The Lost Symbol

I just finished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I got it for Christmas. I had seen it in the stores and had a passing thought of interest. I had enjoyed reading The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons so when I got this one, I thought, "Oh good!"

In the beginning of the story, Robert Langdon is summoned by an old friend, (or so he thinks) to Washington D.C. to give a presentation about the symbolism in the capitol. To be honest, I was disappointed that I did not get to read about symbolism in the capitol through Langdon's speech. It might have been more interesting than the start of this book. Perhaps my expectations were high based on the last two novels with Langdon as the main character. I was expecting a bit more action. This story seemed a bit formulaic. Langdon is challenged, lines between good guys and bad guys are drawn and then get fuzzy. Langdon cracks some codes using his knowledge of symbols and of course, there is a police chase. None of it is anywhere near as suspenseful or exciting (or should I say controversal?) as The DaVinci Code.

I think the author is losing his love for Langdon, if he had it in the first place. In the first two books, Robert Langdon is made out to be a genius. He figures things out faster than everyone around him and only needs a little bit of help, mostly to get him safely in and out of certain places. In The Lost Symbol, I personally think Langdon is pretty slow. Maybe because he does not have a strong belief in the hunt he is on. He thinks the kidnapper is a madman and delusional and that the treasure of The Lost Word is make believe. The whole time I was reading, I had a feeling that the word was not what it seemed. You'll have to read to find out what it is but it really is simple. Everyone I know would figure this out relatively quickly. However, the overall theme of this book seems to be that the answers are right there in front of us but we are too blind to see. At then end of the book I thought, "well yeah, of course" whereas at the end of Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code I thought, "Woah! That's so cool!"

However, I still had a hard time putting this book down. I'd like to go to the places in this book and see some of the things that are mentioned within the story. I'd like to know more about Noetic Science and really find out how much is fact and how much is fiction. There is a part of me that wants to believe the message in this book and find out more about it. Our history has always interested me. There is another part of me that says, "No way, but wouldn't it be cool?" This probably doesn't make much sense if you haven't read The Lost Symbol. Dan Brown has a great talent for making you believe what you are reading. It is so matter of fact and realistic sounding that even the craziest parts of the plot are believeable. It's fun for awhile to escape reality and believe in a story.

I would definitely tell people to read The Lost Symbol. I enjoyed it. I feel like there should be more to say but I can't think of anything. Let me know what you think of the book if you read it!