The logo for the Daily Beast's Obsessed website. It reads: 'Obsessed: What to Watch, Binge, See, & Skip'
DAILY BEAST
CrosswordNewsletters
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      0

      Dan Brown Decoded

      You cracked The Da Vinci Code, but can you solve The Lost Symbol? The Daily Beast unscrambles Robert Langdon’s latest adventure.

      The Daily Beast

      Updated Jul. 14, 2017 5:11PM ET / Published Sep. 15, 2009 2:47AM ET 

      The Daily Beast presents the ultimate now and then comparison of The Lost Symbol and The Da Vinci Code. It’s all Dan Brown fans need to know about the new book, unless they want to know how it ends…

      Hero

      Then: Robert Langdon, professor of religious iconology and symbology at Harvard University

      Now: Robert Langdon, “several years” after his Da Vinci Code experiences in Europe

      Villain

      Then: Silas, the self-flagellating Albino monk/assassin

      Now: Mal’akh, a kidnapper whose body is completely covered in self-applied tattoos

      Setting

      Then: Louvre, Paris, Vatican City

      Now: The Capitol, Washington, D.C.

      Grisly Scene

      Then: Jacques Saunière Saint-Clair, a curator at the Louvre, grandfather of Sophie Neveu and the grand master of the Priory of Sion, is brutally murdered by Silas.

      Now: Mal’akh has kidnapped Peter Solomon, Langdon’s mentor and a prominent Mason and billionaire. Mal’akh has deposited a part of Solomon in the Capitol rotunda to attract Langdon’s attention and help the villain unlock “an ancient portal.”

      Pages It Takes to Get Into

      Then: 1

      Now: 7

      Female Sidekick

      Then: Sophie Neveu, a French National Police cryptographer and Jacques Saunière Saint-Clair’s granddaughter

      Now: Katherine Solomon, Peter’s younger sister and a scientist in the field of noetics, which examines human consciousness and the nature of the human intellect

      Tricky Cipher

      Now: “The Hand of the Mysteries,” a “secretive icon of the ancient world,” “served as a mystical summons...an invitation to receive secret knowledge—protected wisdom known only to an elite few.”

      Then: Jacques Saunière’s body is found naked and posed like da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. Near his body is a cipher with the digits of the Fibonacci sequence and amalgams referring to Leonardo da Vinci and his Mona Lisa. By deciphering these clues, Langdon and Neveu begin to unravel the mystery.

      Secret Cult

      Now: Freemasons. The book opens with Mal’akh’s 33rd-degree Freemason initiation ceremony.

      Then: Priory of Sion and Opus Dei

      Comic Relief

      Then: None

      Now: Inoue Sato, director of the CIA’s Office of Security, the agency’s powerful internal affairs division. “[A] tiny Japanese woman…with a fierce expression, a mottled complexion, thinning hair, tobacco-stained teeth, and an unsettling white scar that sliced horizontally across her neck.”

      Summary

      Then: Langdon uncovers marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene that the Catholic Church has been hiding for centuries.

      Now: You’ll just have to read it.

      Plus: Check out Book Beast, for more news on hot titles, authors and excerpts from the latest books.

      The Daily Beast

      @thedailybeast

      Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

      READ THIS LIST

      DAILY BEAST
      • Cheat Sheet
      • Politics
      • Entertainment
      • Media
      • World
      • Innovation
      • U.S. News
      • Scouted
      • Travel
      • Subscription
      • Crossword
      • Newsletters
      • Podcasts
      • About
      • Contact
      • Tips
      • Jobs
      • Advertise
      • Help
      • Privacy
      • Code of Ethics & Standards
      • Diversity
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Copyright & Trademark
      • Sitemap
      • Best Picks
      • Coupons
      • Coupons:
      • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
      • HP Coupon Codes
      • Chewy Promo Codes
      • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
      • NordVPN Coupons
      • JCPenny Coupons
      • Nordstrom Coupons
      • Samsung Promo Coupons
      • Home Depot Coupons
      • Hotwire Promo Codes
      • eBay Coupons
      • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
      © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC