I managed to stumble upon Angels and Demons just after it was released and couldn't wait for the Da Vinci Code, which was all that I was hoping for and more. My expectations were high for The Lost Symbol. Unfortunately, it was so bad that I don't think I'll ever bother with another Dan Brown book again. There are so many other writers out there that have better ideas (all Dan Brown books follow the same formula - Deception Point is basically Digital Fortress is basically Angels and Demons).

He really should have stopped at The Da Vinci Code and become a legend.

I really don't know why I'm so negative on Dan Brown now. It's really unfortunate. Maybe I should go read The Da Vinci Code again and remember why I fell in love with that book...

EDIT: I've been thinking about this since writing the review. The book's formula is virtually identical to all other Dan Brown books (pretty much a carbon copy of Da Vinci Code), but it's just missing whatever the spark was that propelled the Da Vinci Code to its extreme popularity.