Book Review - The Lost Symbol

  I had read the book The Lost Symbol quite sometime ago, but I approve of the book greatly as well as think that it might be described as a timeless classic someday, so I will strongly recommend this book to all of you, with the reasons stated below.

  This book is set in Washington D.C., United States of America. Set in the present day, the story’s main characters include Robert Langdon, Katherine Solomon, and Zachary Solomon.

Robert Langdon, the protégé of Peter Solomon, a Freemason and billionaire philanthropist, was called to the U.S. Capitol to give a lecture, apparently invited by his mentor. However, upon his arrival, Langdon discovered that it was in fact Solomon’s kidnapper, Mal’akh, who had summoned him, who contacted him and ordered him to find the Mason Pyramid and the Lost Word in exchange for Peter Solomon’s life.

  Langdon is then met by Inoue Sato, the Director of the CIA Office of Security. Together, they found an Unfinished Pyramid with a carved inscription. Sato then demands an explanation from Langdon for the small capstone sealed in a box in his backpack, which Solomon had entrusted to Langdon years ago. Because of this, Sato attempted to apprehend Langdon, but Langdon was rescued by Warren Bellamy, Architect of the Capitol and another Freemason.

While the duo was on the run from Sato, Mal’akh, who had infiltrated the Freemasons, and with tattoos on his whole body, destroys the Smithsonian laboratory of Peter Solomon’s younger sister, Noetic scientist Katherine Solomon, and nearly kills her. Katherine fled and later joined Langdon.

However, Mal’akh captures them, severely injuring Katherine Solomon, and places Langdon in a tank of breathable oxygenated perfluorocarbons. Then, Mal’akh forces Langdon to decrypt the bottom of the stone pyramid for him, and then absconds with Peter Solomon to the House of the Temple, a Masonic building of significance, which is depicted on the bottom of the stone pyramid.

Mal’akh then forces Peter Solomon to tell him the Lost Word by threatening to release to the news media a modified video of senior governmental officials participating in ancient Masonic ceremonies. Peter Solomon tells him that the Lost Word is a circumpunct, which Mal’akh then tattoos on the top of his head.

  However, Langdon and Katherine were rescued by Sato and her subordinates, who rushed to the House of the Temple and EMPed Mal’akh’s laptop, thwarting his plot and gravely injuring him, who was discovered to be Peter Solomon’s thought-to-be-dead son, Zachary Solomon.

Peter Solomon then tells Langdon that the circumpunct Zachary tattooed on his head is not the Lost Word. Peter leads him to the room atop the Washington Monument and tells him that the Lost in fact lies in the Monument's cornerstone, buried. Langdon realizes that the symbols on the stone pyramid's base spelled out the words Laus Deo which translate to “Praise God”.

  Like most of Dan Brown’s books, The Lost Symbol’s central theme is once again religion and science. However, unlike other books, in this book, religion and science are not at odds and instead was closer, with hints that the two combined will “bring humanity to a new era of enlightenment”.

  

  In my opinion, the author successfully achieved his purpose. The Lost Symbol includes a thrill of discovery as readers follow Robert Langdon through a masterful and unexpected new landscape, churning forward with brutalist energy. The author’s writing is elegant and yet practically delivering at the same time, powerful vocabulary encompassing the readers in the scenario and thus helping them to understand it. However, at certain moments, I feel that there is a little too much explaining which may leave people bored. Still, I have found the book interesting and surprising, well-deserved assessments for the thriller genre’s Grandmaster. 

  The Lost Symbol had left me with the impression of a page-turner of tremendous proportions and dramatic showdowns, positive side-effects of Dan Brown’s unstoppable plotline. I would strongly recommend it to fans of the mystery and thriller genres-this will satisfy their wildest dreams.