The not so enigmatic lost symbol

Last night, at about 10.30 I finished The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown’s latest. At the end of the 509^th page, I simply closed the book, switched off the lights and slept. I did not marvel over the symbols and codes and clues like I did for Da Vinci Code… I did not read the last 2 chapters once more leisurely savouring the artistry of Mr. Brown… I was just relieved that I had finished the book. Also I was exhausted as I had read around 300 pages, yesterday.

Yes, if anything, The Lost Symbol moves fast alright… as fast as Sheldon’s 'Are you Afraid of the Dark' and Archer’s False Impressions. But, where as the last two evoked a sense of awe at the writer’s knack for suspense, The Lost Symbol just generated a sense of relief that it is all over.

Several things struck me as I was reading the book. First, a niggling doubt whether Dan Brown is losing his touch. Or was it that I was getting smarter? I guessed correctly, the identity of the so called ‘ Brown’s most terrifying villain to date’ as claimed in the front flap of the book’s cover. And I was not even half way through the book. Dan Brown had stunned me with the identity of the villains in Angels and Demons and Deception Point. In Da Vinci Code and Digital fortress, I had suspected the identity of the villains… But, The Lost Symbol really was child’s play. My only doubt is, if an average reader like me with normal IQ could recognize the villain for who he really was, why couldn’t the brilliant minded protagonists of the book?

Coming to the symbolism and decoding of cryptic words, Angels and Demons and Da Vinci Code were more exciting. I remember running to the nearest mirror at a point with a clue in Da Vinci Code…. I worked out each and every puzzle there as best as I could. I have read the Da Vinci Code twice just to savour the thrill of unraveling Brown’s cat’s cradles of codes and symbols. In The Lost Symbol, the codes seemed easier to crack…and they number far less than in the other books. Besides, Robert Langdon seems to have lost his edge as a symbologist as other characters unravel and decipher many a mystery before he does. So, is Robert Langdon ageing…or becoming complacent? Or is it Dan Brown?

Okay, the book moves very fast…like a ride in an underground metro. But there is no satisfaction of the journey itself, just the relief that the destination has been reached!

The Lost Symbol is signature Dan Brown stuff. I shall be a hypocrite if I said I did not enjoy it. I did. Yet…

When I visited the Louvre in Paris, I was intrigued by a an advertisement at the foyer for a guided tour called ‘ Step Inside the Da Vinci Code’ And in Rome and Vatican, I looked around the milling crowd wondering how many of them were following the clues and codes in Angels and Demons… Was there a tourist package covering Langdon’s search for the papal candidates in and around the churches and castles of Vatican and Rome?

In that case, WashingtonDC will get a spate of Dan Brown fans all eager to see first hand, the mysterious secrets of the historical landmarks in the Lost Symbol. Noetic Science is a bit daunting as a branch of science to be experimented with… I must read up more on that before commenting on the rights and wrongs of that.

All said and done, I get this feeling that The Lost Symbol has been written with the big screen in mind and probably, in a year’s time we shall watch a listless Tom Hanks looking more and more bewildered as he portrays the atheistic symbologist, Robert Langdon.

Should I have waited for the pirated editions to hit the pavements of metros… or was I justified in Asking RP to pay an indecently high Dhs.132 and buy me a hardbound copy from the Borders as an advance b’day gift? No…. I don’t regret having bought the book…But this copy is going to be very safe… unlike my copies of Da Vinci Code and angels and Demons….which have been flipped open a many a time.

In the end, a question to Mr. Dan Brown. “ How come you never heard of ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ ?

Hey Twinsmom,

Thank you for the FB about the book, yesterday i was so very tempted to buy but then was scared of my hubby's reaction(y men cant spend for books????)... i am a big fan of Dan Brown so i dont know how long i can control my temptation of buying a hardcopy. I had a proud feeling that i have read all the sydney sheldons and the archers (including the prison diary 2 etc.) but after reading your thread i came to know about the Night Without an End , so my first mission is to hunt for it. Sheldon takes priority over Dan Brown.

tm,

my librarian did give me the copy of the book the moment it was on the shelves in chennai. In fact Landmark had a offer on the book. but i did not see many people picking it. maybe they all were waiting just like me for a review.

Well i remember staying awake overnight to finish the book angel and demons. don't you feel the spark, intrigue you felt with angels a little lesser with da vinci and digital fortress, deception point.

BTW, night without end is alistair maclean's.

anyways will be picking the book from library if my nephew does not pick a copy from bombay.

Hi Shanvy,

I stand corrected. I had 'Are You Afraid of the Dark' in mind... Yes, Night without an End is Alistair McLean. I have emended the error.

Hi Suja,

I am sorry.... It is not Night without an End.... It is Are You afraid of the Dark... So stupid of me. Thank God Shanvy pointed it out!