I just finished reading Dan Brown's latest 'The Lost Symbol'. The book was released on 15th September 2009 worldwide and it made a record selling more than 1 million copies on the very first day. It is all set to break many records and reportedly the Hollywood bosses are already eyeing a film version.

It is not even five days since the book was released, so I felt it was too early to write a review. So I am writing a post about the book. Those who haven't read the book yet, don't worry, there are no spoilers in this post. So read without fear

About Dan Brown

Dan Brown is of course the famous author of 'The Da Vinci Code', a book with such a controversial premise that it became a bestseller and even a movie was made. The other popular book of Dan Brown is the prequel to 'Da Vinci Code', which is 'Angels and Demons', another racy thriller featuring the symbologist Robert Langdon.

Brown has written two other books - 'Deception Point' and 'Digital Fortress', which are quite good. I liked 'Deception Point' more than his other books. I personally feel that 'Da Vinci Code' didn't deserve so many accolades.

Dan Brown Themes

One thing I disliked about the previous four Dan Brown novels was that it had some common themes which were very predictable. Some of them are 'a killer with some kind of deformity', 'hero/heroine with a phobia', 'a secretive organisation', 'an earth-shattering secret'. Dan Brown was like AR Rahman, a genius but prone to repetitive strains. But fortunately, this book is not so predictive.

The Lost Symbol

Ok, now about this book. This book features Robert Langdon again. For those of who have not heard of him. Dan Brown's most famous character is a symbologist, who can break any code and unravel any secret. This novel too features many codes that Langdon has to break. In fact the release date of the book itself 15/09/09 has a code. I wont tell you what it is, figure it out yourself.

The plot of the book is about a quest for a lost symbol and the central organisation is the Freemason society - a secretive worldwide 'real' society. The society has a secret and the time has come for its revelation. Can Langdon crack it? And who is the mysterious, powerful villain? And why is the CIA so worried? To know the answers, read this book.

Why should you read?

If you have already read Dan Brown's books or liked the movies, then this book is for you. It has all the Dan Brown ingredients - secretive organisations, a racy plot, some amazing twists in the plot and of course Brown's inimitable writing style.

If you haven't read any of Brown's novels, then yoou can start with this.

If you like racy thrillers with twists and turns, this is the book for you.

If you like to read a book with a good story, then this is the one for you, and

If you are interested in religion, mysticism, life and death - then you will be pleasantly surprised by this book.

If you are interested to know more, you can read an excerpt of the book with the prologue and first chapter at this site - https://thelostsymbol.com/

I will write a detailed review after some days, I don't want to spoil anyone's fun by revealing about the plot by writing a review now.

But my overall recommendation is - good book, well-written, some chilling twists and surprises and a lukewarm climax. Not his best book, but not bad either!