Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Random House India
Year: 2009
ISBN: 9780593054277
Rating:
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Just as I was finishing the lost symbol, a friend of mine asked me – “Is that the book where something is written on the obelisk?” My tongue in cheek reply was, “It’s Dan Brown, isn’t there always something written on the obelisk?”

True to expectations, Dan Brown has given us a melange of symbols, codes, monuments, historic references and the infamous Masonic Lodge. One can easily infer from the title itself that the storyline is a quest for the lost symbol.

The novel starts out at a good pace, with our beloved professor Robert Langdon (yes, it's the same Langdon with the tweed jacket and the Mickey Mouse watch) being called for by his mentor Peter Solomon. On his arrival at Washington D.C, Langdon senses something amiss and the plot slowly unfurls. With Solomon having been kidnapped Langdon has to follow a trail laid by the kidnapper Mal'akh in in order to protect the life of his mentor. Alongside runs the track of Katherine, Peter's sister and her research in Noetic science, which is employed to prove the existence of God ( It is a science of the mind and intellect. Please look it up. It's an interesting read! ) Brown succeeds in connecting all the above links, albeit in a disconcerting manner.

The reader is taken through the hidden chambers and tunnels of Washington D.C, with Langdon set against Mal'akh in a deadly race to uncover the Lost Symbol. (Hint : Watch out for a golden capstone – it plays a more important role than Langdon. )

Despite Brown's efforts to make this another "Da Vinci Code", the Lost Symbol leaves one quite lost. A whopping 528 pages crammed with facts (or are they? ), backgrounds of monuments, symbols and unseen truths left me quite muddled in the end as to what the lost symbol actually was. The pace slackens towards the end, and the overwhelming amount of unsolicited information, quite frankly, irritates one. Simply put, The Lost Symbol is an extensive build up, in true Dan Brown style leading to a disappointing climax. Dan Brown certainly knows how to pack a punch. But this one did not leave my mind reeling like his previous works did.

My father, a member of the Masonic lodge, guards the ongoings at his meetings like an issue of national security. The only thing I got out of this book was, the pleasure of telling my father that his treasured secrets were out, for one and all to read.

For more about Noetic Sciences : http://noetic.org/about/what-are-noetic-sciences/