The Lost Symbol- Dan Brown

Title: The Lost Symbol
Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Double Day
Synopsis: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to give a lecture at the United States Capitol, with the invitation apparently from his mentor, a 33rd degree Mason named Peter Solomon, who is the head of the Smithsonian Institution. Solomon has also asked him to bring a small, sealed package which he had entrusted to Langdon years earlier. When Langdon arrives at the Capitol, however, he learns that the invitation he received was not from Solomon, but from Solomon's kidnapper, Mal'akh, who has left Solomon's severed right hand in the middle of the Capitol Rotunda in a recreation of the Hand of Mysteries. Mal'akh then contacts Langdon, charging him with finding both the Mason's Pyramid, which Masons believe is hidden somewhere underground in Washington D.C., and the Lost Word, lest Solomon be executed.

     Like many other Archaeology majors, I have a condition called Indian Jones Syndrome (IJS). I was first afflicted at the age of ten when, after visiting the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (The Museum), I taught myself to read hieroglyphics in the event that I found myself on an adventure in which I needed to decode ancient texts to find the lost artifact before some great calamity befell the earth. Since then, I have calmed down a bit and began focusing more seriously on my studies so that I can do legitimate research on the lost cities of our past. But, every once in a while, I skip over the more academic works on archaeology/anthropology and pick up a good 'ol thriller where an Indianesque lead goes on a secret quest and needs to uncover the truth. This is the book I chose when I was overcome with a recent bout of IJS.

     Robert Langdon is back, and if I may say, as crushworthy as ever. In The Lost Symbol, he must decode an ancient Masonic text to save his long time mentor. I must say that I really enjoyed this novel. It was exactly what I needed to get me out of my reading rut. It is fast paced and full of actions. Plus, it is a really quick read because the chapters are really short. Normally, this annoys me. But it really works with the action pact storyline. The chapters propel the story along and each one leaves the reader with a thrilling final line that promotes a book-long desire to keep reading. As usual, the writing is awesome and the storyline as intriguing as ever. I also liked how Dan Brown uses his characters as vessel through which to provide information but I felt sometimes it seemed that the characters were reading verbatim from an encyclopedia. If you're a fan of his other works, you won't be dissappointed. If you've never read his work, this is a great one with which to start. The previous two novels that feature Robert Langdon are companion novels, so you won't miss anything by reading them out of order.

Look out for a book haul in the coming days!
Thanks for reading and welcome to my new followers!
Theresa
The Book Nook