4th March, 2014

The Lost Symbol

Name :	STELLA ANNE TEOH MING HUI
Class :	K3C
School Num. :	12231
Book Call Num. :	FBRO
Book Title :	The Lost Symbol
Author :	Dan Brown
Publication Year/(Edition) :	2010(Corgi Edition)

Setting: Modern Time

Characters:

Robert Langdon – Harvard symbologist, was orphaned during his youth, his mentor and main father-like figure was Peter Solomon, prominent mason and philanthropist. Well-versed in the ancient ways and mysteries of certain brotherhood groups, he is well-liked for his interesting lectures about mainly ‘dead’ things. Has a quick mind and sees things in a different light from others.

Peter Solomon – Prominent Mason and philanthropist, owns a large share of the money in banks. Is described by Robert as a man who gets what he wants. He owns private jets and is given top priority at certain functions, he also heads the Smithsonian Museum. Supports his sister, Katherine in her Noetic Science studies. Lost his son and wife quite early in his family life, his son was in prison before death and his wife left him after the death of their child.

Katherine Solomon – Sister to Peter Solomon, unlike her brother she never married, but rather remained closely tied to her science research. She has always felt a connection to the scientific proof of a higher beings presence.

Mal’akh – Came into the world as Zachary Solomon, son to Peter Solomon. After a miserable and troubled youth, he was jailed. His father refused to pay for his release, hoping to teach him a lesson, alas, Zachary broke out under the guise of Andros and Andros soon became Mal’akh, the horror of the story.

Conflict:

Major conflict – Robert is invited to The Capitol Building, Washington D.C. under the impression he is to a give a talk but is greeted with a totally unexpected sinister ‘invitation’ and is rushed into a whirlwind adventure to save his friend Peter and Katherine from an unknown enemy.

Rising action – As Robert is in the clutches of Director Sato, not so very faraway, an unsuspecting Trish is leading Mal’akh to Pod 5 where Katherine works and researches. As he pretends to listen to Trish’s explanations about the various experimentations in the other 4 pods, he is actually thinking about his ‘spiritual release’ when he finds The Word. He later drowns Trish brutally in ethanol, locks Katherine in Pod 5 with him and tries to kill her too. She manages to trick him, claws at him and triggers the Pod 5’s security mechanism which floods the chamber with light. Her attacker momentarily stunned she flees to her car, Mal’akh follows and grabs her by the neck, choking her. Katherine breaks free when she revs up the car engine and Mal’akh is left at the museum where she works. He destroys her lab to avoid any follow-ups on his ‘great’ quest.

Climax –Robert, Katherine and the CIA operatives fall into Mal’akh’s trap. With Robert in the ‘Meditation Machine’ he was given the illusion that he was drowning so he divulged the secret to deciphering the bottom cipher of the pyramid. He didn’t drown because the Meditation Machine actually contains oxygenated perfluorocarbons which still provide oxygen to the body. Katherine is forced to watch as her friend ‘dies’ before undergoing a horrifying experience. Fully bound, Mal’akh inserted a medical needle into her vein, the only thing was there was no tube connected to the needle and Katherine’s blood was freely flowing out of her body onto the floor of her containment room. Peter is shocked as he watches all of this but cannot do anything as he too like Katherine is gagged and bound.

Falling action – Director Sato and the rest of the CIA manage to rescue Robert and Katherine but they find out about the footage of all the Masonic rituals. Shocked, they know that they cannot allow this to reach the world and so they decide to capture Mal’akh and stop the video upload. At this moment, Peter is trying hard not to succumb to his injuries, he misleads Mal’akh into believing that The Word is not a word but just the symbol of the circumpunct. As the pilot who is carrying the weapon needed to fry the uploading device’s system hits the window above Mal’akh, a shower of glass rains down. Peter not wishing to kill his son, dashes the sacred knife across the alter but Mal’akh is severely hurt by the glass shower.

Conclusion – Mal’akh dies, Katherine, Peter and Robert are saved and recuperate. Before Robert goes, Peter invites him once more to the center of Washington D.C., this time to reveal The Word. He is shown the inscription Laus Deo atop the Washington Monument and is awed by its beauty.

Opinion:

A very interesting plot, it has twists and turns that throws you off your seat and leaves you screaming for more. It’s refreshing that all of the locations are present in real-life and the questions brought up are very relatable especially to those who have questions about different cultures in different places. Lots of outside information was gained such as the meanings of certain Latin and Hebrew words like Elohim describing God as many rather than as One and Laus Deo meaning ‘praise God’. Lovely book a thriller through and through! A must-read for all!

Posted at 7:49 am | Comments (3)

3 Comments

On July 1, 2014 at 9:39 pm f3.ppc@smjk.edu.my said:

July 1, 2014 at 9:39 pm

Name : Yeap Yu Xian
Class : K3C
Schl. No. : 12136
Mentor Teacher : Ms Mabel Lim

Dan Brown has always been a favourite of mine, and as for your review of The Lost Symbol, I feel that it was a motivator for me to go and find the book. You described the book and its events in much detail so there weren’t many places where I was disappointed by the way events turned out.

These types of books are highly fascinating as they imbue intellect into an exciting, action-packed story that sends readers falling off cliffs and soaring through tunnels at high-speeds.

The Lost Symbol for me, was more of a sad Prodigal Son Returns yet does not Regret kind-of story. The Prodigal Son returns yet, he seems hellbent on reaping what he thinks his family owes him. I feel the most for Mal’akh because, it is his drive for something out of his reach that makes him a resourceful person. In the end, I still believe all, Mal’akh wanted was the power to show the world he was stronger than his father and maybe even believed his was a worth descendant.

That is my perception of the book and my feelings about it are widely similar, that is I find it action-packed, exciting and all-in-all a ‘classic’ thriller.
On July 1, 2014 at 9:45 pm f3.ppc@smjk.edu.my said:

July 1, 2014 at 9:45 pm

Name : Ding Kah Wen
Class : K3C
Schl. No. : 12148
Mentor Teacher : Ms Mabel Lim

Dan Brown is often viewed as ‘harder stuff’ because of the fact he includes a lot of profound knowledge about certain places, or in this book certain cults, secret societies and their rituals.

For me, it was hard at first applying the knowledge that was sparingly given into all the available contexts, but soon I got the hang of it.

After finishing the book, my brain was overflowing, although I am not sure how credible the information was in the book, if real, it is enough to make people join or avoid secret societies!

For me, it was eye-opener, all those rituals, ranks given to different people of different abilities, the way the hierarchy was never questioned, is pretty much like another dictatorship in Rome, minus the gladiators!

Plus, the tiny tiny bits of horror infused into the events as they unfolded was enough to keep me skipping meals (something I do not recommend)!

I loved the book and am now hooked to Dan Brown!
On September 25, 2014 at 4:16 pm f3.ppc@smjk.edu.my said:

September 25, 2014 at 4:16 pm

Name: Koay Yi Yun (8)
Class: K3C
School No.: 12218
Mentor Teacher : Ms Mabel Lim

Well, this book is thoroughly confusing and misleading. Just when I thought I knew who was truly on the good side” a brand new piece of information would throw me off balance. Like Ding Kah Wen, Dan Brown was a little bit of a challenge for me, but I enjoyed most of the book. Perhaps less gory details would have made this book more appealing to me. I would give it 3 stars!