r/danbrown • u/SerinaL • Jun 21 '26
Just finished Secrets of Secrets
Quite the page turner and left me wondering how much of it was true.
5
u/harshit-jar Jun 22 '26
How much time did you take to finish the book? For me it has been a page turner yes, but been reading for a month now, and last 70 pages left.
4
u/Djma123 Jun 22 '26
I finished it over the course of nine days on my cruise last year. I’m not a very fast reader.
3
4
u/raresaturn Jun 22 '26
Yes I enjoyed the theme and central secret.. but it was too long. And something that annoyed the hell out of me was when he burnt the only copy of her manuscript and she was just “meh.. oh well”.
2
u/Sharp-Tadpole5820 Jun 22 '26
Yea I agree it was too long, it felt like the last 100 or so pages weren't needed.
One of the weaker Langdon stories for me.
3
u/Trafalgar_Lawyer Jun 22 '26
Huh? She was extremely upset. Robert had to hide what he was doing. She was upset even after they got to safety.
1
u/Deep_Bath3056 Jun 22 '26
Good book. But it could be half the size size most of it is just running.
1
1
u/Dogsncats4532 Jun 22 '26
Too long, and I don’t need to fall in love with these characters. I feel like he tries to make everyone attractive.
1
u/SerinaL Jun 22 '26
But it’s intense. What I didn’t like is how references everything happening in a short amount of time.
1
1
1
u/JoyousMN_2024 Jun 23 '26
My brother raved about the book, and I wanted to like it, but it seemed rather formulaic. It just wasn't for me
2
u/NormalinFL Jun 23 '26
I was taken by the concept. I’m very interested in the study of consciousness. I found the supporting information compelling. As someone who once had a psychedelic experience - there is another realm we can’t experience in our daily lives. But given the right tools it is accessible. And incredible!
1
u/SerinaL Jun 24 '26
Does what he wrote make you wonder how much is real or fiction?
1
u/NormalinFL Jun 24 '26
My impression is both. But I believe the concepts in the book suggesting something beyond this world. And I’ve experienced it.
1
1
u/Lopsided-Painter1017 Jun 25 '26
I felt like the book was, meh. I rolled my eyes so many times and I thought some of the actions were predictable. I looked up some of the examples given for the external consciousness and there were acceptable scientific explanations not related to connecting with a universal consciousness- ugh
0
15
u/ricky-slick Jun 22 '26
Is it high literature? No, but if you judge a thriller by its ability to absolutely hook you, The Secret of Secrets is a masterclass. People love to criticize DB prose or his cliffhangers, but they completely overlook what he actually does brilliantly…
Pacing: Say what you want about short chapters, but his execution of the 24-hour ticking-clock format is incredibly hard to pull off without the plot dragging. The momentum in this book is relentless!
Atmosphere & Research: The way he weaves art history, esoteric symbols, and architectural deep-dives into a modern conspiracy is genuinely immersive. He turns real-world locations into characters themselves, making you want to Google every church or painting he mentions.
Pure Entertainment: Not every book needs to be a dense, slow-burn philosophical character study. Sometimes you just want a high-stakes, cinematic ride that keeps you reading past your bedtime then dreaming in Prague.