This one was different
How is it the book this one?
I've written a few reviews but not for all books I read. For the most popular ones I don't bother since I'm sure that somebody else has written a similar review in better prose than I can, who's English is not the native language.However, for this book I felt compelled to write one.I've read all of Dan Browns books, I think, but I'll stick to his most popular "franchise", the Langdon series.Both Demons and Angels and The DaVinci Code were very good books and I enjoyed them profusely. They are not what you'd call masterpieces but they are page turners, and they "packed a punch". What I mean by that is that within the plot the reader can find not only information about the subject that are not popularly known, but also other "facts" that give a sense of mystery to the book. A darker quality that makes you want to read more not just to get to the end and see how it finishes, but because you want to learn more about these "secret" things.It doesn't matter if these things are fictitious. These are novels not historical books.But then came the Lost Symbol. A book that had great pace and a good story that ended in what I think was one of the biggest let downs in Brown history. It all culminated on a book, a holy book buried in the foundations of some building. So what?I thought that might be an exception and was eagerly waiting for the next Langdon installment. When it hit the book stores I got a copy of the audiobook and immediately started it.This one was different. It had the air of disappointment from the get-go. It felt as if Brown was bored while writing it and just wanted it to be over. It felt flat. As if it was just another paycheck.From the beginning to the very end, it was predictable. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't James Bond-predictable where you know the hero survives and kills all, even though there was no doubt that Langdon would also survive. I felt like I could see beyond the next turn. Mostly because there were no turns, just a long straight line. Even the "surprises" in the plot were easy to see coming and not really interesting.Consider this: by the end of the book (minor spoiler alert) we realize that there were no bad-guys! Not even the one who created the virus! Even he, in his twisted way, only opted for the less evil solution and gains our sympathy. All the other characters were actually working on the same project, on the same side and it was all a big misunderstanding! Go figure.In his first two books not only was there a good plot, but the information you get is hard to come by. In this one the information he gives feels like it came from Wikipedia.Anyway, had I known this before I would have saved 20 something hours of listening and skip this one. Hopefully this review will rescue some other poor soul from an equal waste of time.Mr Brown, if you're reading this, I hope you do better next time 