Presentation of Dan Brown's book

American author Dan Brown presented his highly anticipated new novel, El último secreto (The Last Secret), to the international press at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid in early October.

To open the discussion, Elena Ramírez, Editorial Director of International Fiction at Grupo Planeta, highlighted that this book “has been the biggest literary launch of the year, in coordination with the leading international publishers. It has reached number one on the bestseller lists in every country where it has been published. We are very pleased because, in Spanish, we have already sold 150,000 copies in just a few days.”

The Last Secret is a thriller that also features a love story between Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon, and plenty of action set in the streets of Prague. Dan Brown added that “above all, it is grounded in science and meticulously documented. The book is the result of my scientific readings; you don't need to know anything about science to read it. It is simply current science that has convinced me and led me down this path, which is similar to Robert Langdon's.

I don't intend to convince anyone; I don't expect my readers to read the book and feel convinced of one position or another. What I would like is to awaken their curiosity and for that curiosity to spark a creative dialogue about a topic as fascinating as consciousness.”

In this novel, the author shares the perspectives of the two groups that study consciousness: materialism and no etics. After eight years of research and writing this story, Brown believes that “we are at the point of achieving a new model for consciousness.”

After numerous visits to the beautiful and enigmatic city of Prague, the author decided that the City of a Hundred Spires would become a character in The Last Secret. Robert Langdon arrives in the Czech capital accompanying Katherine Solomon, a renowned noetic scientist invited to give a lecture in the city. As Katherine herself explains, noetic science studies human consciousness. It is not a new science, but rather has its origins in antiquity, since, as Solomon recounts, "Since the dawn of time, we have sought answers to the most unfathomable mysteries of the human mind: the nature of consciousness and the soul." Her research on consciousness goes back a long way, as seen in *The Lost Symbol*, where we find Katherine conducting a series of studies in her laboratory that are closely linked to the disappearance of her brother.

Langdon visits places in Prague such as Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, the Clementinum, and the Castle.

Another topic addressed during the press conference was Artificial Intelligence. Brown stated that "currently, it is not robust enough and still makes too many mistakes." However, he expressed concern regarding its use for creativity, asking, “What will happen when Artificial Intelligence begins to mimic human creativity?”

About the author

Dan Brown is the author of eight internationally bestselling novels, including The Da Vinci Code, one of the best-selling books of all time, as well as Origin, Inferno, The Lost Symbol, and Angels & Demons. He has also published the successful children's book The Symphony of Animals. Dan Brown's books have sold over 250 million copies in 56 languages.