The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown, 2009
★ 3.77 from 677.4k ratings on Goodreads
A symbologist is summoned to Washington for a lecture and pulled into one night of Masonic codes, hidden monuments and a missing mentor. A brisk, curiosity-driven chase through codes and monuments, dramatic in voice and shadowed by power, dread and faith.
Feels like curiosity, dread and awe. About power, faith and society.
Who it’s for
You may enjoy it if you like puzzle-driven thrillers, Masonic lore and a story that unfolds over a single night in Washington. Be aware that readers often find the formula repetitive, the historical digressions heavy, and the final payoff weak.
Why read it
Read it for a brisk, atmospheric puzzle that turns Washington's monuments into a code to decipher, with the caveat that the answers may feel familiar.
A page from the book
The polite pressure a parent puts on a child's fear.
Chapter 1The Otis elevator climbing the south pillar of the Eiffel Tower was overflowing with tourists. Inside the cramped lift, an austere businessman in a pressed suit gazed down at the boy beside him. “You look pale, son. You should have stayed on the ground.”“I’m okay . . .” the boy answered, struggling to control his anxiety. “I’ll get out on the next level.” I can’t breathe.The man leaned closer. “I thought by now you would have gotten over this.” He brushed the child’s cheek affectionately.The boy felt ashamed to disappoint his father, but he could barely hear through the ringing in his ears. I can’t breathe. I’ve got to get out of this box!The elevator operator was saying something reassuring about the lift’s articulated pistons and puddled-iron construction. What readers say
Readers found the book entertaining and fast-paced, though many were frustrated by repetitive formula, information-heavy digressions, and an underwhelming ending. Reactions split between enjoyment of the puzzle and disappointment with predictability and weak payoff.
Dan Brown.Before writing full-time, Dan Brown taught English at Phillips Exeter Academy, the New Hampshire school he later gave to Robert Langdon.
Books that feel like this
More by Dan Brown
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown, 2003
A symbologist is pulled into a murder, a cipher hunt and a centuries-old secret hidden in plain sight across Paris and London.
Angels & Demons
Dan Brown, 2000
A Harvard symbologist is pulled from his bed into one night of pursuit beneath Rome, where a corpse is branded with a sign only he can read.
Inferno
Dan Brown, 2013
A Harvard symbologist wakes in a Florence hospital with two days missing, a killer outside, and a trail hidden in Dante's hell.
Where to get it
Some of these links earn us a small commission, at no cost to you. It keeps BookFeed free.
Questions readers ask
- Is The Lost Symbol for me?
- You may enjoy it if you like puzzle-driven thrillers, Masonic lore and a story that unfolds over a single night in Washington. Be aware that readers often find the formula repetitive, the historical digressions heavy, and the final payoff weak.
- What is The Lost Symbol like?
- A brisk, curiosity-driven chase through codes and monuments, dramatic in voice and shadowed by power, dread and faith. Feels like curiosity, dread and awe. About power, faith and society.
- What should I read after The Lost Symbol?
- If you liked The Lost Symbol, try The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco), Seven Days in May (Fletcher Knebel) and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (Stieg Larsson).
A taste of the feed
The most frightening evil is the kind that never doubts itself.
The Devil is not the Prince of Matter; the Devil is the arrogance of the spirit, faith without smile, truth that is never seized by doubt. The Devil is grim because he knows where he is going, and, in moving, he always returns whence he came.
The Name of the Rose · Umberto Eco
A handful of men can stop the government from falling off a monument.
All you’ve got to know is this: right now the government of the United States is sitting on top of the Washington Monument, right on the very point, tilting right and left and ready to fall off and break up on the pavement. There are just a handful of men that can prevent it. And you’re one of them.
Seven Days in May · Fletcher Knebel
What a colleague's death looks like from behind a locked door.
Runyan picked his fingernails with the paper clip and smiled slightly to himself. Rosenberg’s death, by any means or method, would be a relief. No, it would be a glorious occasion. The Chief would have to wear black and give a eulogy, but behind locked doors he would chuckle with his law clerks. Runyan liked this thought.
The Pelican Brief · John Grisham
Read pages from books like this, one at a time
Keep reading in the feed