The Lost Symbol
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Are any of you tired of the same "Dan Brown formula"?
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Deanne
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rated it 2 stars
Apr 03, 2013 02:08PM
Yes. I enjoyed Angels and Demons & The Da Vinci Code but thought The Lost Symbol was too predictable and far fetched. Definitely will not be reading the latest R Langdon book.
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yes, its getting all cliched now. he should try something more.
yes, so very tired! Ive read The Davinci Code in ONE night plus it was in arabic and it blew out my mind. Afterwards I read The Last Symbol and was really disappointed.... same pattern, same description, same improvement, same quality and lots of repetition. Yes, the public definitely likes your writing style but not when it tends to be repetitive. I hope there will be some improvements as well!
Yes, I'm tired of the formula. And the bad writing. And the bad editing (except The Lost Symbol, good editing there.) Yet I still snap up each new one and read it in a day. There's got to be something there. Archetypes or something, maybe. Lord knows it's not the writing.
I am never tired talking about conspiracy :D
I agree that the sequence of the three Langdon novels are quite similar. Although I have to admit that all of them are interesting.
His formula is absolutely predictable. Wouldn't read another Langdon series unless it gets rave reviews. He needs to break free from his usual formula. Tired.
Yes, I liked these books, but also found them to be very formulaic. He's a great writer though so it wouldn't take much for his next books to surprise us.
Sure the formula makes it a little predictable...but I think the whole point of the books is the journey itself,how it unfolds,how he takes us through the whole thing....u either love it or u hate it.P.S. I absolutely adore them.
I was on his second book, and then the fourth convinced me not to read a fifth. But I did like Da Vinci Code, a lot.
Nothing wrong with a formula if it dishes up a cracking good story each time.
his latest attempt of literary fame is almost upon us, so the discussion will continue.........
As what I have said earlier in this conversation, the Langdon novels have the same formula but the other novels are different. One book that I read is the deception point and it's really like a burst of fresh air.
Not really, he hasn't written a ton of books. : )
i enjoyed deception point but i cant see me reading another langdon book the lost symbol was my last and i was bored thru most of it
every book starts with Langdon having a nightmare
It is getting a bit tiring but they still entertain me nonetheless.
While I agree that the basic storyline is the same in each book, I think of the "scientific" ideas he presents as an intellectual playground. I enjoy musing upon the ideas of scientifically proving the existence of God or the soul. The ideas are different in each book, and YES I realize I'm reading fiction. The Lost Symbol was my favorite of the first three, and I am awaiting the 4th, which is in the mail on its way here as we speak.
I love the Robert Langdon books. I am eagerly awaiting Inferno which is coming out tomorrow. I have notice the similarities but there is something intriguing about the information about the secret societies. The Lost Symbol helped me come up with my thesis for an eight page research paper that I had to write for my comp 2 class.
nOw now.. it seems that DAN bROWN SAW this discussion. You can't find any of the previous formula in his Inferno now~ :D ahaha.
It only gets a bit tiring when it comes to Langdon books. I actually really liked Deception Point and Digital Fortress.The typical Langdon novel is like: Langdon finds himself in a difficult situation/case, he meets pretty girl (will be his sidekick slash semi-love interest for the entire novel), insert architectural tour of some place, big plot twist slash betrayal, separate ways with girl.
It can be too much sometimes especially if you read one novel after the other, but I think the greatest negative here (at least for me) is that the story can be a bit predictable. Like, say, in Inferno I was able to guess the plot twist from early on. It can have that kind of effect to some readers.
If you get tired of his formula, then I'm sure you won't last long with Nicholas Sparks. I think he has a more redundant formula than this one.
Dan Brown is fond of familiar beginnings. So what? The plot is always different and it is always fact and fiction travelling side by side. But the comparison with 'Angels and Demons' is inevitable though the latter is certainly the best book yet.
This thread has some great points. It's odd, when I was reading it, I didn't even think about Brown's "formula" for writing as being the thing that turned me off so much from this book. I found myself groaning at how poorly written the characters were and how a ton of the plot points didn't make sense, but I guess those things could be a result of the approach (i.e., formula) Brown takes to developing his novels. I really liked his earlier books, so hopefully the books after The Lost Symbol get better.
I know what you mean. I haven't read another Dan Brown book since I read this one. That's a total of three books by Dan before I got my fill. I am the same way with Dean R Koonts, only, I read a few more than three of his before I stopped.
I say no.. There's a reason why Dan Brown is one of the best at story telling.. If you don't like his style then go read something else.... DUH!!!!
SPOILER ALERT!Just finished Inferno a few days ago. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that nobody ended up being anybody else's relative. I was CERTAIN from the beginning that Sienna would be the genetically engineered child of Elizabeth (who of course was sterile) and Zobrist (who of course specialized in creating genetically modified humans.) And I was certain that she would have been engineered to be immune to the plague. I was almost disappointed that this didn't happen, but equally glad that I didn't guess the ending at the very beginning based on that assumption.
I was UNpleasantly surprised to learn that the whole "trying to kill me" thing was one big hoax. WEAK. LOL But hey, I didn't see it coming. So again, that's a good thing.
So in short, there was more than one surprise this time around for me. Much less "formulaic" IMO
Mick wrote: "I have enjoyed every book Dan Brown's written EXCEPT Lost Symbol. I found it laughable (and in fact noted in my review I might've taken the laughs into consideration before giving it one star), sil..."WORD. Me too.
The most annoying thing (IMO) is being able to predict the ending because that's how the previous books ended.
I just finished Inferno and I was pleasantly surprised how Dan Brown DOES use his fomula and yet, manages to add enough variety to make it surprising and interesting. IMHO that's how it should be. I'd rather see him sticking to this thing that he does so well, then force himself to venture elsewhere and end up with less.
Petra wrote: "I just finished Inferno and I was pleasantly surprised how Dan Brown DOES use his fomula and yet, manages to add enough variety to make it surprising and interesting. IMHO that's how it should be. ..."Yes, I agree with that statement. It is definitely a Dan Brown novel, but it's not the SAME Dan Brown novel in a different book jacket LOL
Losen wrote: "True, but it's a winning formula. And they way each story is shaped, you can't really tell he is using the same "formula". I just turn a blind eye from these formulae used by authors and just enj..."I don't know what is upsetting everyone so much, I mean read Erle Gardner Stanley's book they have formulae and there must be like at least 50 such books, P.G.Wodehouse is an amazing and humor author but there is not necessarily a plot in his books. Its mostly Jeeves one upping everyone else. Look at all romance novels a cute &/or pretty girl a powerful or passionate guy...it goes on and on..
I think Dan Brown tried his best with the inferno to shakes things up by erasing some of Langdon's memory.I can't think of another plot outline for Brown's mystery novels. There's always a mystery, a professor, a beautiful woman, a chase on a beautiful city, and a thought-provoking concept.
Even though I knew this was gonna be the same for Inferno, I still bought it. To me, finding out the mystery alone is worth it.
Most authors are formulaic...that is one thing that keeps readers coming back...if you read too much of one author at a time it can get frustrating....I try to read 2 or 3 of an author's series at a time and mix in other authors/series to keep characters "fresh".
Great advice, Michael. I am ready to read Dean R Koonts again. It's been years since I read him.
Do you ask Stephen King to write differently? No. Do you ask George R.R Martin to write differently? No. Stop hating on Dan Brown people! The reason that he writes in the way he does is because it works! Even though you read and may be able to predict what will happen, there is so much detail and new conspiracy theories that it entangles you in his web of religion and science. I think that if all of the books are read back to back that is a mistake. You also have to remember that these are written to be stand alone books and the formula, whether you like it or not, works. Now that there are movies, and likely there will be one for each of them, you have to think of it in that way as well. It has to appeal to the readers AND the watchers. I am not afraid to say that I love the books. All of them.
I agree with u Ariana, I really enjoy all of Dan Brown's novels, i don't really care what anyone else says. I enjoy his style of writing and his novels keep the reader flipping thru the pages. I really enjoyed the Lost Symbol, it has been awhile since I have read the Da Vinci Code tho. The only novel of his which I do not have, but have seen the movie, is Angels and Demons..I own so many books right now, but hardly find time to get around to them because I'm always carting the kids around town. If I were to rate Dan Brown's novels I would give them a 10/10..they r amazing!
I agree with Dan Brown's ability to write a great story. They keep me interested from start to finish. I just needed a break from him for a while. It's like watching the same TV series every week. After a while, the material becomes too predictable but I still enjoy the story and the characters. That's the mark of a great writer, one who gets the audience to feel for the main characters in a plot that holds their interest even though it's in the same structure as previous stories.
No, NOT all authors have a "formula". Did Steinbeck, Orwell, Tolstoy or Dickens have a formula they always followed? No. Stephen King and George R. R. Martin don't have a formula.If you are not pushing yourself as a writer to try something different, then you're really not thinking outside the box.
I want to read novels that are character-driven, NOT plot-driven. Tell me more about Professor Langdon so we can all relate to him, Mr. Brown! In ALL FOUR of his Langdon novels, Brown has told us that Langdon wears a Mickey Mouse watch and that he has claustrophobia. OK, WE GET IT! TELL ME SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT HIM!
Brown does excellent research, but he REALLY needs to develop his characters more... a LOT more.
Jake, I endorse each word of your comment. Indeed Brown has to more research on his characters than his plot.
Great observation, Jake.
Pretty much. >.< I've read A&D, TDVC, TLS, and I'm currently reading Inferno and I've heard that it's something like that. Phew.
Gunjit wrote: "The same formula now seems a little boring to me, specially if you go on a Dan Brown Spree the repetition is quite irritating . We definitely need some improvements."I agree. I hope that, if Robert Langdon series will have more books, I want to see some twists and changes.
yes very much. dan brown dont thrill us anymore. though the end may be a suspense but its not a page turner anymore.
Ved wrote: "yes very much. dan brown dont thrill us anymore. though the end may be a suspense but its not a page turner anymore."speak for yourself after TLS his latest is a vast improvement imho.
It's true he has used the same pattern in all of his books. And I really thing he should develop his story in a different way next time. But, to be honest, I'm not really bored of it. Because even though the formula is same, he has planted stories with new places, new characters, and new issues to deal with. You can never really know what happens next. So you can't say it's not exciting to read his books.
It's true that it became a little bit boring in the tree books ( The Da Vinci Code , the lost symbol , Angels and Demons ) . I've just read Inferno and the style has a little bit changed , Langdon's , from the first page , mingled with problems .It's not a big change of the style for sure , but I think it's the first step .However , I read deception point and it's was not as oustanding as the others .. Maybe asking Dan to change his style will push him to abandon his amzing style !
A.R. wrote: "This was my review for the book back in 2009, I think it says it all:First off let me say that the story is captivating and the subject matter interesting. A very fast past read. HOWEVER:
(I'm goi..."
A.R. wrote: "This was my review for the book back in 2009, I think it says it all:
First off let me say that the story is captivating and the subject matter interesting. A very fast past read. HOWEVER:
(I'm goi..."
I agree with what you have to say in your spoiler section...It made me think about it too...Why is he being so skeptic when that's seriously no time to be...I felt that part dragging the story a bit...but I guess we can forgive him for that...
yes. the books are becoming monotonous, always getting in trouble and escaping in the nick of time, not to mention that he always gets frisky with the female counterpart in the end. the world is always in a crisis and its only robert who can figure it out. frankly im getting quite bored of all of it.
Totally disagree. I love it!
I love Dan Brown books, and you are right about the formula, but still it's the whole adventure, secret seeking journey that keeps you attached to those books and you forget that you were even worried about almost-the-same beginnings and endings in each book. Though I agree that a little variety would be much better.
When I look for a good, challenging read, I don't go to Dan Brown. When I look for something to help pass the time while driving (I drive a bit), I get something like a Dan Brown book in audio for the car.The stories are based on a formula, but the storytelling is still good and suspenseful. Overall, his system works, and I respect that for what it is.
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