Harvard professor Robert Langdon is summoned at short notice to Washington by his old friend Peter Solomon to give a speech, but what he discovers there will throw him into a night-long fight for his life. There is no crowd waiting to hear his lecture, nor is Peter in the building. Instead Langdon discovers his friend’s severed hand in the Capitol Building rotunda, the fingertips and palm tattooed with bizarre markings that only Langdon can decipher. And he must solve the clues if he is to save his friend and secure the secret identities of high-ranking Masons before a national crisis unfolds.
Langdon's Third Appearance
The Lost Symbol is the third book about Professor Robert Langford written by Dan Brown. Langdon also appears in the best-selling novels Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code. All three books rely heavily on ancient myths (the Illuminati secret society in Angels and Demons, the Holy Grail in The Da Vinci Code, and now Freemasons in The Lost Symbol), with a plot revolving around Langdon having to solve obscure clues hidden in symbols and artwork in order to save lives and keep these secrets hidden. It’s a plot scheme that works very well in all the books, and although such a plot is included here what pushes The Lost Symbol along at a nice pace are not the mysterious codes but the characters and their dramas.
Why has Peter Solomon been kidnapped and had his hand amputated? Why does Peter’s abductor want Langdon to find the secret hiding place of the Masonic pyramid and decipher its clues? Why is the abductor trying to destroy the life’s work of Solomon’s sister, Katherine? In addition to Langdon’s desperate bid to find Peter and save his life, and Katherine’s efforts to stay one step ahead of her killer, the director of the CIA is thrown into the mix with a hidden agenda of her own. The plot might appear complicated but the way it is written and delivered on the page makes it incredibly easy to follow. Even the minor characters, for example, the security guards in the Capitol Building, are likeable and add realism to the story.
Twisting Tale
The novel delivers a delightful twist near the end, when the abductor’s true identity is revealed, and it merely adds to the quality of the read. For some readers, this novel might be a tad too similar to the two previous Robert Langdon books: Harvard professor brought unwittingly to the scene, needs to use his knowledge of ancient symbols to avert a certain crisis, the Bible and religion a heavy focus in the plot; but it is well worth the read. It might not match up to Angels and Demons for the thrill ride, nor to The Da Vinci Code for the amount of tension, but it proves why Dan Brown is such a talented writer.
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