Dan Brown’s new thriller “The Lost Symbol” must has given many people sleepless nights. My mother bought it for me on the day it was released, knowing that I loved Dan Brown’s books. This book is mainly on Freemasonry, noetic science and ancient mysticism, and is very exciting.

  The main character, Robert Langdon, is a symbologist at Harvard. He has gone on two adventures in the books “The Da Vinci Code”, and “Angels and Demons”. Both are filmed into movies.

  In this book, Robert answers a phone call from his friend’s assistant. He went to Washington, D.C. to give a lecture, but when he arrived, no one was there. Then, he received a call from the assistant. “You are here today, Professor Langdon, because I want you here.” He then met Katherine Solomon, his friend Peter Solomon’s sister. She is a scientist studying noetic science, which supports the fact that human minds are capable of changing physical matter. They went on together to defeat Mal’akh, a mystic who attempted to unlock Freemasonry’s deepest secret, the power of our minds.

  While reading this book, I came over a few interesting topics including Freemasonry, and noetic science. This book tells us some facts about Masonry, such as initiation, codes, and symbols. However, some of the Masonic secrets described in this book are not real. According to National Geographic, these errors include:

1) Masonic symbols exist everywhere. While the book tells us that most symbols we see in “The Lost Symbol” are Masonic, many of them are not unique to Freemasonry.

2) Masons descends from the Knights Templar. Masonic orders have no link with the Templar, although many claim to have access to secrets in the Templar.

3) Masons are hiding Templar treasures. There was Templar treasure, but it ended up in different hands a long time ago.

4) Washington, D.C.’s streets form giant Masonic symbols. Pierre L’Enfant, who was not a Mason, designed Washington, D.C.’s streets.

5) Freemasons rule the World. Many important people have been Masons, but most of them are not. Unlike what Dan Brown claimed, only 13 of U.S Presidents have Masons.

6) Freemasons started the American Revolution. Freemasonry originated in Great Britain, and its own members are unlikely to attack their origins.

7) Masonic initiations are shadowy. Masons do not have to drink wine from a skull to become initiated into the brotherhood.

  These minor flaws do not make this book unsatisfactory. In fact, they sparked my imagination and inspired me to read more about this organization. I went online to some of the most authentic sources and found a lot of accurate information. This book also made me eager to take a closer look at noetic science, which is somehow closely related to Masonry in this book. I did not find a lot of information so I went to our library, looking for books on the topic.

  Because of this book, I was motivated to do extensive research on my own, after finishing with the story. Because of this book, I learned many facts on one of the most famous secret society on Earth and man’s tremendous mind power. More importantly, this book is a perfect example of a great novel: intriguing, exciting, and packed with action. I highly recommend it.