Dan Brown has done it again. He has written another suspense filled novel starring, famed symbologist and Harvard professor, Robert Langdon. Except this time, the novel is not set in Europe, but in America - D.C. to be exact. And, that is the only exception. True to form, Brown has focused his novel on another secret society whose secrets, if revealed, will rock the nation's core. We have the usual morning call/fax regarding the request of Langdon's presence; there is the horrific realization that things are not what they seem; the predictable reveal at the end that is supposed to shock the reader, but merely disappoints; and the usual romantic tinged relationship between Langdon and the female version of himself. Overall, another one of Brown's light reads. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy reading this book, because it allowed me the freedom to dip in and out at intervals (the fact that the chapters were 2-3 pages long helped). What I liked was the familiarity of the character and tone of the novel, but I do wish that Brown had jazzed up his plot devices a bit more instead of relying on the usual ones that he has utilized in each of his novels. In the beginning I found myself getting involved in the story and excited at the prospect of a new adventure for Langdon, but soon enough I became bored when I realized what direction the book was going and who the true culprit really was. At the end of the day, it was a good escape from watching reruns on t.v..
As far as what the book was about, well, here's the text from the book jacket's flap:
...Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object- artfully encoded with five symbols - is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation...one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.
When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon - a prominent Mason and philanthropist - is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations - all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.
Wow! That does sound like an exciting story - too bad it wasn't. I wouldn't recommend that anyone rush out to buy this book, but at the same time I wouldn't say, don't read it. I think it would make for a good vacation read - fun, light and easy to read. Something that you could take with you and wouldn't mind if you forgot it at your hotel. The type of book that you lend a friend and aren't even bothered if they never give it back. All in all, another typical Dan Brown creation - overly hyped and too much of nothing.