As the Ludlum portion of the Bourne series comes to an end with this book, I must say that this is surely a very thick (in all its senses) book, filled with great nuances. Completing the original trilogy at a time when spy games were all about actual deception and sleight of hand (rather than technology and the information highway) makes these books stand out for me. That said, Ludlum is, as he is accused of being, overly verbose in some areas and really could have watered down the description and yet still come out with a great book. While Bourne comes up against his greatest nemesis yet (the famed Carlos the Jackal), the book has the reader traipsing all over the place to ensure the Bourne family is safe and then hunting the Jackal until he can be found. The excitement near the end made up for sections of very slow reading and kept me from putting it down. While I admire Ludlum for his creativity, it was, at times, a little too much.Ludlum’s classics do portray Jason Bourne/David Webb in a certain way that will surely be hard to replicate in an era when technology is the key to the game. Eric Lustbader, the author who has taken over the series, will surely be placed in some large shoes and it is now up to the reader to determine how well they are filled. That said, if we are to be realistic here, Bourne was around 50 years old when this book took place (set in 1990), so he is surely aging over that time. I suppose we shall see if the reader must suspend reality and allow Bourne not to age over the 14 year hiatus, or whether Lustbader will pick up in the early 1990s, surely harder to do, with technology being what it is in the espionage game these days.One small thing I must mention in this book, being a proud Canadian. I picked up on Ludlum’s continual use of Mrs. Webb (Marie) in all three books as being part of the Canadian Government. She is, in Book 1, from Ontario and lived on a farm. In Book 2, she magically was growing up in the farming communities of Saskatchewan, yet was still a Francophone. (Those who know their Canadian, even Prairies geography, will see the issue). Then, in this book, we are back to tossing hay in Ontario. Keep those things clear, as there is surely a group of us who can tell and do pay attention.I must admit the use of numerous languages does bring the book alive. The French is accurate and I can only assume that the German and Russian is also up to par. Makes the reader feel as though we are actually IN these places that are being discussed. There, my asides are complete.Kudos Mr. Ludlum and thank you for setting the foundation for a great series. I do wonder if Lustbader will Hollywood-ise your work from now on. That said, I am eager to dive in to see how the post-Ludlum Bourne/Webb holds up!
Ludlum's Long drone out ultimatumIn the first Bourne (0-553-26011-1) we meet the mysterious assissan Jason Bourne as he struggles to recover his memory and combat his arch enemy international terrorist Carlos the Jackal. In the second Bourne (0-553-26322-6) we learn more about Bourne's past as he recovers it upon his return to the Far East where we are introduced to Medusa, the secret American cabal of military and intelligence secrets and spies that drove Bourne to the edge of insanity. I rated each of those books four stars for their driving if somewhat worrdy narratives.In the final book of the trilogy, Carlos meets Medusa (now a far reaching financial and political conspiracy)and the Mafia as they battle Bourne with the assistance and hinderance of the In the first Bourne (The Bourne Identity (Bourne Trilogy, Book 1)) we meet the mysterious assissan Jason Bourne as he struggles to recover his memory and combat his arch enemy international terrorist Carlos the Jackal. In the second Bourne (The Bourne Supremacy (Bourne Trilogy, Book 2)) we learn more about Bourne's past as he recovers it upon his return to the Far East where we are introduced to Medusa, the secret American cabal of military and intelligence secrets and spies that drove Bourne to the edge of insanity. I rated each of those books four stars for their action-filled if somewhat wordy narratives.In the final book of the trilogy, Carlos meets Medusa (now a far reaching financial and political conspiracy)and the Mafia as they battle Bourne with the assistance and hindrance of the Russians, the French, the Caribbean, and the kitchen sink.The "Ultimatum" is delivered with all the conciseness of James Michener. The action narrative is buried in stopping and starting too many story lines with too much explanation and too many characters. The Mafia storyline is the biggest mistake, replete with clumsy stereotypes and racist ethnic caricatures that would have been out of place in a book written in the 1950s.Even Jason Bourne himself is not very likable, as Ludlum paints him as aging and insecure, and his insecurity and mental instability between Bourne and his alter ego David Webb come across as angry, arrogant, and short-tempered. In the end, he wins, of course, and all is well. Along the way, the action is good when it is allowed to flow, and the goodwill Ludlum and his characters banked in the first two books propels the reader through to the end, but with one star less than I rated the first two books.
What do You think about The Bourne Ultimatum (2004)?
The third (and last by Ludlum) entry in the story of "Jason Bourne". If your only exposure to Bourne are the Matt Damon movies, then you don't really have an idea of the story. This (as these cases usually do) ruined any enjoyment of the movie for me. I always wonder why bother to "buy" an authors title and then write a screen play that doesn't even resemble the novel? Oh well, nothing I can do.My suggestion? Get the first book and read all three. They may not be the best Ludlum ever wrote, but they are outstanding novels, and in my opinion far better then the recent movies.
—Mike (the Paladin)
How the author did it, I don't know, but he caught me with his story and the 'adventures' of David Webb / Jason Bourne. This last book in the trilogy I find good. It shows the dilemma of the person David, that influences the person Jason, no matter how hard the latter is fighting it.It shows a battle of a man, in his 50's, that is going 'to war' again with his oldest enemy Carlos, to protect himself and his family. He goes all around the globe again, finding old friends / allies to help him with his battle. It is a good end to the description of the life of a man who lost his memory, woke up in a nightmare and spent many years to fight it, understand it and finally end the battle with Carlos and himself.
—BoekenTrol
Id say this is more 3.5 stars.Another hard book to rate.1st off-quite a few swears, mostly gd and sob, but many F's and S's.Overall started really strong, faltered in the middle and ended pretty well. It felt too long and drawn out. Jason was portrayed as being much more aggressive and self centered in this one which made you feel more distant from him. I believe Ludlum was trying to show how motivated he was in protecting his family but it came off too harsh. Ludlum has moments of pure writing brilliance that is well written, intelligent, and engaging. Those moments quickly fade into pages of confusion with extra characters and so many dead-ends it becomes overwhelming and hard to follow.This was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy despite all these factors and worth reading if you really like the whole Jason Bourne premise. I would have to say this is the weakest of the trilogy. I felt like the 2nd book despite not having to do with Carlos, was the best in the series because Jason was more on the offensive, than on the defensive(1st book)or in revenge mode (3rd book)Makes me wonder if any of Ludlum's other books are worth the time. Brilliant? or just confusing and muddled?
—David
