Published on The Daily Tribune, 27 May 2026
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What is Noetic Science? Neurotechnology? Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI)?
We may not get full answers to these questions. But, in Dan Brown’s latest book, Secret of Secrets’ there is enough information to pique our interest.
Released simultaneously in 16 languages, in September 2025, it started at the No. 1 position on the New York Times Best Sellers list and stayed there for over 17 consecutive weeks.
Such is the popularity of Dan Brown that his novels now number an astounding 250 million copies in print, in 56 languages.
And such was the growing anticipation of his readers, for this new book – as he hadn’t written one for eight years — that it sold at astonishing speed. It was pre-ordered three months in advance, and flew off the bookstore shelves.
I had not pre-ordered it, and was upset that none of the bookshops in Bahrain had had it during September. My daughter sent a copy from India, through a friend.
“The hallmarks of Dan’s books -- codes, art, history, religion, and cutting-edge science – are on full display alongside a propulsive plot,” said Nihar Malaviya, CEO of publisher Penguin Random House (PRH) Global, at its launch.
And, now that I have read it, I fully agree with him.
But, “there’s nothing in Brown’s new novel to rival the century-spanning Eurocentric conspiracy in The Da Vinci Code,” says Laura Miller’s review in the online magazine, Slate.
And I agree with this, too.
Yes. I was a tad disappointed, like perhaps many other fans, because it did not live up to our expectations. In a way, he must be blamed. His tight plots with sudden twists used to keep us on tenterhooks. And we cannot expect anything less.
So, why not five stars?
Simple. It feels less like a Robert Langdon thriller and more like a TED Talk in disguise. There’s less mystery, less Langdon, and a lot more science, technology, and brainy conversations. At times, it reads more like a “Web of Science” article than a fast-paced fiction novel.
We know that Dan Brown’s grip on new-age tech is just as good as it’s on art and culture, and history and literature. He shows us that the blending of human consciousness and future-tech is imminent.
The book’s heroine Katherine Solomon specializes in Noetic Science, a field that the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) has been researching since 1973.
“We humans engage with the world in many ways—through instinct, intellect, and intuition,” says the institute on its website. “Noetic sciences offer a framework for understanding how these ways of knowing come together, shaping how we experience reality and expand our understanding of what it means to be human.”
Neurotechnology develops devices and systems that directly interact with the nervous system. They monitor, record, or even alter neural activity. Once science fiction, it is now a reality.
Not just Elon Musk’s Neuralink, but companies such as Synchron, Paradromics, and Blackrock Neurotech are already exploring how the human brain can communicate with machines. They all find a mention in this book.
Their BCI innovations range from therapeutic implants that restore movement to AI-powered systems and wearable devices enhancing human capability.
But, if technology can access thoughts, emotions, and reactions, where do we draw the line between innovation and intrusion?
Neurotechnology promises extraordinary medical breakthroughs, but it also raises difficult ethical questions about privacy, consent, and cognitive freedom.
That is Perhaps Dan Brown’s real success in Secret of Secrets.
The novel may not match the suspense or brilliance of ‘The Da Vinci Code’, but it makes us confront a future already knocking at our doors — a future where the greatest mystery may no longer be hidden in ancient symbols or secret societies, but in the unexplored universe inside the human mind.
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