The Jacatra Secret

Title: The Jacatra Secret

Author: Rizki Ridyasmara

Publisher: Penerbit Bentang

Publication Date: July 2013

Pages: 438

Batavia dibangun VOC menurut cetak biru Freemasonry Hindia Belanda. Kelompok persaudaraan okultis ini menyisipkan aneka simbol Masonik-nya di berbagai tata ruang kota, arsitektur gedung dan monumen, prasasti makam, dan lain-lain, yang masih bisa disaksikan hingga sekarang.

I got familiar with the terms Freemasonry, Kaballah, holy grail, secret society and the like when I finished reading Da Vinci Code, one of controversial book written by Dan Brown. Back to my school days then, I have already been into history, but learning about symbol is a new thing to me and I got to admit that it's interesting.

Reading this debut book of Rizki Ridyasmara brought back my memories of Da Vinci Code. I found several similarities such as: the characters, the theme, the plot etc but one thing that makes this book special is the setting. The author uses Jakarta as the setting completed with its historical buildings such as Monas, Fatahillah Museum, Bappenas Building, and also symbols, secret tunnel, and last but not least the shocking facts related to history of Indonesia. When I read this book, I feel like experiencing several scenes myself since all the setting used are familiar places such as Sarinah Thamrin, Istiqlal Mosque, Pasar Festival Kuningan, etc. We pass those roads many times. We know the building. Soon after we finish reading it, we will obtain a new insight about our country, Indonesia. It leaves us with several important things to ponder. Quite Interesting. If you like a fast-moving-thriller story, this book is the one.

The Jacatra Secret was once published independently in 2011. Soon it became a trending topic among people and very difficult to get. It's sold out every where. On July 2013 Penerbit Bentang published it and its sequel, the Blood Gold will be released soon. Can't hardly wait.