Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown's new book
Fans of the mega-hit The Da Vinci Code have waited six years for Dan Brown's next release. (Going back to read Angels and Demons just didn't cut it.) Well, the wait is over. Today, Random House said it would release Brown's The Lost Symbol on Sept. 15 in a first run of 5 million copies, according to Publishers Weekly.
The story takes place over a 12-hour period in the life of Da Vinci protagonist Robert Langdon. “Weaving five years of research into the story’s twelve-hour timeframe was an exhilarating challenge,” said Brown in a statement. “Robert Langdon’s life clearly moves a lot faster than mine.”
The Da Vinci Code sold more than 80 million copies, but also took some heat for its portrayal of the Catholic Church and its license with facts. It sparked a mini-industry of "truth tellers," who sought to shed more light on Opus Dei, the Knights Templar and other matters. I wasn't bothered by the book's exaggerations, and I certainly didn't take it as an expose of a centuries-old conspiracy. I just liked it because it had a wicked pace, great settings, decent characters and interesting connections to scientific theory, from map-making to sequencing. That made it an appealing beach read. Too bad O.C. will be quiet when The Lost Symbol appears.
Comments
It should be interesting to see how that one sells. Like you, I enjoyed The Da Vinci Code, but I didn't love it like so many people did.
Posted by: Kathy | April 20, 2009 1:42 PM
I really enjoyed The Da Vinci Code. I read it along with my book club and we all liked it. I'll be watching for this one.
Posted by: Darlene | April 20, 2009 3:17 PM
My husband and I are both excited! His books are wonderful!
Posted by: Megan | April 20, 2009 3:32 PM
Dan Brown is not Shakespeare, nor even Sir Walter Scott (who first put Rosslyn Chapel on the cultural map with his poem 'The Lay of the Last Minstrel'). However, I am looking forward to his new book, if only because 'The Da Vinci Code' spurred me to write my own response in 'Rosslyn Chapel Revealed' (The History Press). I found most of Mr Brown's creations not to be based on fact but quite acceptable in a work of fiction. So, thank you Mr Brown - if only for drawing so many tourists to Rosslyn Chapel and so bringing enough funds to make the restoration of Rosslyn Chapel possible.
Posted by: Michael T R B Turnbull | April 21, 2009 8:04 AM
Michael, this fall I visited Saint Sulpice, a Parisian church that figures into The Da Vinci Code, and it was also being restore (though it is probably only a coincidence). Maybe DVC-inspired tourism can have some benefit around the world.
Posted by: Dave | April 21, 2009 9:13 AM
I'm sure you're right. In the 1860s the Fourth Earl of Rosslyn tried hard to conserve the Chapel but managed to replace unrecognisably damaged stone carvings with Masonic-looking ones. Then in the 1950s the Ministry of Works recommended all the inside of the Chapel should be painted witha white chemical product that bonded onto the stone and can't now be removed! Not all vandalism is deliberate.
Posted by: Michael T R B Turnbull | April 21, 2009 11:04 AM
Dan Brown's books are not Great Literature, but I find them to be a good time and, low-brow that I am, that's really all that I ask of a book.
Posted by: Eve | April 21, 2009 11:31 AM
I read the comments above, but Mr. Brown knows how to entertain his readers. Few authors are capable to write and take you to an imaginary level, boy, was I waiting for this moment. THANKS!!
Posted by: Maria Reyes | May 6, 2009 11:35 AM
Why dose everyone in this post have something bad to say about Dan Brown,I think it is because his books actually make u think about how religion is a false hope created by man and I guess simple minds just can't come to grips with this.Im not saying his book is filled with facts but it makes people think about other possibillites and its sad you guys have a closed mind,BIBLE THUMPERS
Posted by: D.B. Cooper | May 24, 2009 5:08 PM