Wizarding Times

The Lost Symbol is the third book by Dan Brown with Robert Langdon, the Symbologist, as the lead character. This novel is based on many real things: the Masons, governmental departments, famous buildings and their histories, Biblical passages, etc.

Langdon finds himself "suckered" into becoming part of a destructive plot by a mysterious and bizarre, but very deadly, character. (Sometimes, Langdon's naivete is almost unbelievable, but then I can remember things I did "on faith" in other people, so I guess these things could happen.) He arrives in Washington, D.C., expecting to meet an old friend and deliver a lecture — instead, he finds "a part" of the old friend and also realizes he has been duped into placing the rest of his friend, and his friend's sister and other friends, in mortal danger. The subsequent actions of trying to outwit both the mysterious stranger and governmental forces, while searching for a powerful lost symbol, take the reader on quite a trip through the nation's capital, and many emotions are experienced.

The symbolism and its explanation in this book are almost overwhelming. Brown gets repetitive again (as he did in The DaVinci Code, but not so much in Angels and Demons), and I found myself "skipping" through some of the commentary. Still, the plot's action held my attention for the most part, and I was even surprised to discover who the "foe" was (other readers, however, have said they guessed that early on). If you liked the other two books, this one won't disappoint. I have to say, though, that I think humanity is going to have to be much more proactive to solve the world's probelms than is indicated by the final "treasures" revealed in the search.

Because of the violence, adolescent and older readers only, please.

Happy Reading!
Prof. Opal