The Lost Symbol is a 2009 novel written by American writer Dan Brown. It is a thriller set in Washington, D.C., after the events of The Da Vinci Code, and relies on Freemasonry for both its recurring theme and its major characters.
Released on September 15, 2009, it is the third Brown novel to involve the character of Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon, following 2000'sAngels & Demons and 2003's The Da Vinci Code. It had a first printing of 6.5 million (5 million in North America, 1.5 million in the UK), the largest inDoubleday history. On its first day the book sold one million in hardcover and e-book versions in the U.S., the UK and Canada, making it the fastest selling adult novel in history. It was number one on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction for the first six weeks of its release, and remained there until January 24 of the following year.
From the book
The Otis elevator climbing the south pillar of the Eiffel Tower was overflowing with tourists. Inside the
cramped lift, an austere businessman in a pressed suit gazed down at the boy beside him. “You look pale,
son. You should have stayed on the ground.”
“I’m okay . . .” the boy answered, struggling to control his anxiety. “I’ll get out on the next level.” I can’t
breathe.
The man leaned closer. “I thought by now you would have gotten over this.” He brushed the child’s cheek
affectionately.
The boy felt ashamed to disappoint his father, but he could barely hear through the ringing in his ears. I can’t
breathe. I’ve got to get out of this box!
The elevator operator was saying something reassuring about the lift’s articulated pistons and puddled-iron
construction. Far beneath them, the streets of Paris stretched out in all directions.
Almost there, the boy told himself, craning his neck and looking up at the unloading platform. Just hold on.
As the lift angled steeply toward the upper viewing deck, the shaft began to narrow, its massive struts
contracting into a tight, vertical tunnel.
“Dad, I don’t think—”
Suddenly a staccato crack echoed overhead. The carriage jerked, swaying awkwardly to one side. Frayed
cables began whipping around the carriage, thrashing like snakes. The boy reached out for his father.
“Dad!”
Their eyes locked for one terrifying second.
Then the bottom dropped out.
Robert Langdon jolted upright in his soft leather seat, startling out of the semiconscious daydream. He was
sitting all alone in the enormous cabin of a Falcon 2000EX corporate jet as it bounced its way through
turbulence. In the background, the dual Pratt & Whitney engines hummed evenly.
“Mr. Langdon?” The intercom crackled overhead. “We’re on final approach.”
Langdon sat up straight and slid his lecture notes back into his leather daybag. He’d been halfway through
reviewing Masonic symbology when his mind had drifted. The daydream about his late father, Langdon
suspected, had been stirred by this morning’s unexpected invitation from Langdon’s longtime mentor, Peter
Solomon.
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