Book: The Lost Symbol

So, here are my thoughts on Dan Brown's latest fictional concoction.

After reading 'Angels and Demons' all those years ago, I thought that I had found a new favorite author. It wasn't until I read ALL of his other books that I realized that they are all the same! Here is the algorithm for determining the identity of the bad guy:

1. Determine who has died or was given as having been dead since the beginning of the book (more often than not a protagonist)
   
2. Nevermind. There is no #2. The answer is #1.

Brown is a master of assembling a veritable cornucopia of disparate truths and combining them into an intriguing flight of fancy. Of course, that's what we always think until we see a special on the History Channel about how whack he is. All things aside though, I will admit that he has an awesome ability to pick only the most interesting tidbits for his tales which often prompt a further investigation into things we didn't even know existed. Seriously...who'd ever heard of the Opis Dei before that book?? And sure enough, the term "Laus Deo" ("Praise be to God") is actually enscribed into the capstone on the washington monument (a monument, I might add, that no building in DC is allowed to be taller than). Interesting. Of course, 'The Lost Symbol' has proven again that Brown doesn't know much about computer networks. (And yes, I'm a nerd by trade).

Although this book's story was a tad more underwhelming than its predecessors, I will say that it had the best take-away of any book of his I've read. The theme was very simple....we have lost our way. The premise is that the accumulated wisdom of man has since mutated into a form of pseudo-wisdom.

This was not in the book, but let me give you an example to "illustrate" what I mean. Take, for example, things such as Stonehenge, the pyramids, ancient mathematics, ridiculously accurate calendars that were engineered by simple peoples, astronomy, etc, etc. They all have a common theme. "How were they built?" "How are they so accurate?" And my personal favorite..."How in the hell did some 4,000-year-old pagan align a rock in a way that perfectly foretold the apogy of Saturn across the southern sky in the year 2513?" (Of course, I made that last one up, but you get the point.)

The implication that I took from this book was that man was much wiser in much simpler times. Over time, that wisdom was lost and the fruits of that wisdom were mutated into something resembling todays religions and dogmas. Modern science, taking nothing on faith, marches toward the re-birth of these truths which were obscured by time, ignorance, and tyranny.

After re-reading that last paragraph, I'm wondering just how vague I can be. It's hard to articulate a thought like this. :)

Then again, this is all in my humbled opinion, as always. ;)