The Lost Writer

I just finished reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. For a man who has made a helluva lot of coin from creating novels, his writing really frustrates me. I have however, read all five of his books.

On the one hand, this man fills his pages with copious amounts of information - the hard-earned result of much intense research. This is the reason why I continue to buy his hardcovers, knowingly funding his high-flying lifestyle and tweed-filled wardrobe.

On the other hand however, he's not a very good writer. Now, before you say, "Hey hypocrite! Where's your New York Times Best Seller??", I fully acknowledge this man's ability to create a story - he has a great imagination, incredible research skills and a drive to unearth stories that the general public should take the time to read.

The thing is though, parts like this are all too frequent: "He was sweating now beneath his blindfold. He wanted only to take it off. They stopped walking now."

They stopped walking now???

Maybe "They had stopped walking now" or "Suddenly, they stopped walking" but definitely not "They stopped walking now" - it just sounds ridiculous: Like as though Mr Brown had his tenses all mixed up and his editor was simply exhausted by page 479.

Thematically, the book is very, very similar to the rest of Brown's work. And I'm fairly sure he read The Secret as part of his research. Unmasking the ways of that not-so-secret-society - The Masons - The Lost Symbol's most interesting character is - in true Brown style - the leading lady, Katherine Solomon. And unlike Professor Langdon's previous off-siders, Katherine is described as over 50. Odds are she gets a good 15 years chopped off her for the cinematic adaptation.