always though A&D was way superior to TDC. Both are fun and enjoyable fast reads and i can't help but be impressed by Brown's ability to take complex historical fact/fiction/theory and integrate it into an action storyline. I'm sure TLS will be more of the same. And make great big ugly white globs of money.

Imnsho, DIGITAL FORTRESS and DECEPTION POINT were both crap, btw, altho the latter gets small points for neat setting for finale.

- Abyss, liked the anagrams.

[Aptorian]

I have to admit with you there Abyss. Deception Points finale would look awesome on cinema.

That Megaplume thingy or what ever it was made the whole scene seem so very Science Fiction.

[Abyss]

And the sharks. It was all very classic James Bond.

- Abyss, ...still thought it was crap tho'.

[Aptorian]

And that physicist guy, naked, gaffa tape wrapped leg, covered in pee sailing a speedboat... I was laughing so much.

That guy is probably Browns funniest character.

[Abyss]

and trying to turn it into a pick-up line!

Ok, fine, there were tiny BITS of Deception Point that didn't suck, but the book was still crap.

- Abyss, needs to try that line...

[QuickTidal]

Actually, that ending of Deception Point WAS cool...but the rest of the book was crap, you guys are right.

I actually liked portions of Digital Fortress though....but then, that was my first read of Dan Brown and it was well before Angels and Demons.

[Aptorian]

Digital Fortress was sort of okay, untill the ending when we got that last revelation... pffffh.

[Skywalker]

Also, anyone who knows even an iota of cryptography will tell you Digital Fortress is completely crap.

Digital Fortress is to Cryptonomicon what Nancy Drew is to Miss Marple.

Skywalker - could do this all day, and hasn't even finished Cryptonomicon yet

[Abyss]

I actually read A&D before DVC. Truth be told, DVC was a bit of a letdown in that order. Still good fun, but A&D is a way better book.

- Abyss, wants to be pope.

[MecnunK]

Aptorian, on Apr 21 2009, 06:05 AM, said:

I'm anxious about this one.

I liked the Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, much preferred Angels & Demons and am looking forward to the film.

These books are by no means amazing stories, great writing or filled with anything new per say, but they were just very good at doing what they did. Popcorn thriller action that you've seen before, just not with quite the same charm.

On the other hand I have since also read Digital Fortress and Deception Point and those two are some of the worse crap I've read. And this is strange, because they are actually much the same as the two book with Langdon. When I thought about it I realised that if you've read one Brown book you've more or less read them all.

Some great mystery is a foot, our protagonists are sent to investigate, turns out something different is happening, then you have 3 or 4 big twists and in the end its always the bad guy that is the good guy and the good guy that is the bad guy. There's a strong but flawed female character and a passionate but gentle educated man. They are in love or fall in love, they almost die and in the end they over come their fears and bond. Also the government is always evil. It's intelligent no doubt and Brown always does his research, that may be his real strength... but it gets oh so predictable.

I really hope Brown used 5 years creating something new.

Pretty much agree with everything you have said here except for the looking forward to the film..I have had the distinct misfortune of having watched The Da Vinci Code!!!

[Thelomen Toblerone]

They're the sort of literary equivalent of one of those sh*tty teen movies or Hollyoaks, or even a mindless Van Damme action movie - you know they're mostly complete drivel but at the same time you cant help being entertained. Well, Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons anyway. I do have a problem with alot of the things he claims as "fact" which are acctually lies or incorrect, he shouldnt try force a pointless agenda onto what are otherwise enjoyable books.

I'll probably read this one, I wont rush to the shops to get it, but if its sitting around I'll give it a crack. I hope to hell they dont make another movie off it as bad as the Da Vinci code though. Jesus that was awful.

[QuickTidal]

Do want to know what was funny? The thing everyone complained about with The Davinci Code film, the fact that it was slavish to the book and people said that slwoed it down....I actually liked that...LOL