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Read The Apocalypse Watch (1996)

The Apocalypse Watch (1996)

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3.85 of 5 Votes: 4
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ISBN
0553569570 (ISBN13: 9780553569575)
Language
English
Publisher
bantam

The Apocalypse Watch (1996) - Plot & Excerpts

By Robert Ludlum. Grade: ARobert Ludlum, time and time again, has been touted as the greatest writer of all time. He has been one of the busiest writers in literary circles with numerous bestsellers still warming bookstands. Some of his famous works include the Bourne series.The Apocalypse Watch follows American agent Harry Latham, who has penetrated the fortress-like mountain hideaway of the Brotherhood of the Watch, a neo-Nazi organisation that was born in the days after the fall of the Third Reich. After three years in deep cover, on the eve of his most spectacular success, Harry Latham has disappeared.Drew Latham, special officer for Consular Operations in Paris, is frantic to discover his older brother’s fate. But when he receives the sudden good news that Harry has surfaced, gut-twisting doubts arise. Has Harry’s cover been blown? And if so, why has the Brotherhood of the Watch let him live? For Harry Latham has emerged with an explosive list: the secret supporters of the movement, among them high-ranking officials in the United States and its allies. It is a document that could topple governments-but is it legitimate? Can Drew Latham trust his own brother? The search for the truth about Harry- and the growing Nazi threat- will plunge Drew into a labyrinth of deceit and death. And whoever gets out alive holds the fate of the free world in his hands.The plot begins with an undercover appearance of Harry Latham in the headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Watch where his cover is blown. Somewhere in Paris, following this is a series of events which leads back to revolutionaries from Renaissance and thus leads to Drew Latham, the Parisian officer for Consular Operations, who is frantically searching for his brother Harry who has gone missing. In the initial phase of his search, Drew finds an unlikely friend and ally in Karin de Vries, the ex-NATO employee whose husband was once closely associated with Harry.All this while, the Brotherhood of the Watch has altogether different plans. They have “brainwashed” Harry without his knowledge and manipulated the information he has regarding the supporters of their movement worldwide. So, when Harry comes out of his cover, he brings with him the manipulated list which raises a serious storm everywhere. But when attempts on the lives of Harry and everybody associated with him increase manifold, it ticks off the alarms in lobbies of various agencies. They begin to believe that the information was planted on Harry and in the process, Harry is killed. But in order to make sure that they are still in the hunt, Drew decides to impersonate Harry and they begin to uncover startling and unsettling information about the Brotherhood’s action plan. In this dangerous pursuit, the combination discovers how deep the penetration of the Brotherhood goes and how infected the system is.Drew and his colleagues then discover the real operation behind all of this bloodshed. The Brotherhood of the Watch has plans to launch a deadly massacre in the major cities of the world, plunging them into utter chaos. It is during this recovery that the mantle would fall into the hands of the neo-Nazis or the Fourth Reich. It is towards the end that they discover the fuhrer or the leader of this operation and finally bring it all to an end.By the looks of it, the novel is a bit lengthy. But the best part of the plot is the last 100-odd pages. While the plot progresses throughout at a steady pace (the first 100 pages can get a bit dry), Robert Ludlum shifts into top gear towards the end. Each and every page towards the end is top class. Just before the climax, Robert Ludlum delivers a final sucker punch to the gut of the reader with a stunning (and hypothetical) revelation. The only weakness (if it can be called so) is the slow build-up in the beginning. But if you can bear through that, you are in for a treat of all proportions.Originally reviewed at : www.the-vault.co.cc

"The Apocalypse Watch" by Robert Ludlum is about the younger brother (Drew Latham) of an undercover agent named Harry Latham who has become apart of the up and coming fourth reich, he must decide who to trust and if what the people closest to him say is real or not. A group that has one goal, which is world domination. The neo-nazi group known as "The Brotherhood of Watch" knows that Harry works for the CIA. They then use technology to upload false information to his brain which he then relays to CIA. Drew is full of doubt about what his brother has brought forth. He then launches his own investigation, which leads straight to the enemies secret layer located in an Apline Valley. "It may be the case we have to fight!" (Ludlum 187) Followed by a lot of blood and drama which keeps you hooked on every single word all the way to the back cover. The author really makes you think about who you can trust. Throughout parts of this book I did get confused. This isn't a read in which you can blow through. You really have to take your time and process all the action that takes place in the story. I would definitely recommend this to others. The author did a good job of keeping the reader (me) focused and really attracted to the suspense and mystery behind every page.

What do You think about The Apocalypse Watch (1996)?

Ludlum’s nineteenth, and another New York Times Bestseller. I’ve read and enjoyed all the others. The story: Agent H. Latham has penetrated a neo-Nazi organization called the Brotherhood Of The Watch. BOTW is actively planning the Fourth Reich with a new Fuhrer and a high-tech brain implant and much infiltration, undercover work, and Lebensraum. Latham returns to France from the neo-Nazi camp deep in totally protected German mountain ranges with a list of neo-Nazi collaborators from around the world. Apparently the list contains hundreds if not thousands of names, many of whom are top leaders in every significant country in the world.Latham is killed by the BOTW elite exterminator squad in Paris, and his brother, an agent for a different branch of the US government, swears to complete the mission and find his brother’s killers. He does. Along the way he involves a cast of scores from many nations and enough derringdo, explosions, citadel assaults and a murky romantic sub-plot to satisfy almost anyone.But it’s too bad the printing industry invented italic type. Ludlum uses a lot of it. Sometimes it signifies internal thought, usually in turmoil. Sometimes italics are used for emphasis. There’s a lot of that. In fact, it is rare to find anyone in this book, except perhaps an occasional waiter, who doesn’t cry, scream, explode (verbally) yell, sob, insist, demand. Characters rarely walk, instead they run, jump, fly, crash, fling themselves, pivot, agonize, plunge, etc., etc. To suggest this novel is neither well-written nor well edited isperhaps, an overstatement. If you like this sort of stuff, here’s a whiz-banger for you. The plot is up-to-date for 1996, drawn from current real-life thought and action. It’s just too bad Ludlum didn’t do a better job of exploring this truly frightening world movement.
—Carl Brookins

Ugh. We can all agree that Ludlum's dialogue is a really easy target, right? Like everyone else, there are some books that just aren't my cup of tea, but this book has been the first in which I really enjoyed the turns of events and liked the characters well enough, but would literally get angry with Ludlum that he was soaking those great factors in such obnoxious dialogue. There seems to be a 1:1:1 ratio of action description, character development, and dialogue so unnecessary, so inauthentic, and so self-indulgent as to give up on reading the book all the way through. The worst.
—Chris

I liked it for the fast pace and the use of foreshadowing. However, I was disappointed by a few of the twists. Overall, it's just another thriller with the Nazis. Description:Ludlum delivers another fast-paced, action-filled, cinematic story in The Apocalypse Watch. Drew Latham is a Special Officer for the American Consular Operations in Paris while his older brother, Harry, is in a deep undercover operation in Germany, penetrating the Neo-Nazi Brotherhood of the Watch. Harry disappears suddenly, leaving everyone uncertain about the state of the operation. When Harry resurfaces, there are only more questions and complications. The information he smuggled out of Germany seems incredible and awful and no one knows what to believe. Drew has to take on his brother's identity and decide who to trust in this frantic race to prevent the Fourth Reich.Similar books: Tom Clancy
—Mary-Elizabeth

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