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| '''''The Solomon Key''''' is an unreleased novel written by author ] that will be released sometime in 2006. This will be the third book involving ] professor ] and will take place after the events of '']'' and '']''. | '''''The Solomon Key''''' is an unreleased novel written by author ] that will be released sometime in 2006. This will be the third book involving ] professor ] and will take place after the events of '']'' and '']''. | ||
| A recently published blog, '''''The Key Of Solomon''''' by '''Howard Clarke''' features weekly installments of an online novel that Mr. Clarke claims predates the upcoming Dan Brown version. See below for further details. was copyrighted and published briefly in 1998, according to the web log author bio. (The copyright information is published there, as well.) | A recently published blog, '''''The Key Of Solomon''''' by '''Howard Clarke''' features weekly installments of an online novel that Mr. Clarke claims predates the upcoming Dan Brown version. See below for further details. was copyrighted and published briefly in 1998, according to the web log author bio. (The copyright information is published there, as well.) | ||
| ==Likely Content== | ==Likely Content== | ||
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| * The ], which has as part of its logo the eye and pyramid mentioned above (David Shugarts, author of '''', made this connection after hearing Brown mention that he may include a certain super-secretive government department in his next novel). | * The ], which has as part of its logo the eye and pyramid mentioned above (David Shugarts, author of '''', made this connection after hearing Brown mention that he may include a certain super-secretive government department in his next novel). | ||
| In '''Howard Clarke's''' '''''The Key Of Solomon''''' focus is less on modern politics and cryptic puzzles and more on the actual Key itself: the scroll purported to have been penned by King Solomon. The scroll, written in ancient Hebrew and decipherable by only a handful of scholars, gives its bearer the ability--and choice--to call upon the hosts of Hell or to summon the very residents of Heaven. Possibly even call upon Jehovah himself. The scroll, hidden in the vaults of the Vatican Library, becomes the treasure hunted by three disparate men--a Jewish scholar, an alcoholic investigator, and a modern day sorceror bent upon starting his own religious order. |
In '''Howard Clarke's''' '''''The Key Of Solomon''''' focus is less on modern politics and cryptic puzzles and more on the actual Key itself: the scroll purported to have been penned by King Solomon. The scroll, written in ancient Hebrew and decipherable by only a handful of scholars, gives its bearer the ability--and choice--to call upon the hosts of Hell or to summon the very residents of Heaven. Possibly even call upon Jehovah himself. The scroll, hidden in the vaults of the Vatican Library, becomes the treasure hunted by three disparate men--a Jewish scholar, an alcoholic investigator, and a modern day sorceror bent upon starting his own religious order. | ||
| While the main character, Jack Salter, struggles with inner demons (alcohol) and real demons (a Jekyll and Hyde relationship develops), the scholar Yaakov Golan reveals some of the actual antiquarian--or rare book collector--tricks and knowledge. While a supernatural thriller, Clarke's Key Of Solomon hones in on the historical (legendary?) dual nature of Solomon. Perhaps the dual nature of all men. For a Dan Brown alternative: | |||
| ==Sources== | ==Sources== | ||
| ("His next novel will be about the freemasons.") | ("His next novel will be about the freemasons.") | ||
| Howard Clarke, author | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Revision as of 01:23, 5 January 2006
The Solomon Key is an unreleased novel written by author Dan Brown that will be released sometime in 2006. This will be the third book involving American professor Robert Langdon and will take place after the events of Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code.
A recently published blog, The Key Of Solomon by Howard Clarke features weekly installments of an online novel that Mr. Clarke claims predates the upcoming Dan Brown version. See below for further details. THE KEY OF SOLOMON was copyrighted and published briefly in 1998, according to the web log author bio. (The copyright information is published there, as well.)
Likely Content
The Solomon Key vs The Key Of Solomon
There have been a number of educated guesses regarding the likely content of The Solomon Key. While Dan Brown has offered some hints in interviews, in large part most ideas to the likely content of the upcoming book come from an interesting marketing strategy used by Brown and his publishers. On the original jacket cover of The Da Vinci Code were a number of ciphers and symbols, the meaning of which was made clear when a web quest was posted on Dan Brown's website which referenced these clues. This competition made clear that the ciphers referenced the content of the next book from Dan Brown:
- "Disguised on the jacket of The Da Vinci Code, numerous encrypted messages hint at the subject matter of Dan Brown's next book"
From these clues, it seems that the following will certainly play a part in the novel:
- The 'secret society' known as Freemasonry [
- The Masonic connections of the Founding Fathers
- The esoteric architecture of Washington, D.C.
Esotric architecture of Washington, DC was first discussed in 1990 in the book Talisman of the United States by Charles Westbrook. ISBN: 0962655406 The novel The Kabalyon Key due in 2006 will also cover the topic in detail.
Author Greg Taylor, in his book The Guide to Dan Brown's The Solomon Key, says that it seems likely - based on Brown's track record - that the book will reference controversial subjects such as the non-Christian viewpoints of the Founding Fathers, and the fact that the most recent U.S. Presidential election was a choice between two members of the quasi-Masonic secret society, Skull and Bones.
Further research into the ciphers left on the dust jacket of The Da Vinci Code, and also into Brown's previous sources of information, suggest that the following are also possible plot devices in The Solomon Key:
- The Kryptos statue in the complex of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Virginia (the web quest mentions it by name)
- The Mona Lisa's "right eye" (oeil droit in the web quest), possibly mixed with esoteric connections to the Eye of Horus (udjat) and the portrayal of George Washington on the U.S. dollar bill (see here).
- The Great Seal of the United States, which contains the alleged Illuminati symbol of an eye above an unfinished pyramid.
- The Information Awareness Office, which has as part of its logo the eye and pyramid mentioned above (David Shugarts, author of Secrets of the Widow's Son, made this connection after hearing Brown mention that he may include a certain super-secretive government department in his next novel).
In Howard Clarke's The Key Of Solomon focus is less on modern politics and cryptic puzzles and more on the actual Key itself: the scroll purported to have been penned by King Solomon. The scroll, written in ancient Hebrew and decipherable by only a handful of scholars, gives its bearer the ability--and choice--to call upon the hosts of Hell or to summon the very residents of Heaven. Possibly even call upon Jehovah himself. The scroll, hidden in the vaults of the Vatican Library, becomes the treasure hunted by three disparate men--a Jewish scholar, an alcoholic investigator, and a modern day sorceror bent upon starting his own religious order.
While the main character, Jack Salter, struggles with inner demons (alcohol) and real demons (a Jekyll and Hyde relationship develops), the scholar Yaakov Golan reveals some of the actual antiquarian--or rare book collector--tricks and knowledge. While a supernatural thriller, Clarke's Key Of Solomon hones in on the historical (legendary?) dual nature of Solomon. Perhaps the dual nature of all men. For a Dan Brown alternative: THE KEY OF SOLOMON
Sources
New Hampshire Union Leader ("His next novel will be about the freemasons.")
Howard Clarke, author The Key Of Solomon