I am not a Dan Brown fan, but I enjoy reading. The opinions about the book expressed in this review are entirely my own, and please read at your own discretion as this review may contain spoilers. But promising teasers are there too. Just to hit you up to read the book.
Dan Brown has given us yet another masterpiece of a thriller, “The Lost Symbol”. Previously, the book was campaigned as “The Solomon Key” and upon finishing it; I have to say that it would have been more appropriate as a name. As it was told before, Robert Langdon makes his return in a grand manner that fits the known writing style of the master of “code-breaking” thrillers.
Robert Langdon is back. And in his this adventure, he is not roaming among the mystic cities of Europe, deciphering the ancient codes and symbols from the renaissance. Rather Langdon embarks on his code-breaking, breath-taking, mind-boggling and shocking (read, Must Read) adventure in the heart of the capital city of United States of America, Washington DC. I like Dan because of the vast amount of information that he offers the reader. He offered us Europe, specifically France and England revealed in “The Da Vinci Code” and Vatican in “Angels and Demons”. Now, as if to award his fans in his own country, he chooses Washington DC.
Controversy is one of the main properties of Dan’s writings, and he is yet to write a more controversial book than “The Lost Symbol”. Yes, you heard right, this book is even more controversial than the well celebrated “The Da Vinci Code”. But, the Christian world is not screaming because, the book also presents them with a small gift. Which, if I reveal, will spoil your enjoyment of the book.
As any other Dan Brown thriller, this one also interrelate many secret and revealed well known organizations, namely The Order of The Free Masons, Smithsonian Institution, Capitol Hill Senate Building and CIA OS(Office of Securities). But unlike the previous four, Dan Brown changes the way the story builds up. Here, the mentor or the guide who leads the protagonist as the novel approaches is not the antagonist as seen before in Dan’s novels and of course, the fearsome henchman used as a tool is also not present. Here, rather we are faced with an antagonist type never before seen in his books, a main antagonist with the fearsome properties of a henchman.
The plot has its fair amount of twists, though some of them will hit you one or two chapter before they are revealed. The feeling is good though, it’s like you are actually solving the mystery with Langdon. Like the previous books, this one is also full of illustrations and diagrams, tempting you to try to solve them on your own, before approaching the next chapter.
The story builds up well, can keep you holding the book for hours before you finish it (or in my case, in front of the pc monitor). I spent my rainy Eid day finishing the book, and it was one of the most enjoyable one. Though the story started with a simple invitation for a lecture in the Capitol Hill, by his onetime mentor and friend, the secretary of the Smithsonian, Peter Solomon, Langdon finds him quickly entangled in an age old mystery kept secret through generations and which, most oddly has something to do with a new science called Noetic, researched by Katherine, Peter’s spinster sister. They are two of the relevant Solomons in the story. There is also a third Solomon, playing a key role. Peter’s hand motions Langdon to the unknown teamed with CIA OS Director Sato at first. The next ten hours become the most eventful ten hours of Langdon’s life, even after the incidents in “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Daemons”.
After all, Robert Langdon faces a condition he faced never before, HE DIES!!! (Here you go… spoiled it for you if you haven’t read it already).
Mal’akh, the daemonic antagonist of the book, is striking enough to keep you holding your breath. He is a masterpiece of a villain that Dan created and I believe Ron (Ron Howard) is going to have a hard time finding the actor to portray Mal’akh. Yes, I am certainly hoping that Tom Hanks will be back portraying Robert Langdon, for one last time (at least).
The story presents us with life like description of Capitol Hill, Washington Memorial and other historical buildings in Washington DC and as “The Da Vinci Code”, finishes with Langdon ending right where he started. However, as I have told earlier, the book hides a small gift to the Christian community, a gift that may have bribed them enough to keep their mouth close this time. I respect Dan for his act of building great stories based on philosophical questions unanswered for ages. This time, the question is far greater than previous one.
Whatever your intentions may be, acknowledging questions that remained for ages or just have fun reading a thriller, Dan can fulfill it. He is the modern master of code-breaking thriller, probably because he is the only code-breaking thriller writer now, and no other writer seems to be interested to venture. "Code-breaking" thriller is Dan's territory. He can make a story breath-taking without any obvious threat like a nuclear bomb lost in Sudan or a Mayan treasure found by a religious fanatic.
This book will make you think, make you question, and as it is campaigned as a mere thriller, you may not take them seriously. But Dan specifically reminds us that the school of thought the book introduces actually exists. However, I find myself at par with the ideas presented in the book. I will soon enough write a piece discussing that.
Dan Brown has presented his fans with an intriguing story so interlinked with America’s past, that American’s will treat this as a gift to them. He paid such a respect to the Christianity; Vatican will hail him hero this time. But yet, in actuality, he posed a question so threatening to our faith, it will make you THINK, QUESTION AND UNDERSTAND.
And I sincerely hope that is exactly what Dan targets to do.
Jeova Sanctus Unus (One True God)
No comments:
Post a Comment