Scan barcode
A review by lilylanie
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
3.0
The Lost Symbol was exactly what you'd expect as the third in the Robert Langdon trilogy, though I found it both more intriguing - by virtue of the scientific aspects - and less - by virtue of being a less ancient and more American mystery than the previous two.
Of course much of the story is fantastical, but the thing I found hardest to believe was Langdon's extreme skepticism of what he was being told. Dude, did you not read the first two books? You'd think he'd have a more open mind by now.
Speaking of skepticism, I must say this book really made me think. I've always considered myself an atheist and I'm sure I still am, but a lot of that is rooted in my understanding of organized religion and deities. I don't just disbelieve, it actually makes me angry to hear things about people working hard their whole lives only to channel what little they have into a church collection plate, or (in the words of the minister at my niece's baptism) that we should be like babies to their mothers, and trust god to feed and care for us. Really? 'Cuz I could swear the world has seen many faithful people starve to death.
Or the one that really burns my toast - that everything happens "for a reason", whether it's the death of a loved one or loss of a limb or whatever. I do believe that most humans will make the best of a bad situation and that sometimes the result can be very good, but to say that the resulting good was adequate reason to be grateful for something really horrible happening is to belittle a person's pain. I get that people will say/do/believe crazy things to help themselves cope with pain and fear, but to suggest that it's "real" is ludicrous IMO.
But the suggestion that there is a "higher power" made from the power of human thought has appeal for me, and makes sense of some of the disparate beliefs I've had throughout my life. I find notions of superhuman abilities and the power of thought less dubious than the idea that the world was created by a single god who is prepared to wipe us all out if the mood strikes. I'm still very much a skeptic of all things unexplainable or unproven, but maybe a shade less than before I read this book.
Of course the Masons do still believe in capital-G-God (though not only the Christian one) so I'm not quite ready to join the order, but in addition to being a first-rate thriller this book gave me something to think about, and that's a pretty rare combination.
Of course much of the story is fantastical, but the thing I found hardest to believe was Langdon's extreme skepticism of what he was being told. Dude, did you not read the first two books? You'd think he'd have a more open mind by now.
Speaking of skepticism, I must say this book really made me think. I've always considered myself an atheist and I'm sure I still am, but a lot of that is rooted in my understanding of organized religion and deities. I don't just disbelieve, it actually makes me angry to hear things about people working hard their whole lives only to channel what little they have into a church collection plate, or (in the words of the minister at my niece's baptism) that we should be like babies to their mothers, and trust god to feed and care for us. Really? 'Cuz I could swear the world has seen many faithful people starve to death.
Or the one that really burns my toast - that everything happens "for a reason", whether it's the death of a loved one or loss of a limb or whatever. I do believe that most humans will make the best of a bad situation and that sometimes the result can be very good, but to say that the resulting good was adequate reason to be grateful for something really horrible happening is to belittle a person's pain. I get that people will say/do/believe crazy things to help themselves cope with pain and fear, but to suggest that it's "real" is ludicrous IMO.
But the suggestion that there is a "higher power" made from the power of human thought has appeal for me, and makes sense of some of the disparate beliefs I've had throughout my life. I find notions of superhuman abilities and the power of thought less dubious than the idea that the world was created by a single god who is prepared to wipe us all out if the mood strikes. I'm still very much a skeptic of all things unexplainable or unproven, but maybe a shade less than before I read this book.
Of course the Masons do still believe in capital-G-God (though not only the Christian one) so I'm not quite ready to join the order, but in addition to being a first-rate thriller this book gave me something to think about, and that's a pretty rare combination.