The Lost Symbol (Anna Marie Russell)

Title: The Lost Symbol
Author: Dan Brown
Publisher: Double day
Pages: 509
Found the Book: Brother gave it to me for birthday present

Summary: The Lost Symbol is the last book to Dan Brown's trilogy. After Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code the adventures still continue for Harvard's symbolist Robert Langdon. After being summoned to Washington D.C. for a lecture, Langdon is soon pulled into his next mystery. Langdon receives an ancient invitation to help find the legendary Masonic Pyramid. He is forced to help when he realizes his old friend and mentor Peter Solomon, a prominent Mason and philanthropist, is kidnapped. Langdon finds himself surrounded by Masonic secrets and hidden history, all leading him to a truth that has never before been revealed. Can Langdon find all the answers to solve the mystery? Will he be in time to save Peter? Anything can happen in this thrilling, suspenseful, action packed novel.

Audience: The audience is geared more towards older teenagers and adults, because some of the explanations to secrets and of history can really only be understood be these ages.

Writing Style: One part of Dan Brown's writing style is he likes to write short chapters. His novels also take place over a short amount of time. He has good character development and while his novels are very suspenseful they have bits and pieces of history in them.
“The Apotheosis of Washington – a 4,664-square-foot fresco that covers the canopy of the Capital Rotunda – was completed in 1865 by Constantino Brumidi. Known as 'The Michelangelo of the Capital,' Brumidi had laid claim to the Capital Rotunda in the same way Michelangelo had laid claim to the Sistine Chapel, by painting a fresco on the room's most lofty canvas – the ceiling” (85).

Three Passages:
“'You're in a colt?' Langdon nodded and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. 'Don't tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh.' The class looked horrified. Langdon shrugged. 'And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard Chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix and take Holy Communion'” (32).
This passage struck me because it proves the saying that things are never as they seem. The first description makes my religion sound like a colt that is destructive and horrible, but it was telling the truth in a different manner. It was weird to think that what I do every Sunday could be seen in another person's eyes like that.
“'The legend of the Masonic Pyramid is quite simple. It states that the Masons, in order to fulfill their responsibility of protecting this great wisdom for future generations, decided to hide it in a great fortress.' Langdon tried to gather hie recollections of the story. 'Again, I stress this is all a myth, but allegedly, the Masons transported their secret wisdom from the Old world to the New world – here, to America – a land they hoped would be free from religious tyranny. And here they built an impenetrable fortress – a hidden pyramid – designed to protect the Ancient Mysteries until the time that all of mankind was ready to handle the awesome power that this wisdom could communicate'” (131).
This passage struck me because it is weird to think that some of the legends we learn about could actually be true. I find it fascinating to learn of the legends of our country, and the secret societies that are in them
“'I mention the horned Moses,' Bellamy now said, 'to illustrate how a single word, misunderstood, can rewrite history.' You're preaching to the choir, Langdon thought, having learned the lesson firsthand in Paris a number of years back. SanGreal: Holy Grail. SangReal: Royal Blood” (195).
This passage got me thinking about todays society. With all the different languages it was very true that one mis translation and a war could start. I found it astonishing how right Brown was when he wrote what Bellamy said. History could be rewritten because of one persons mistake.

Interaction: There wasn't much I could relate to with this book, because I usually don't go and help killers find a lost legend but there were some small things. I liked to solve mysteries and clues, so it was fun to read the novel and guess alone with it. There was one part in the book that really got me feeling the emotions of the character. This women was trapped in this huge room and it was pitch black with a killer coming after her. I could really feel her fear and anxiety as she tried to escape. My heart wouldn't stop beating so fast until she was safe.


Theme: I think one of the themes in The Lost Symbol would have to be about a person's identity. One example of this is the character Mal'akh. Throughout the book he is always changing identities, changing his looks. His use of the identities is a major part of the book, because without them he wouldn't have been able to do some of the things he did. Another example of this theme would be about when Dan Brown writes about humans as Gods. Throughout the book it is said over and over how we saw humans as gods, how they were so extraordinary that they deserved this title.

Letter Grade: I could not give this book lower then an A. I love all of Dan Brown's books, and have stuck with the series from the beginning. To me I love a good mystery and puzzles, and this is just what his books have. I have also been fascinated with the Freemasonry, and this book explains some of their secrets, and really shows how smart these men were in our history.