The Lost Symbol

(Image by jorgeq on Flickr.)

Yesterday, I finally finished reading Dan Brown’s much-awaited new book, “The Lost Symbol“.

For the third time.

Yes, I read a 509-page-book thrice in less than a week. ;-)

As some of you might know, I’m a real book aficionado and Dan Brown is one of my favourite authors. I have all his books in my personal collection and I’ve read all of them more than 5 times.

I picked it up last Wednesday (I’m thankful I pre-ordered it as almost no copies were left on the bookshelves) and I naturally tweeted about it. I started reading it as soon as I got home and only stopped for food and prayers. =]

I finished it at 2 A.M.(~5 hours of reading) and the only thing I could say was “Wow”. It really is an amazing book and a worthy sequel to the international bestseller “The Da Vinci Code”.

I’m not going to spoil the fun for anyone by revealing the plot but I’m mentioning some interesting aspects of the book:

• It’s a fascinating story which will leave every reader enlightened about many subjects. In my humble opinion, the only way not to learn something from the book is to be an expert on Freemasonry. :P However, I think that people should realise that, although it contains many facts, it’s still a work of fiction. As in all Dan Brown’s books, the line between fact and fiction is very thin and the trick to really understanding the book’s message  is being able to discern between them.

• It has many references to internet culture: A blog, Wikipedia, Google…even Twitter!! :D

• It has many acts of intense violence that may leave people shocked…such as the crushing of an iPhone!! :P

• I loved the subtle and sincere reference to Digital Fortress, one of Dan Brown’s books. It’s clearly intended for the fans who will probably be the only people to see it.

• The plot is simply mystifying. Pure genius.

Overall, I think it’s an impressive book which lives up to the hype and is well worth the wait. It’s equal, if not better, than even The Da Vinci Code, and that‘s a book that’s extremely difficult to live up to. I’ll definitely read it again. ;)