News flash: I agree with Dan Brown on something!

The Boston Globe sounds the warning: Dan Brown is working on a new novel. The acclaimed pulp fiction peddler has this to say:

I can tell you there is another book in progress. I am having a great time with it. I cannot share with you the subject matter or the location, but it’s another ROBERT LANGDON THRILLER in the world of symbols and codes. It opens in a much different way than my other books, and Langdon is in a very different situation than he’s ever been in and has to use a different set of tools to extricate himself.

Hmmm. A “different set of tools”, eh? How about one or more of the following, Mr. Langdon:

1. A brain. For someone who is so smart, you ain’t too smart
2. Real books by real scholars. Margaret Starbird is not a good source for anything but nonsense.
3. Humility. I know, I know; arrogance is your essential personality trait. Still…
4. Laryngitis. It would cut down on the painful, embarrassing dialogue. And shorten the book by 88.438%.
5. A thesaurus. On second thought…

Brown adds the following: “Once I pick a topic and location, I have to read a lot to educate myself.” I agree! He has to. But does he? The evidence doesn’t speak well for the level of his self education.


If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.


About Carl E. Olson 1243 Articles
Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be "Left Behind"?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the "Catholicism" and "Priest Prophet King" Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire. His recent books on Lent and Advent—Praying the Our Father in Lent (2021) and Prepare the Way of the Lord (2021)—are published by Catholic Truth Society. He is also a contributor to "Our Sunday Visitor" newspaper, "The Catholic Answer" magazine, "The Imaginative Conservative", "The Catholic Herald", "National Catholic Register", "Chronicles", and other publications. Follow him on Twitter @carleolson.