The Lost Symbol

I just finished reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. I've read three of his other books (Deception Point, Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons), and this one was like the others: it was entertaining, it was page-turning, and the story was exactly the same.

Well, not exactly the same. Some of the characters had different names, the devious ideas were different, the symbols were different and required knowledge of different time periods to solve them, but the plot was the same: symbol expert has knowledge of multiple languages and historical facts that are required in order to prevent secret society/person from unleashing chaos on the country/planet. Symbol expert has female companion and escapes death /capture very closely, constantly surprised by others who help/hinder his cause. Insert names and locations, make millions of dollars.

Re-reading that paragraph makes it sound like I didn't enjoy the book. I did. I debated staying up until 3 in the morning to finish it in one day. I ended up going to bed, but picked up the book as early as possible the next day to finish it. I truly enjoyed the ride, but I can't say that my life is enriched or that I would highly recommend this book to someone. If you liked DaVinci Code or Angels and Demons, you'll probably like this book. It'll make for a fun few days. If I was Dan Brown and found a formula that made money and sold books in the quantities this one undoubtedly will, I would re-use it time and time again as well.

I'll be curious to see if churches get upset about the things in this book. I hope not. It's a fictional story. I'm not going to use this book to preach out of or to base my belief in God upon. Sometimes, I simply want to sit down with an enjoyable book and get lost in the adventure. I'm grateful that there are authors out there who write books that provide me with the experience.