Book Review: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

3 stars

Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon is back in this follow-up to The Da Vinci Code.

This time around, Langdon is in Washington D.C. to give a speech at a conference hosted by a Mason and his mentor, Peter Solomon. However, things are not what they seem in D.C. Peter Solomon is kidnapped and the only way to rescue him is to unveil the secrets of the “Ancient Mysteries” – a historical concept that Robert Langdon considers to be a myth.

But this kidnapper is well-versed with the Ancient Mysteries and has Peter Solomon’s severed hand placed in the U.S. Capitol – an invitation to solve the mysteries – leaving Langdon no choice but to believe in it and to pursue the myth.

This book has its interesting moments but overall Robert Langdon is always in professor-mode as he explains the symbols that surround him to Director Inuoe Sato of the National Security. The chapters dealing with Langdon’s lectures can be boring, and the book is overly philosophical at times.

However, if you like reading philosophical books as well as learning more about conspiracy theories of secret messages in history, The Lost Symbol is a good read.