Book Review: "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown

I have always had a weird fascination with the Freemasons. It may have been because I went to a special hospital that was founded by the Shriners, a branch of the Freemasons. There is also a lot of history throughout this amazing country that has to do with them. Our very first President was a Mason. Why, do you ask, am I talking about this special organization? That is because this week's selection, by New Hampshire author Dan Brown, is about the Masons and their secret society and beliefs.

"The Lost Symbol" is the third Dan Brown novel to feature symbologist Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor who gets caught up in an adventure to save his friend's life. Langdon is called to Washington, D.C., to give a lecture at the Capitol Building but when he gets there another surprise is waiting for him instead. With the help of scientist Katherine Langdon and CIA operative Inoue Sato, Langdon embarks on a journey to uncover the true meaning of Freemason symbology as well as solving the mystery in time to save his friend and defeat the evil Mal'akh.

Like his previous novels, "The Da Vinci Code," and "Angels and Demons," Brown blends conspiracy theories, real historic artifacts and events with fiction. In this novel, Brown discusses the Masons and their religion. The reader learns as much about this society as they can without having too much revealed. The Masons are very secretive with what they let the general public know. Brown also connects real buildings with Masonic beliefs.

I found this book to be a fun read. I have read his other two novels and enjoyed them immensely. You mostly follow the story from the perspective of Robert Langdon and his sidekick Katherine Solomon, and from the main villain, in this case, a very troubled young man who is out to seek revenge on Robert Langdon's friend, Peter Solomon (a Mason), as well as CIA operative Inoue Sato.

Occasionally, certain minor characters that are connected with the main characters will be the subject of a chapter, as well. The chapters are nice and short, at most six pages, but there are a lot of them, 133 total, and an epilogue. Some of the chapters will be very easy to get through with mostly dialogue and a lot of action. Others are a little slower in terms of reading, because they contain a lot of background information.

I liked this book. There are many moments of action, like chases throughout Washington, D.C., as well as many moments that will leave you guessing and wanting more, like figuring out what certain symbols mean. I would definitely recommend this book, and for many reasons. One, it is a great book for history buffs, like myself, and if you liked the film "National Treasure," which also follows the Masons, then you will probably like this book.

Also, there is a lot of action, and you learn a lot about who the Masons are and what exactly it is that they do. There is some violence, especially near the end of the book, so I do not recommend it for little kids, and there are some words that are difficult to pronounce, for example many of the scientific words as well as those that are in Latin (unless of course, you have taken Latin and can understand it). Overall, it is a good read. It is a little long, so take your time reading it and set some time aside to read it.

Happy reading!!