The Lost Symbol

 

Originally published: 2009

Author: Dan Brown

Original language: English

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

“Lost Symbol” is a book from Dan Brown’s enchanting series where the story revolves around the character Robert Langdon , a professor of symbology at Harvard university. On one Sunday morning he receives a call from his friend, a 33^rd degree Mason, Peter Solomon’s office for giving a keynote address in the Smithsonian’s private gala in the best room in all Washington DC. Solomon has asked Langdon to bring a small sealed package that eventually he had given to him. He reaches to the venue The Rotunda, US Capitol to see it empty. He soon comes to know that he received call from Mal’akh posing as Peter’s assistant. Suddenly a commotion takes place in the Capitol Rotunda when a severed right hand is found pointing upwards in the middle of building. This mystery is solved by Langdon who comes to know that the hand is actually Hand of Mysteries. Soon CIA reaches the spot and the thriller journey begins

Mal’akh contacts Langdon and tells him to find and solve the Mason Pyramid’s secret if he wants to save life of his friend. Mason pyramid is a key that leads to a place where a man would transform to god. But does it actually exist?

CIA chief Inoue Sato reaches to Langdon and informs him that Mal’akh poses a great threat to national security. She asks Langdon to co-operate and reveal all information he has with him in this matter, but on seeing his hesitation in revealing things she confronts him with the x-ray of his sling bag. She shows him the image of the capstone hidden in his bag. They both understand the criticality of the situation and start to work to solve it. On examining Peter’s hand they reach a non-accessed room in the interior of Capitol building. Here they find a pyramid missing a capstone. As Sato is not yet convinced with behaviour of Langdon she tries to arrest him but before her attempt becomes successful she is assaulted by Warren Bellamy, the architect of Capitol and Mason. He flees taking Langdon with him. He explains Langdon that he has remained in contact with Mal’akh and wants his help to save his Peter. Sato soon gets hold of Bellamy but Langdon escapes.

Mal’akh is revealed to be a Freemason with tattoos etched all over his body. He is Powerful, strong and wealthy. Now as per his plan he enters Katherine Solomon’s lab. Katherine Solomon is a young , energetic and intelligent scientist , sister of Peter Solomon who works in a Smithsonian sponsored lab. She conducted experiments on Noetic Science in this lab  and now she has a hidden treasure of  information which may destroy the long kept notions of laymen. Mal’akh succeeds in getting into her lab in the disguise of a doctor and he tries to kill Katherine. But she escapes nearly being choked to death but her experiments do not have the same fate. Langdon reaches out to Katherine and both set to rescue Peter. They go to Mal’akh’s house which Katherine had visited previous day thinking he was a Peter’s psychiatrist. But death awaits them there. Mal’akh was already present there he captures both of them. He puts Langdon in an airtight deprivation tank and ties Katherine with a sharp wire with her mouth choked with cloth. He threatens Langdon to solve the puzzle of pyramid while the tank is getting filled with water. At last Langdon solves the puzzle but no mercy is granted. As Katherine struggles with each breath that Langdon takes she gets hurt as the wire cuts deep into her hand, she too becomes unconscious. Soon Sato locates there location and rescues both. Langdon recollects the solved Pyramid and they set off to the location pointed through the solution that is, Washington monument. Over this period all three Katherine, Langdon and Peter realise true identity of Mal’akh. He is actually Zachery, Peter’s son who was imprisoned. It was confirmed that he had died in jail due to fights between him and his inmates. But no, he had returned to take revenge of the fact that Peter though having a chance to rescue him had abandoned him in jail.

Soon Langdon accompanied with Sato reach to the monument. Mal’akh is preparing sacrifice for a ritual that would turn him into god. As, they reach the top of the room tables are turned and accidently Mal’akh dies due to shattering of glass roof.

All of them are safe and overwhelmed on seeing each other. Soon Katherine also joins them. At last Peter tells Langdon that Bible is an esoteric symbolism written by humanity and that it contains hidden and veiled instruction harnessing humanity’s natural God like powers.

“Open your minds, my friends. We all fear what we do not understand.”

Dan Brown