The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

I finished the book. In 3 days.

Yes, it was intriguing. No, it wasn't that surprising anymore.


This fourth novel installment of Robert Langdon series by famed author Dan Brown was highly anticipated. The story revolved around the centuries old not-so-secret secret society, or simply put it this way, a society with secrets, the Freemasons. Again, the hero is no other than Prof Robert Langdon, Harvard symbologist who was put on a wild goose chase when being flown from Cambridge to Washington. The setting was, of course in Washington DC, where Masonic lore involving the American Forefathers and Masonic building were abundant. The whole story, again, happened within 24 hours, with lots of running around, breaking hidden codes, chased by authorities, racing against time, found the secret, kiss the girl. The exact same recipe as in Angels & Demons and also the Da Vinci Code.



I cannot actually review about the plot. because Dan Brown's elements of surprise are all hidden in plain sight, in the plot. So doing a review on it might destroy the surprise. But I do have to say the main storyline was pretty predictable. The only thing that kept me guessing was that who was the culprit behind the evil plot. And the climax was quite shocking too. Other than that, this book is quite educational. Though I dare not say that I know all about the Christian myths in Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, I did heard about the Dead Sea Scroll and the Lost Gospel of Magdalene before. But Masonic myths are equally interesting. Dan Brown did a great job on explaining and educating me in terms of symbols and all. Well, we never know if they are all true, since Freemasons are highly secretive of their legends and stuff.


Thia book is a good read. But don't expect too much. To me, it no longer hold the surprise in the plot as the other two books. Be ready to expect a predictable plot but be ready to be surprised by the secrets hidden in plain view.

Ratings : 8/10. I expect Hollywood to spoil the story by super-condensing it and make a lucrative business out of the movie.