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The Lost Symbol
Robert Langdon novel, No. 3

by Dan Brown

     

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is asked by his friend Peter Solomon to deliver a lecture in the U S Capitol building as a substitute for a lecturer who unexpectedly cancelled. When he arrives at the building, Langdon finds that he has been tricked. It wasn't Peter who summoned him and Peter has been kidnapped. His amputated right hand has been placed on the floor of the Capitol building.

An anonymous caller directs Langdon to find the Word, which is the fount of the wisdom of the ages. Peter's sister Katherine is researching the science of Noetics, a study of the human mind. Langdon joins forces with Katherine in his attempts to solve the symbols and puzzles left on a pyramid, which should lead to the buried secret. They must do all this to free Peter. All clues lead to the world of the secrets of the Masons. The ultimate solution leads to a surprising and incomprehensible confrontation between Langdon and Peter with the mysterious Mal'akh.

The Lost Symbol reads like the script for a forthcoming movie in which Robert Langdon, with his tweed jacket and Mickey Mouse wristwatch, is played by Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman is cast as Warren Bellamy, the supervisor of the Capitol building, and Katherine Solomon is played by Meryl Streep.

Does the villain really need to be quite so grotesque? Washington, DC as the scene of the activities is described in detail, especially the Library of Congress. Is there really an artifact buried in the foundation of the Washington Monument? Is it necessary to name quite so many streets in the city? Then there are the Masons. Is Brown trying to ingratiate himself with the Masons? According to him, all these stories of the Masons' nefarious activities are false. Their aims are all beneficial and are as pure as the driven snow. And there is the Bible...the Last Word. All passages must be interpreted and its hidden meanings revealed. And I could go on and on.

Suffice to write that I was extremely disappointed in the book. It didn't live up to the pre-release promos, I’m sorry that I wasted $29.95. My admonition to you is don’t buy the book. Wait for the paperback if you must read it. Better yet wait for the movie, which is sure to come soon.

The Book

Doubleday
Sept 15 2009
Hardcover
978-0-385-50422-5 / 0-385-50422-5
Suspense
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Barbara Buhrer
Reviewed 2009
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