The Lost Symbol written by Dan Brown is the sequel to his 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code. The novel again features the fictional, mystery-solving Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon. It is set in Washington D.C., and the story takes place over a 12-hour period.
The perfect book for summer, captivating and almost unbearably addictive, Dan Brown rolls Robert Langdon out for another romp around our preordained ideas about religion, architecture, symbols and history. This time Brown shines his bright spotlight on the brothers of Freemasonry. A long standing fraternity accused of everything from conspiring with extraterrestrials to trying to rule the world. Winding its way around 33rd degree Mason Peter Solomon and the reasons why he has gone missing this is nothing short of a truly breathtaking thriller. There may be whispers of this particular novel being poorly written/predictable/contrived but why wouldn’t there be? Dan Brown has made a career out his specific narrative formula and shock of all shock, it works! Kind of similar to fast food, you know it isn’t entirely good for you but it doesn’t matter because the consumption is so damn satisfying you couldn’t care less.
So what if the characters are apparently incredibly intelligent yet lack common sense and guile? Isn’t that the formula for most intelligent creatures on this earth? Mankind can build towers soaring 2717ft in the air but does that mean they can always remember to close the garage door, put their keys back in the same place and pack their lunch? Nope…So, when Langdon can solve impossibly cryptic puzzle after puzzle but still be tricked into flying to Washington for an impromptu (bogus) lecture via phone call, can we blame him when this is his area of expertise anyway?
Despite its weaknesses ‘The Lost Symbol’ is an exhilarating unveiling of the Masons. Brown again lifts the lid on many preconceived and ill educated ‘facts’ on this mystical fraternity. He gently manages without too much jargon to explain the reasons why their rituals and habits can be misconstrued as evil and foreboding, when in fact they are no different to Christians kneeling before a guy bleeding and suffocating to death on a crucifix. There are also long sprawling passages which despite having a slight Wikipedian feel to them are fascinating and could very well merit more research. Brown again uses a city to set a very specific backdrop to his story and the The Lost Symbol is no different. Washington D.C gets the Dan Brown treatment and his graphic descriptions of the architecture and the art of the city are a treat in themselves. So much so, I dare you not to Google some if not all of the images he describes in such illustrious detail.
The devastating twist at the end serves as the grip this book will have on the reader. It sucks you in until you cannot go on another moment without knowing the outcome of Langdon’s movements in his 12 hours jaunting around Washington doing what he does best; solving puzzles which in turn save the world.
Although, a shameless thriller with mythical ideas around new age science, there are a few moments where the reader is asked to question if Dan Brown is really onto something? The concluding chapter although slow moving and seemingly anti-climatic, may well be hinting at something worth considering. Simple in its premise it could be over looked as simply a hopeful message to the reader caught in the grip of a near fictional apocalypse. On the other hand, read it for yourself and ponder, if all of mankind just for a second believed what Dan Brown suggests at the end of ‘The Lost Symbol’ would it be the dawn of a new age? Or would we abuse the power invested in all of us to lead to our own destruction? Only time will tell…
So what if the characters are apparently incredibly intelligent yet lack common sense and guile? Isn’t that the formula for most intelligent creatures on this earth? Mankind can build towers soaring 2717ft in the air but does that mean they can always remember to close the garage door, put their keys back in the same place and pack their lunch? Nope…So, when Langdon can solve impossibly cryptic puzzle after puzzle but still be tricked into flying to Washington for an impromptu (bogus) lecture via phone call, can we blame him when this is his area of expertise anyway?
Despite its weaknesses ‘The Lost Symbol’ is an exhilarating unveiling of the Masons. Brown again lifts the lid on many preconceived and ill educated ‘facts’ on this mystical fraternity. He gently manages without too much jargon to explain the reasons why their rituals and habits can be misconstrued as evil and foreboding, when in fact they are no different to Christians kneeling before a guy bleeding and suffocating to death on a crucifix. There are also long sprawling passages which despite having a slight Wikipedian feel to them are fascinating and could very well merit more research. Brown again uses a city to set a very specific backdrop to his story and the The Lost Symbol is no different. Washington D.C gets the Dan Brown treatment and his graphic descriptions of the architecture and the art of the city are a treat in themselves. So much so, I dare you not to Google some if not all of the images he describes in such illustrious detail.
The devastating twist at the end serves as the grip this book will have on the reader. It sucks you in until you cannot go on another moment without knowing the outcome of Langdon’s movements in his 12 hours jaunting around Washington doing what he does best; solving puzzles which in turn save the world.
Although, a shameless thriller with mythical ideas around new age science, there are a few moments where the reader is asked to question if Dan Brown is really onto something? The concluding chapter although slow moving and seemingly anti-climatic, may well be hinting at something worth considering. Simple in its premise it could be over looked as simply a hopeful message to the reader caught in the grip of a near fictional apocalypse. On the other hand, read it for yourself and ponder, if all of mankind just for a second believed what Dan Brown suggests at the end of ‘The Lost Symbol’ would it be the dawn of a new age? Or would we abuse the power invested in all of us to lead to our own destruction? Only time will tell…
I like this review :-)
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