The Book of Fate

Author’s Note

History has always been filled with exaggerations — and so, a few words about the Freemasons. In this book, the historical details about Freemasonry are based on three years of research. All the historical figures identified as Masons — such as Voltaire, Winston Churchill, Mozart, and certain U.S. Presidents — have been documented as Masons. Throughout history, Thomas Jefferson has been rumored to be a Mason, but the evidence today, as acknowledged in the novel, does not support that assertion. Nevertheless, Jefferson, Washington, and architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant, while designing the city of Washington, D.C., did build the most famous Masonic symbol (the compass and square) and the five-pointed pentagram into the city grid. There are disagreements over who had the most influence over the final street plan, but I believe the grid speaks for itself. For over two hundred years, those symbols have been hidden in plain sight. It is also true that on October 13, 1792, Maryland’s Masonic Lodge Number 9 did lay the cornerstone of the White House in a Freemason ceremony. The same was true during the laying of the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol Building, where George Washington himself presided over the Masonic ceremony. Washington’s Masonic trowel was also used at the cornerstone laying of the Washington Monument, the U.S. Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, the National Cathedral, and the Smithsonian. To be clear, those details are what intrigued me and inspired me to pursue further investigation.

Yet these facts in no way mean that the Masons are trying to overthrow the world’s governments, open the devil’s door, or unleash secret satanic plots.

So why parse truth from fantasy — especially in a work of fiction? Does it even matter? Well, in this world where fact so easily dances with fiction — and where, for six novels, I have prided myself on my research — it is important to me, as both author and armchair historian, to make sure I don’t add even more misinformation to whatever small section of the public consciousness I am so thankful to touch.

So I encourage you to read the historical documents yourself. Any secret fraternity that had John Wayne, Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, Harry Houdini, five Supreme Court chief justices, fifteen U.S. Presidents, and my Uncle Bernie as members just has to be worth checking out. Plus, you should see what symbols they built into the street plan of Sandusky, Ohio. Really. Go to: www.bradmeltzer.com/fatesecrets.html.

Brad Meltzer

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2006