I have always considered the best kind of literary review, to be one that is presented in an honest and straight forward fashion. Far too often, when searching for a new book, I come across a review that sounds great from the outset and then progressively falls short. For instance, describing a writer’s narrative style as, ‘a grasp of passionate twists and turns, through a chasm of shadowy vineyards’. Although this may sound precise and revealing, it really does nothing but make the reviewer sound more intelligent. So, with this observation in mind, I will try and keep this review as open, honest and free from jibberish as possible…
Since reading Angels & Demons, I have always admired Dan Brown as a writer. Where he is often criticised for following a repeated formula and relying too heavily on his research to create a narrative, I personally believe his ability to deliver a good book is superb. With all the hype for his latest release, ‘The Lost Symbol’ I was surprised to find the internet littered with critical reviews, that claimed it was nothing new and should only really be a consideration for ‘Brown’ fanatics.
Regardless, of such criticisms I still managed to anticipate the book’s release, with a good deal of enthusiasm. Unlike ‘The Da Vinci Code’, this book strays away from the culture of Europe, and finds itself in the superpower that is, the USA. As with all his former releases, the book balances a heavily researched area of revolutionary science, with an area that is a subject of interest to the most avid conspiracy theorists. More specifically, the field of Noetics is used as a backbone to explore the world of Freemasonry. As something of a novice in both these areas, I was glad to find Brown’s ability too explain complex issues in a typically layman fashion, was still present.
The narrative itself, is unfortunately a little forumalic. Not that I lost the urge too keep on reading at any point, but the repeated process of jumping from one narrative strain to the next felt a little obvious at times. To elaborate, although Brown is indeed a master of explaining obviously complex fields of science, it appeared that his reliance on the naivity of certain characters was too heavily played upon. Specifically, certain parts of the book came across as more of a lecture than an actual integral part of the narrative. However, in consideration of these personal criticisms, I still found his introduction to the field of Noetics to be truly fascinating. Furthermore, Browns descriptions of masonic ritual and practice were equally as interesting. As with all of Brown’s books, I was once again highly impressed by the amount of research he clearly completed, in putting together this story. After finishing the book, I felt an immediate surge to go and find out more about noetics and the power of thought.
In conclusion, I would highly recommend this book to former Brown readers, and new readers alike. It kept me reading late into the night on more than one occasion, and really does touch on some extremely intriguing areas of science, religion and history. Browns ability too educate and inform, through an exciting and thrilling narrative, is once again submitted to the scrutiny of the masses. In my opinion, he nailed it.
The Lost Symbol
By Dan Brown
(Bantam Press. £18.99. 509pp)
