Author Dan Brown delivers a fast-paced, exciting, and exposition-packed thriller with the latest Robert Langdon novel, The Secret of Secrets. There’s a lot to see and a lot to learn as we join the world-traveling symbologist in his latest outing to Prague, where circumstances throw him into a controversial and deadly set of circumstances with global implications.
On the run with time ticking away, Langdon must use his wits and his knowledge of symbols to assist him through a labyrinth of double-crosses, near-misses, and Prague’s stunning and historic architecture.
Why’s he in Prague? Langdon’s girlfriend, Dr. Katherine Solomon, is there for a speaking engagement about her breakthroughs with human consciousness. But it’s the contents of her upcoming book that have several groups determined to keep it not only unpublished but permanently erased. After a series of events that separate Langdon and Solomon, Langdon must use the clues he can piece together to find her and get to the bottom of why her book’s existence has placed her in the crosshairs.
I loved that the book’s main events unfold over the course of one day and that the stakes escalate so rapidly that new information is thrown at you constantly. Some readers might be overwhelmed by Brown’s expositional style in many sections of the book, but the details provided deepen the mystery and help readers gain a stronger grasp of the dense subject matter.
And there are a lot of scientific and historical concepts covered over the course of this story!
Much like the other entries in the Robert Langdon series, there’s a massive amount of symbolism, art, architecture, and history discussed by the characters, along with the essential concepts and details that drive the storyline. Brown’s writing style keeps these longer passages moving briskly, but it’s easy to get bogged down in the minutiae at times and feel the urge to skim.
Along with the exposition is a taut thriller with plenty of twists and turns, even during the final chapters. If you’re a fan of The Da Vinci Code or any of the other Robert Langdon books, this one is a must-read.
There was another interesting quirk I found throughout the book: Brown’s use of the interrobang (!?). It’s everywhere, and once you notice its presence, good luck not seeing it. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the novel, but it did become oddly comical how often it appeared. I’d love to know Dan Brown’s thought process regarding his excessive use of the interrobang.
The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown is an enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend.