Book Review: The Lost Symbol

I have been excited for this book since I heard it was being written. Does that make my bias already? Probably, but I think that makes the book even more successful because it exceeded all the expectations that I anticipated upon purchasing it. There were a few things that were similar to previous Dan Brown novels. There is of course Robert Langdon, the main character who is going about his normal life in Cambridge, MA when he is suddenly summoned somewhere by someone who requires his expertise in Symbology and Cryptology. When he arrives, he is taken on a whirlwind of an adventure into unseen worlds. Along the way there is a female that becomes a companion for the journey, and a sinister villain with an agenda and a countdown.

Pretty much the same idea for all three books, right? Well it's not so much how the story goes and if it was repetitious in it's format that makes it successful. The impressive thing to me is how much research Dan Brown does in order to write these books. He ties in renaissance art, history, and facts into one story full of suspense, drama, and triumphs that will not let you put the book down.And despite what I said earlier about the stories generally following the same patterns, there are enough differences that you don't even consider that as a main factor in rating the book.

I loved reading about Freemasonry and how it was tied into the story. We all love to read about the seldom told and somewhat mysterious groups of secret societies and how they are tied into today's world. I know that there were a few things that weren't entirely accurate with the Freemasons either, but what it did was get me interested in studying about the Freemasons myself to sort through and play the 'Fact or Fiction' game. It's difficult to know one from the other because there are a few types of Freemasons that all slightly differ from each other. I think Dan Brown did a great job with the subject, and gave it as much respect as possible. He realizes how delicate the subject is, and I finished the book with a very positive feeling about Freemasons and what they stand for.

It was interesting to connect a few points of the book with Mormons. There are various parts of the book that I connected with spiritually, but I will share this one in particular to give an example. The rotunda of the Capital Building features a piece of art called "Apotheosis of Washington". Apotheosis comes from the Greek word "apotheoun" which means "to deify", not to be mixed up with the word "defy". Deify literally comes from the word "deity", which means God. The painting was of George Washington's literal transformation from Man to God. Mormons one of the only christian sects that believes that doctrine (except for a few Mormon break-offs). There are many more points from the book that stand out in-mind with similar significance.

Overall, I would give it Five Stars. It intrigued and inspired me to dig deeper about the subject. I was fascinated with both it's sstory and content.