I received an email today that linked to the Dan Brown website, it stated there was a new book in the Da Vinci Code series of books (I hate that people refer to it as the Da Vinci books, since Angels & Demons came out first. Lets just call it the Robert Langdon series!). The email had a link advertising the new book, which took me to page that read: –
Before the return of Robert Langdon in The Secret of Secrets on September 9, revisit the world of Dan Brown with a brain-teasing series of puzzles based on The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Inferno and Origin!
Click here to see if you can unlock the secret
I love a good puzzle, so lets play the game and unlock the secret.
Puzzle 1.
THE DA VINCI CODE
Paris was once considered the “prime meridian” of the world.
Invert the sixth letter of the city to which it eventually lost that honor.
Well puzzle 1, was super easy.
I know “It’s only easy if you know the answer”, but doesn’t everyone know the answer to this one?
Confession, I have recently been looking up a lot of historical information on the Prime Meridien, and its location, and changes to it over the years as research for a paper I am writing.
Puzzle 2.
THE LOST SYMBOL
Use the Masonic Cipher to decrypt this message carved atop the Washington Monument.
Well puzzle 2 is also easy, ok, ok! It is easy for me because I am a Freemason, and one who loves to read and learn, and as such I have been able to read and write using the “Masonic Cypher” since around 2007.
I say it is easy, but it did take me TWO attempts to solve this puzzle.
In my defence I may be too smart! (I do often claim to be an egomaniac). I decrypted the text which gave me a Latin phrase, so I entered the English, only to be told I was wrong. I guess decrypting does not me answering with the final answer. So I retried putting just the Latin in and it was correct.
The page then explained to me the words were in Latin, and gave me the English translation. (Note to self: do not be too smart when answering the questions)
Puzzle 3.
INFERNO
MATEMATICA INFERNALE
Puzzle 3 continues the easy trend.
I will confess I did have to double check some of the numbers since I could not recall the correct order of the circles of Hell.
This is understandable, since I am such a pure and sweet person that I would know nothing of Hell.
Puzzle 4.
ORIGIN
MODERNISME
Faith and nature merged in stone.
God and Gaudi call this home.
A deadly kiss beside a square,
Its magic sum you now must share.
Puzzle 4 was also easy, in that I guessed what it was asking.
I did have to do a quick google search to grab the important missing bit of the statute that was showing with the question. But once I had the full picture, it was as simple as 1 + 2 + 3.
And that was that.
Four simple questions that were a lot of fun to do, and have got me into the mood ready for the new book, which is apparently due out on the 9/9 (I wonder if 9 will be a thing in the book).
I may have to time the release so that I can re-read the existing books and end just as the new book comes out.