Book - The Lost Symbol

I am a Dan Brown fan. I recognize he has a formula - short chapters, lots of action (people running all over creation to prevent some sort of disaster), sermonizing about whatever topic is part of the book’s theme. Then there's the matter of the accuracy of his "facts." But even with all this, I do enjoy his books. His themes interest me. I like codes and mysteries. I like books with characters who are widely read and help me learn something new. 

Recently I reread "The Lost Symbol." The review below indicates its villain was the "most terrifying to date." Not long after finishing the book, I saw a man whose shaved head was totally covered with tattoos, just like the book's villain. I was curious as to whether or not he had a blank spot at the top of his head - waiting for the lost word to be filled in.

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"Famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon answers an unexpected summons to appear at the U.S. Capitol Building. His planned lecture is interrupted when a disturbing object—artfully encoded with five symbols—is discovered in the building. 

Langdon recognizes in the find an ancient invitation into a lost world of esoteric, potentially dangerous wisdom. When his mentor Peter Solomon—a longstanding Mason and beloved philanthropist—is kidnapped, Langdon realizes that the only way to save Solomon is to accept the mystical invitation and plunge headlong into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and one inconceivable truth . . . all under the watchful eye of Dan Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol is an intelligent, lightning-paced story with surprises at every turn--Brown's most exciting novel yet." summary & image from goodreads.com

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Brown has elements in his book that remind me of themes found in Orson Scott Card's writings. 

Brown addresses the entanglement theory - the idea that all matter is interconnected, "entangled in a single unified mesh ... a kind of universal oneness." (p 71) Orson Scott Card writes about the philotic rays  that connect all of us (Ender series). 

Creating versus tearing down - In "The Lost Symbol" (p 631) Katherine Solomon says -  “There are those who create...and those who tear down. That dynamic has existed for all time.”   This passage made me think about Orson Scott Card’s Tales of Alvin Maker series. In those books he talks about this theme in relation to how various peoples use the land. 

Our divine heritage and unlimited potential - This is a major theme in "The Lost Symbol" and also in a number of Card's books. 

The concept that there are ancient truths that people know, then forget, then rediscover is addressed by both Brown and Scott. 

I think it would be fun to take a Lost Symbol tour of Washington DC. Here's a map of Washington DC with places mentioned in the book.

Click here and here for interesting information about people, places, and events mentioned in the book.