{"id":4451,"date":"2025-10-08T03:27:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T03:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=4451"},"modified":"2025-10-08T03:27:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T03:27:48","slug":"book-recommendation-the-secret-of-secrets-by-dan-brown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=4451","title":{"rendered":"Book Recommendation: The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hi Readers! In the past week, I had five days holiday, so I took the most advantage of it by picking a BIG BOOK to read! It had been over a year since I read any book over 500 pages. While there are tiny and mighty books, and other short books that have an impact, the reading journey is just so much more beautiful when it\u2019s a big book! I really missed reading them. Anyway, the big book in question is Dan Brown\u2019s latest novel \u2018The Secret of Secrets\u2019, which he has written 8 years after his previous novel \u2018Origin\u2019. I think Dan Brown is the only author that connects my young reader version to my adult reader version. Perhaps one of the few unproblematic authors who has stayed true to himself and his readers all these many years!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The thrilling and long-awaited new Robert Langdon novel from globally bestselling author Dan Brown.

Accompanying celebrated academic, Katherine Solomon, to a lecture she\u2019s been invited to give in Prague, Robert Langdon\u2019s world spirals out of control when she disappears without trace from their hotel room. Far from home and well out of his comfort zone, Langdon must pit his wits against forces unknown to recover the woman he loves.

But Prague is an old and dangerous city, steeped in folklore and mystery. For over two thousand years, the tides of history have washed back and forth over it, leaving behind echoes of everything that has gone before. Little can Langdon know that he is being stalked by a spectre from that dark past. He must use all of his arcane knowledge to decipher the world around him before he too is consumed by the rings of treachery and deception that have swallowed Katherine.

Against a backdrop of vast castles, towering churches, graveyards buried twelve deep and labyrinthine underground passages, Langdon must navigate a shadow city hiding in plain sight, a city which has successfully kept its secrets for centuries and will not readily deliver them. This is a battlefield unlike any he has previously experienced, one on which he must fight not for his only life, but for the future of humanity itself.

The Secret of Secrets<\/em><\/strong> is Dan Brown\u2019s first novel for over eight years and sees the stunning return of Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, this time pitting his wits against a conspiracy which will test even his considerable brainpower and take him to the edge of losing all that he holds dear\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n

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~~OVERVIEW~~<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Secret of Secrets has a lot in it; a lot of science, characters, conspiracies, action, mysteries and of course, secrets! Robert Langdon and his friend\/lover Dr. Katherine Solomon are in Prague. What started as Katherine being invited to give a lecture turned into a race to live because someone wanted to destroy Katherine Solomon\u2019s manuscript. We see them run from the local officers in the first half of the book, and then we see them exploring the reason why they didn\u2019t want her manuscript to see the light of day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to this duo, we also have different story lines for different characters, which only come together when one third of the book is completed. There\u2019s Dr. Brigita Gessner, who invited Katherine for a lecture. We have Sasha Vesna, who is Gessner\u2019s lab assistant. There\u2019s The Gol\u00eam, who claims to be the monster of Prague but protector of Sasha. From the suspicious side, we have Mr. Finch, Michael Harris \u2013 the legal attach\u00e9 at the US embassy, Dana Dan\u00eak – PR at the embassy and of course Heidi Nagel \u2013 US Ambassador. The UZSI, which are the local police are mainly just two people, Captain Old\u0159ich Jan\u00e1\u010dek and Leuitenant Pavel. In New York, we have Katherine\u2019s publisher Jonas Faukman and the tech person Alex Conan. Like I said, a lot of characters and story lines!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~~THOUGHTS~~<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it\u2019s Dan Brown, I know I am not only reading a book. It\u2019s an experience, and that\u2019s glaring in this book as well. We are immersed into Prague, we are touring the sights and we can imagine them so easily. We are being told the significance of certain priceless pieces in museums or the history of the place or the artworks and books displayed. It\u2019s wondrous to be a part of the world that Dan Brown creates.<\/mark><\/strong> In this book, I found a perfect balance between action & mystery where Robert & Katherine are trying to stay alive, and on the other hand there was the fascinating science commentary. The transitions between past and present are unbelievably smooth, keeping us either at the edge of our seat or at a seat in a classroom, and somehow both these seats are in the same house. What\u2019s amazing to me is that it\u2019s not only the science talk, but it\u2019s also about academia, history, art and literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the fascinating science concepts, I loved reading them, because where else was I going to stumble upon something so mind-boggling? It was about the field of noetics, precognition, savant syndrome, behavioral synchronization, multiple personalities and how all of these make sense with the existence of nonlocal consciousness. <\/mark><\/strong>The way the concept was introduced after a lot of foreplay was such that even a novice at science will be able to understand it. There was complete belief from Katherine since this was in her manuscript. But, Robert was not completely convinced. So, we see their back-and-forth on this throughout the book. This became a bit tedious and quite heavy to absorb with each of their intellectually stimulated conversations. Another smart play was how a lot of the events that felt near-death were just tools of manipulation and how perfectly they worked on Robert, Katherine and even Jonas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a part where we talk about country vs humankind which I thought about as well. Whenever scientists are close to technological or scientific breakthroughs, it instantly becomes a tool for national security or warfare. Never is it about the humankind, but always about the country. On a government level, it seems na\u00efve to believe it would be any other way. But, on an empathetic level, we have Katherine rooting for the humankind. That was a nice touch as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I did not enjoy the ending. There are many mystery or psychological thriller books that end that way, so having that part into this book, even if it aligns with the overall concept, felt a bit overdone. Initially, The Gol\u00eam felt unreal and maybe even paranormal or possibly nonlocal consciousness kidnapped a random physical body. It was fun to guess till it was finally revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n

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~~BOOKS MENTIONED IN THE SECRET OF SECRETS~~<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  • A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Origin of Species by Charles Darwin<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Futility, Or The Wreck of the Titan by Morgan Robertson<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Wuthering Heights by Emily Bront\u00eb<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Life After Life by Raymond A. Moody\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • How To Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Last Palace: Europe’s Turbulent Century in Five Lives and One Legendary House by Norman Eisen\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Chronicles of Narnia\u00a0by C.S. Lewis<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Psychic Warrior: The True Story of America’s Faremost Psychic Spy and the Cover-Up of the CLA’s Top-Secret Stargate Program by David Morehouse<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • PSI Spies: The True Story of America’s Psychic Warfare Program by Jim Marrs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • A Sorcerer’s Apprentice: A Skeptic’s Journey into the CLA’s Project Stargate and Remote Viewing by John Herlosky<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Project Stargate and Remote Viewing Technology: The CIA’s Files on Psychic Spying by Axel Balthazar<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Limitless Mind by Jo Boaler<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Remote Perceptions by Angela Martin<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Seventh Sense by Joshua Cooper Ramo<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Anomalous Cognition by Edwin May<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Real Magic by Dean Radin<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Doors of Perception by Aldous\u00a0Huxley\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Three Faces of Eve by Corbett H. Thigpen<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Strangers in My Body by Alike Malkat<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    ~~TO READ OR NOT TO READ~~<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If you have read all of Dan Brown\u2019s novels, I won\u2019t even need to sell you on this one, because you will definitely read it. If you haven\u2019t read any of his books before or even the ones with the character Robert Langdon, you can still pick this book first and read it. If you enjoy mysteries with a good side dose of science, then you should read this book. It\u2019s a 670-page book, so if you have enough time, then you should go for it. But, even if you don\u2019t, I\u2019m sure this book will captivate you because it\u2019s very fast-paced. And, because it\u2019s so huge, there comes a point where some thing become repetitive or too technical. But, for the most part I had a lot of fun reading it! I have rated The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown at 4\/5 stars!<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Until next time,<\/p>\n\n\n

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    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hi Readers! In the past week, I had five days holiday, so I took the most advantage of it by picking a BIG BOOK to read! It had been over a year since I read any book over 500 pages. While there are tiny and mighty books, and other short books that have an impact, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4,23,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-review","category-books","category-book-reviews","category-mindscape-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PXL_20251007_175439383.MP-2-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":73,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=73","url_meta":{"origin":4451,"position":0},"title":"April Reads! (Mindscape Reviews)","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"May 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello Readers! You need to make up your mind now, because all of my posts this year are going to be book posts. For 2020, I had only 2 travel plans anyway, but now obviously it\u2019s not possible. So, just putting it out there\u2026 Books! In April, I read 5\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-VSipRCcVevU\/Xq5iAaTAC-I\/AAAAAAAAivc\/K6InnCyQs1gS0bOosFD1oj9dWYEOn7JmwCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/PicsArt_05-03-01.53.36-01.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1442,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=1442","url_meta":{"origin":4451,"position":1},"title":"I Like Big Books & I Cannot Lie!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"September 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! I am back after quite a break! I went on a trip to Panchgani earlier this month, and after I was back there was a lot of work. So, I did not read anything for about 15 days! I didn\u2019t really need that reading break. It was something\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "books"","block_context":{"text":"books","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PSX_20210914_153644-01-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PSX_20210914_153644-01-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PSX_20210914_153644-01-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PSX_20210914_153644-01-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PSX_20210914_153644-01-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3673,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=3673","url_meta":{"origin":4451,"position":2},"title":"The Housemaid Series by Frieda McFadden: Worth the Hype?","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"October 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi Readers! I read three books of The Housemaid series by Frieda McFadden more than a month ago, but never got around to reviewing them. I bought them all together on a whim, as usual. But, I read them all in a week after I bought them. Was it because\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/PXL_20241006_111716715-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/PXL_20241006_111716715-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/PXL_20241006_111716715-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/PXL_20241006_111716715-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/PXL_20241006_111716715-2-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":85,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=85","url_meta":{"origin":4451,"position":3},"title":"March Book Haul!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"March 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"IT IS MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!!!!!!Hi Readers! In case you hadn\u2019t noticed the bold font, here you go ' It\u2019s my birthday month! I\u2019m definitely not one of those to sulk on their birthdays because they\u2019re growing old. I definitely don\u2019t care about that (yet.) So, anyway, I\u2019m over joyous now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "books"","block_context":{"text":"books","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-wv25Ue4SOKU\/Xmd7L79iOBI\/AAAAAAAAiiI\/SQdzKwWCNLc2F6AHy1Mg0Xt6DSjGMLpWQCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/IMG_20200310_153634-01.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":122,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=122","url_meta":{"origin":4451,"position":4},"title":"June Book Haul!!","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"June 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello Readers!! Ever since March, I have been on a book binging phase & it was awesome! June though has become a break from reading. 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In a good mood as I just finished painting while listening to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picsart_25-05-17_20-00-44-387-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picsart_25-05-17_20-00-44-387-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picsart_25-05-17_20-00-44-387-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picsart_25-05-17_20-00-44-387-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mindscapeinwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Picsart_25-05-17_20-00-44-387-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4451"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4459,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4451\/revisions\/4459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}