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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Ludlum, but OK..., Jul 18 2004
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].
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by Eric Van Lustbader
by Robert Ludlum
by Robert Ludlum
by Robert Ludlum
by Robert Ludlum
