"The Lost Symbol"

Not my favorite of the series but an interesting and thrilling adventure nonetheless.

Summary:

The third installment of Dan Brown’s Robert Landon series, this mystery-thriller takes place in Washington D.C. surrounding the Masons. Langdon is summoned to D.C. to deliver a lecture, but things take a turn. His friend and mentor Peter Solomon has been kidnapped and it’s up to the professor to figure out an ancient riddle to save him from the clutches of a madman. It’s hard to summarize a book when the very premise IS part of the mystery: who is doing this and why, what are they looking for, who will get caught up in the chase. The CIA get involved as well as Peter’s sister Katherine, a prominent scientist who’s made a breakthrough that will blur the definition of magic and science. How do all these pieces fit together you ask? Only one way to find out.

Verdict: 8/10

It’s always refreshing to go from a boring book [not Da Vinci Code, a different one] to one this enthralling. Brown is a master at keeping his readers on their toes and puzzling it out with their favorite professor.

This is only one in Brown’s series (thus far) that does not take place in Europe. And I’m so glad it didn’t as there’s enough history and architecture in America’s Capitol to keep the mystery running.

From the very start, the reader is thrown into action. Although I will admit, this one was much harder to follow than the first two as far as the plot. You’re not exactly sure what Langdon is trying to track down (which is similar to Da Vinci Code where the purpose and goal is part of the mystery).

The mystery works and keeps you guessing, but I like to know at least a little about what the premise is, so it took away from some of my enjoyment a bit.

That said, I love the author’s ability to create riddles and clues in history and symbols. The best part of this series is the reveals and solving it alongside the professor in just the knick of time. There’s so many twists and turns that Brown is famous for. He is brilliant at creating layer upon layer upon layer to a plot and throwing in characters that complicate the situation in a way that ultimately makes the conclusion all the more interesting. He weaves the story around this action, but still manages to take time for historical education and character development, which with any other author would seem splintered but with him flows seamlessly. All the clues he includes are brilliant, and the twists are intriguing.

The actual mystery I found to be a little less ground-breaking than his others. The CIA keeps talking about how this is a matter of “national security”, and it sort of is, but I didn’t think it was that earth-shattering compared to his others. And the end of the quest’s reveal was almost a bit anti-climatic compared to all the other reveals he's done with the characters, relationships, and events.

I also found Langdon’s skepticism a bit naive and over the top at times. The man has searched for the Holy Grail and gone up against the Illuminati - you think looking for a pyramid that will reveal ancient wisdom wouldn’t seem that far-fetched anymore! But it is a way to further the storytelling other than plain narration, I suppose.

Brown is also in favor of repetition at times, which can be tiresome. But when there’s so much mystery and history and names, it’s helpful to be reminded of what they’re trying to do in each section as well.

His villain is downright chilling, although you’ll hear a lot of criticism of this book for that factor.

Mal’akh, as he calls himself, is out to destroy Katherine’s discovery, the Solomon family, the Masons, and the country in the name of creating chaos and transforming himself into a higher being. As such, he is completely tattooed (with slightly disturbing descriptions of his physicality… I’ll just say it ‘castration’) and practices dark arts (not the fun Harry Potter kind).

Another popular criticism you'll hear: the book is also very much geared towards deist philosophy, where all religions point towards the same truth. Personally, I would rather put what I believe and what the author believes aside, and enjoy some good fiction without the politics (the main reason I will probably not go back and finish his latest installment Origins). Still, this book is less an attack on faith than the second and is still able to be enjoyed despite any differences in belief you may have with its writer.

Overall, The Lost Symbol wasn’t my favorite in the series, but it was continued to be intriguing, enjoyable, and had me on the edge of my seat. Well done.

Sidenote: This installment does not have a movie. Around the time that they were discussing a third film, National Treasure premiered. A treasure hunt revolving around the Free Masons with puzzles based around American history in prominent American cities... a bit too close of a comparison. Thus, Hollywood has skipped The Lost Symbol and moved onto the fourth... for now.