Book Harlot

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Rating:  

I was kind of disappointed in this book.  I loved loved loved The Da Vinci Code and really liked Angels and Demons. (I read them out of order but whatever.)   I think it took me a day or two to read them entirely and I wasn’t as enthralled with this book.   I don’t think it’s the responsibility of being a mom that keeps me from spending an entire day reading a book and totally neglecting my family because I still do that on occasion.  (Bad mommy.)  This book was just put-downable where the other ones were completely not.  I can’t exactly figure out what it is because it follows the same “formula” as the others.  Ticking down the clock, a race to the finish, can we get there in time? Maybe you can tell me?

I did love the puzzles and symbols in the book.  I talked about this a little in my last post but when you know something about the subject matter, what different symbols mean or you’ve seen a symbol a thousand times and finally learn it’s meaning you’ve melded learning and entertainment which is fantastic.  Dan Brown’s books always do that, they teach you something new about something you thought you already knew about.  He also gives you the opportunity to solve the puzzle yourself if you can.  I couldn’t but I’m sure there are those out there who can.  I love that.  I also love the way he talks about each of the cities he sets his books in.  Revealing secrets I didn’t know existed and making me want to go there and see for myself.  Someone should get rolling on the Dan Brown tour guides of these cities.

The subject matter was very interesting.  Noetics is something I’ve never heard of as referred to as Noetics but it’s essentially the science of how thoughts can have an effect on the physical world.  I feel like this topic is coming to light more and more, it’s on the talk shows, it’s written about in books, it’s studied by scientists.  It’s not just the theory of positive thinking or that negative thoughts affect negative actions but that you can actually change the physical world with your thoughts.  There’s an example of how a scientist in the book changes the crystal structure of ice just by sending it certain thoughts.  That’s pretty amazing, if you believe it.

Which brings us to Dan Brown’s thesis.  As always in his books there is an underlying message.  Sometimes in the shape of a warning, sometimes just some insight into human nature but always making us see ourselves and each other in a different light.  If God has the power to create and noetics is teaching us that we all have the power to create crystal structures in ice just by thinking of them, then we too have the power to create.  Does that mean we are Gods?