Published in 2009 by Doubleday Books
3 Stars
Goodreads Review
In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling--a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths... all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.
As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation... one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.
When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon--a prominent Mason and philanthropist--is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations--all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.
As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightning-paced story that offers surprises at every turn. The Lost Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for... his most thrilling novel yet.
Review: The Lost Symbol, the third installment in the Robert Langdon series, is an exciting adventure that combines ancient conspiracy theories and modern espionage, but lacks some of the magic of it's predecessors. The Lost Symbol follows the basic formula as The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons; an evil villain hell bent on awakening some ancient power and bringing about the end of the world and our hero thrust into the fray, frantically trying to beat the clock and solve the puzzles before the villain can achieve their dastardly plan. Brown again uses his knowledge of symbolism, history, and philosophy to weave a fictitious story founded in fact.
I'm not sure where exactly The Lost Symbol missed the mark. I think much of my dislike comes from the naivety of the two main characters. They do things that didn't seem logical, such as agreeing to a meeting without ever confirming with their friend, believing text messages and not actually phone calls, not backing up their life's research, and just the general gullibility of the cast. These people are supposed to be top scientists and scholars, but their lack of common sense made them seem unbelievable and unlikable.
However, my biggest problem is the lack of completion at the end of The Lost Symbol. In all of Brown's previous books, I finished with a sense of knowing. All of the loose ends were tied up, I understood the motivations of the characters and the myths and truths that their believes were based upon. However in The Lost Symbol the main plot concepts were never fully explained. The ending is very anti-climatic, disappointing, and more than a bit confusing.
There were smaller concepts that I found very interesting, in particular the noetic science that Katherine was investigating. I found her story to be a lot more compelling than Roberts. I cared more about her scientific discoveries than his symbollic history.
Overall The Lost Symbol is a good action story that has some very interesting concepts, but misses in the big payoff at the final reveal.
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