Yes, I'm one of the millions of eager suckers dying to make Dan Brown even more of a millionaire. I can't wait to get my hands on his latest book, "The Lost Symbol," released yesterday. As an amateur art historian, conspiracy theorist and wanna-be-treasure-hunter I loved sinking my teeth into "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons." Hey, I know neither were great works of literature, but after spending years reading more scholarly accounts of Baroque art, the Gnostic gospels, and alternative archaeology it was refreshing to see similar information painted in such an exciting and approachable way. Whether you love or hate his ideas, it's hard to deny that Brown has a gift for pulling you in and getting you excited about the possibility that there are truths being kept from us.
Often times reality is much more interesting than fiction. "Lies My Teacher Told Me" is a book that gives great insights into how we fail our students by watering down historical events, rendering them a lot less interesting and ultimately landing history on students' least favorite subjects list.
I try to channel my passion for fascinating and mysterious historical events into what I DO know how to do. Last year my company released a PC game called, "The Pini Society: The Remarkable Truth" that wove together an intricate story about real life archaeologists, explorers and scientists. In it players are challenged to piece together a historical mystery that ties together the search for the Nile, the discovery of King Tut's tomb, the inventions of Nicola Tesla and the outbreak of World War 2, amongst other things. I think it would make for a fantastic book, so Dan, if you're looking for your next big idea, call me.
Unfortunately for me, "The Lost Symbol" already has a game. "Symbol Quest," a quick, free and fun quiz game for budding symbologists is available on the book's website and as a free app for the iPhone. I had lots of fun playing it but couldn't get further than six correct symbols. Maybe it's time I go back to the scholarly stuff after all.
Advertisement