Hundreds queue overnight in Prague for Dan Brown’s long-awaited novel
Hundreds of fans waited overnight in Prague for the release of Dan Brown’s new novel The Secret of All Secrets, a story that is partly set in the Czech capital.
By Tuesday morning, a long line had wound its way outside the Old Town Hall, with some readers waiting up to twelve hours to be among the first to buy a copy. The most dedicated fans had arrived as early as 7 p.m. the night before, sitting on camping chairs and passing the long night in anticipation.
At 7 a.m., sales began with a limited batch of 100 books signed by the author himself. Far more readers had turned up to claim those rare copies. In total, publisher Argo delivered 1,000 books to the hall, with more promised if demand outstripped supply. All receipts from the morning’s sales will go into a drawing, with twenty winners earning free tickets to an evening with Brown at Prague’s Lucerna on September 18.
The Prague launch was synchronized with New York, marking the first time a Dan Brown novel has been released in Czech on the same day as the English original. The 650-page book also appeared in an audiobook version, narrated over 27 hours by actor Aleš Procházka. To celebrate the occasion, members of the Prague Philharmonic performed live, while Brown sent a special greeting to his Czech readers. Fans could even join a walking tour of Prague locations featured in the novel.
Much of The Secret of All Secrets unfolds in Prague before moving on to London and New York. Symbolist professor Robert Langdon attends a lecture at the Clementinum given by researcher Katherine Solomon, with whom he has a romantic bond. Their stay is violently disrupted by a brutal murder.
Katherine vanishes with her manuscript, and Langdon finds himself pursued by a shadowy organization and a mysterious figure drawn from Prague’s ancient legends. The novel takes readers into the Clementinum, the city’s medieval underground, and along Prague’s historic streets and secret passageways.
