The sixth novel in the best-selling Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown has arrived. The Secret of Secrets was published by Penguin Random House imprint Doubleday on September 9. Fans of the thriller series can grab the hardcover edition of The Secret of Secrets for only $22.80, which is a 40% discount from the novel’s $38 MSRP. Netflix is already working on a TV series based on The Secret of Secrets.
Though officially known as the Robert Langdon series, many refer to it by the name of the protagonist’s second adventure: The Da Vinci Code. Released in 2003, The Da Vinci Code achieved a level of popularity we might never see again in the world of thriller novels. By 2009, more than 80 million copies of The Da Vinci Code had been sold. It’s one of the best-selling books of all time, and you can add to that total by picking up The Da Vinci Code: Special Illustrated Edition for only $15 (was $40) at Amazon.
Fans waited eight years for The Secret of Secrets, which is the longest gap between Robert Langdon novels in series history. The new novel also happens to be the longest Langdon thriller yet at 688 pages.
In addition to hardcover, The Secret of Secrets is available in large print paperback for $40, Kindle ebook for $16, and as an audiobook via Audible. Earlier this year, Netflix announced a TV series based on The Secret of Secrets.
$22.80 (was $38)
Prior to The Secret of Secrets, the longest novel in the series was Angels & Demons, Langdon’s first adventure, at 572 pages. Three of the Langdon novels are under 500 pages, including The Da Vinci Code, so The Secret of Secrets is quite the doorstopper in comparison.
On a visit to Prague to attend the lecture of his girlfriend and noetic scientist Katherine Solomon, Robert Langdon gets entangled in a dangerous conspiracy of world-altering proportions. When someone is murdered and Katherine disappears–along with a manuscript that “contains startling discoveries about the nature of human consciousness”–Langdon must use his expertise in symbology to find Katherine and unravel the mystery and unmask a shadowy organization.
The Secret of Secrets is said to fuse ancient mythology with technology out of a sci-fi novel.
Like all of Brown’s Da Vinci Code novels, The Secret of Secrets draws from history, but don’t expect it to adhere to the truth. Brown has received criticism for using historical inaccuracies, particularly when it comes to religion, as plot devices. To be fair, these books star a professor of symbology, which is a job that doesn’t exist. Symbology is indeed the study of symbols, but it’s not a formalized field like it’s depicted in Brown’s books. The series is popular because Brown writes fast-paced, high-concept stories that often use true historical events as a foundation before asking the question: What if everything we believe to be true is wrong?
These books are supposed to be fun, not realistic. After all, one of the main plot drivers in The Da Vinci Code is a hidden message on the Mona Lisa. Langdon’s field of study naturally introduces grand conspiracies that readers (and viewers) are captivated by.
If you need to catch up on the Robert Langdon series before diving into his latest high-stakes adventure, the first five books are available for fairly cheap in paperback and hardcover. The series started in 2000 with Angels & Demons, though many readers wound up reading this one after The Da Vinci Code. The third novel, The Lost Symbol, hit bookstores in 2009. Brown followed it up with Inferno in 2013 and Origin in 2017. The first four novels are also available as Special Illustrated Edition hardcovers. The Da Vinci Code Special Illustrated Edition is up for grabs for only $15, just a couple bucks more than traditional hardcover and paperback versions. The Special Illustrated Edition has over 160 full-color illustrations.
Paperback
- Angels & Demons — $10.49 (
$19) - The Da Vinci Code — $12 (
$20) - The Lost Symbol — $15.30 (
$19) - Inferno — $14 (
$19) - Origin — $10.87 (
$19)
Hardcover
- Angels & Demons — $18.62 (
$38) - The Da Vinci Code — $12 (
$38) - The Lost Symbol — $13 (
$38) - Inferno — $13 (
$38) - Origin — $18 (
$38) - The Secret of Secrets — $22.80 (
$38)
Special Illustrated Hardcover Edition
- Angels & Demons — $30 (
$40) - The Da Vinci Code — $15 (
$40) - The Lost Symbol — $40.79
- Inferno — $37.49 (
$40)
Outside of The Da Vinci Code series, Brown has published two standalone novels for adults: Digital Fortress and Deception Point. Released in 1998 as Brown’s debut novel, Digital Fortress is a techno-thriller revolving around government surveillance. Deception Point, published in 2001, is a mystery-thriller about discovering proof of alien life against the backdrop of an important presidential election.
Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of The Secret of Secrets means that five of the six novels in the series will have screen adaptations. Tom Hanks starred in popular film adaptations of The Da Vinci Code (2006), Angels & Demons (2009), and Inferno (2016). In 2021, an adaptation of The Lost Symbol premiered on Peacock; the series ran for 10 episodes but was canceled after Season 1. The only Robert Langdon novel without an adaptation is Origin.
If you want to check out the movies and Peacock series, all four are available on Blu-ray. The Robert Langdon 3-Movie Set is only $18.47 (was $31). Alternatively, you can get each movie on 4K for $16-$17 each. The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons received 4K restorations in 2016 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the movie adaptation as well as the theatrical release of Inferno, the final appearance for Hanks as Langdon. The Lost Symbol: Complete Series is $35 on Blu-ray and $25.84 on DVD.
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