- Hardcover: 464 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Press (Jun 22 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0752868209
- ISBN-13: 978-0752868202
- ASIN: 0312331754
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 14.7 x 3.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 726 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #196,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Veteran thriller maestro Lustbader (Black Heart, etc.) seizes the reins of Robert Ludlum's bestselling Jason Bourne series, proving that even Ludlum's death can't stop the ex-CIA operative. David Webb, a mild-mannered Georgetown professor, harbors his old Bourne identity deep within his psyche—except in moments of danger. A mysterious assassin, Khan, has targeted Webb. Seeking counsel from his old CIA handler, Alex Conklin, Webb arrives at Conklin's home to find him, along with Webb's psychiatrist and friend, Mo Panov, murdered. Unsurprisingly, it's a setup, and Webb is declared a rogue agent and the prime suspect. His only clue to the real killer is a pad of paper with a faint impression of the notation "NX 20." Meanwhile, in Reykjavik, preparations are underway for the upcoming summit on worldwide terrorism. Even the dimmest thriller reader will immediately intuit that Bourne, pursued by the world's leading intelligence agencies, will end up in Iceland confronting some evildoer out to wreak havoc on the international terror conference. And thus it comes to pass. Lustbader has wisely eschewed mimicking Ludlum's signature style—short punchy paragraphs with lots of exclamation points. His own prose, often cliche-ridden ("Khan felt as if his brain was about to explode. He was shaken to his very foundation"), is perfectly serviceable, effectively conveying the myriad cinematic hairsbreadth escapes, crosses, double crosses, explosions, furious fisticuffs and careening plot twists. It's a hearty serving of meat and potatoes action adventure, just the sort of fare that both Ludlum's and Lustbader's fans relish.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Three of Robert Ludlum's novels featured the fictional character Jason Bourne. Now comes a Bourne novel not by Ludlum but by Van Lustbader, the author of 20 novels that had nothing to do with Bourne. The publisher assures readers that the individuals who control Ludlum's estate have given their permission to create this new novel. Here and now, Bourne, described as "an international assassin of deadly repute," has retired from the CIA and is a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University. He has been framed for the murder of two associates and becomes the target of an assassin. The novel begins in Chechnya and continues in such diverse places as Nairobi, Crete, Washington, D.C., and Budapest. The many-paged narrative provides ample room for lots of action, including a body found in a refrigerator, "shared joy" between lovers, fistfights, gun battles, torture, and deceit. The Bourne Legacy reads much like Ludlum, which, of course, is exactly the point. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
David Webb, professor of linguistics at Georgetown University, was buried beneath a stack of ungraded term papers. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
David Webb, professor of linguistics at Georgetown University, was buried beneath a stack of ungraded term papers. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Bourne Legacy,
By Ray "Ray" (Alberta) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Bourne Legacy (Hardcover)
Lustbader's Bourne Legacy is an excellent page turner in the Ludlum tradition. It's exciting plots and twists have kept me reading well past my normal bedtime. My one regrett is the early demise of Alex & Mo but unfortunately this is required for the plot line of the story.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Ludlum, but OK...,
By David S. Rose (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Bourne Legacy (Hardcover)
If you're new to the Bourne universe then you MUST go back and read the series in order first (and no, having seen the movie doesn't count, since it has nothing WHATSOEVER to do with the series.) If you're an old Ludlum hand, then you want to know how this compares to the originals. The bottom line is that Lustbader is no Ludlum, but since Ludlum's own work was somewhat variable, LEGACY falls about halfway along spectrum.On the positive side, Lustbader's plotting is quite good and this one is right up there with the best Ludlum. On the other hand, the writing is wooden at times and full of cliches, the torture scenes are disturbingly graphic (well beyond anything Ludlum ever wrote), and the suspension of disbelief required is (at least for me) problematic. Lustbader gives the character Khan apparently greater powers than even Bourne (whose abilities already strain the limits of credulity) and even if one accepts the usual Ludlum conspiracy motivation zeitgeist, in this book there are a lot of loose ends, unbelievable coincidences, miraculous recoveries and escapes, unrealistic details both technical and political, and lack of back-story motivation for the villain that leave one somewhat unfulfilled. It is also a little too 'cinematic' for my tastes, with much of the book obviously written to lay the groundwork for a future film (distinct car chase, fight and explosion scenes that are more Bruckheimer than Ludlum.) Perhaps my biggest regret is that, in what I assume is a deliberate move to make the series his own, Lustbader starts off by discarding the previously integral Conklin and Panov, and very publicly burning the Bourne/Webb secret identity. In the real world, after the events depicted in this book Webb would never again be able to walk out of his house without being followed by the press, let alone get involved in undercover skullduggery. This book, then, would only appear to make sense if Lustbader is intending to take the future series off in a different direction. All in all, however, I give LEGACY four stars, and I will read the next one. I'm glad that the series is being picked up by a name writer as with Flemming's Bond series (instead of the unfortunate, ghosted, "completed by" or "together with" sequels such as the Gayle Lind stuf.) I only hope that in future novels Lustbader will continue with the good plotting while staying away from the gratuitous violence and implausibilities displayed in this one. Bottom line: the new kid shows promise [grin].
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
WOW Pleasant suprise,
By Tyler B (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Bourne Legacy (Mass Market Paperback)
Mustsay I was very suprised with this book. Being a real Ludlum fan who's read ALL of his books (new, old, everything) I wasnt even about to give this one a chance, thinking van Lustbader would try, and fail to continue the Bourne Series....boy was I wrong. The style is a little different of course, but he does an amazing job of keeping this series alive. I was on the edge of my seat throughout most of the book, and when the ending came along I was almost brought to tears. He's done Ludlum proud with Legacy, and I would have to rank this as #2 in the 4-part series. Still smiling from the ending, I could not think of a more fitting way to finish off the Bourne Series.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
