The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown

If I had to write an equation for Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon books, it would go as such:

(Langdon + DramaticEntry) x SecretSociety + (AttractiveYetSmartWoman) + (IntriguingClues x Puzzle) – (TroublesomeLawEnforcement / HiddenConnection) / (CreepyPsychoticMan + Artifact) + Murder x (BizarreScience + ObscureReligion) + Global Threat^2 = Novel

And you have to admit, for a mass-market thriller, it is relatively complicated.  But when the same equation is used not once, not twice, but three times, it is pretty darn easy to recognize. So I’m not throwing any points Brown’s way for that.

Nonetheless, The Lost Symbol is undeniably entertaining. Brown leaves behind the Catholic Church, which played an enormous role in both The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons.  Instead he takes the bits of conspiracy theory and symbology from those two and adds in the intriguing science characteristics of his other two (Digital Fortress, Deception Point) to combine them in Langdon’s first Washington D.C. adventure. And, for that matter, his first American adventure.

The Lost Symbol has at its core the mystery of the Masons, who permeate American history more than most would imagine. It swirls through the intriguing underground labyrinth of D.C. as Langdon attempts to save a friend and preserve the secrets of the Masons, all while fleeing from authority and the villain… obviously.

So does it deliver? For what it is, I’d expect a resounding yes from most who’ve read it.  I stayed up til 5 a.m. reading it and never even glanced at the clock.  It’s smart, it’s thought-provoking, and it proves the worth of this genre.

However, those who love the Langdon novels for their mind-blowing conspiracy theories, this one may disappoint slightly.  The scientific side of the equation is far more prevalent and far more intriguing in The Lost Symbol than any of the conspiracy talk.  The Masons just seem like a really smart, really nice group of wealthy men (unlike Opus Dei, the Illuminati, the Priory of Sion, etc.).  

But noetic science? Now there’s something to talk—well, think—about (and that’s coming from an English major).