The lost symbol by Dan Brown details the adventures of Robert Langdon as he searches for his lost friend and uncovers a mystery kept hidden for centuries through downtown Washington D.C. The Lost Symbol is a fiction novel that features a mixture of real-life elements and fiction, detailing and explaining nonfiction elements (Commonly backstory or history behind current circumstances) through the main character’s knowledge of history. The novel begins with Robert Langdon receiving a mysterious call warning him of his friend’s disappearance and instructing him to travel to Washington. Once he arrives a series of events occur that end up triggering a national security warning, causing the CIA to be deployed. Initially, they assist Langdon in unraveling the mysterious events occurring but eventually turn against him. While both groups are searching for more clues to the growing mystery, they are constantly outsmarted by a mystery figure who is always one step ahead. My main squall with The Lost Symbol’s Story is the ‘Luck’ of the characters and the overall execution of the amazing and interesting plot. Other than the characters seemingly being in possession of serious plot armor while danger rises in an attempt to increase the interest in the plot, the novel also has a major pacing problem. A large amount of the novel is action-packed and exciting, but a few boring areas between some of the most exciting scenes given along with the sometimes seemingly random change to a different character’s viewpoint damages the pacing of the novel. However, The reveal of various characters to have ulterior motives or false identities outside of the main character’s eyes by changing viewpoints furthers the reader's interest and makes them question what will happen next. This leads to a heavily contrasted reading experience, with many exciting moments with a rapid yet grounded plot lacking a solid pace. Overall, The Lost Symbol is a novel that I could loosely recommend, but only to a specific audience who have already read some of Dan Brown’s other novels and enjoyed the unique writing style alongside the overwhelming amount of info given as non-fiction backstory.
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