Rating: 
Summary: A contrived non-thriller, more about typing than writing
Review: ..Robert Ludlum has a tremedous reputation, and more than a few successes. This is not one of them. His attempt to potray an amalgam of super counter-espionage agents fighting a resurgent Nazi conspiracy is ludicrous. The characters are wooden and unbelievable. If you have even the faintest hint of how governments, militaries and even regular human beings interact, you will laugh out loud at his tired, contrived storyline and patently see through plot twists. The local is supposed to be exotic, the convoluted espionage underworld of France, and there is an alleged erotic angle, the main characters, Drew Latham and Keren De Vries. Unfortunately, the overall effect is a mudddle of unbelivable characters thrown into silly situations, and saved by their sharp wits and consummate training. This formula can be entertaining, but not this time. This novel is old territory. Instead of taking a fresh spin, Ludlum has spewed out a hack novel, with little intriguing detail, cardboard characters and more cliches than you can shake a bookmark at. Save your time and money and give this one a miss.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting
Review: A fun book. It's got great description, exciting scenes, and interesting characters. If you're willing to read long books--if you're not than don't bother--try it.
But mind you the story isn't perfect. For starters it's a complete rip-off of Allan Folsom's The Day After Tomorrow (personal vendetta, science fiction, neo-Nazis, Hitler's incineration being faked, etc.) There are several sob-scenes of people obsessing over their past, far to many "I love you[s]", and what not. And there are also numerous plot-holes: ordinary prostitutes having total clearance in a secret base, getting "ordinary" people to obsessively support the Nazis (not simply the far-right), breaking into tight security areas being a piece of cake, and more.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting
Review: A fun book. It's got great description, exciting scenes, and interesting characters. If you're willing to read long books--if you're not than don't bother--try it.
But mind you the story isn't perfect. For starters it's a complete rip-off of Allan Folsom's The Day After Tomorrow (personal vendetta, science fiction, neo-Nazis, Hitler's incineration being faked, etc.) There are several sob-scenes of people obsessing over their past, far to many "I love you[s]", and what not. And there are also numerous plot-holes: ordinary prostitutes having total clearance in a secret base, getting "ordinary" people to obsessively support the Nazis (not simply the far-right), breaking into tight security areas being a piece of cake, and more.
Rating:
Summary: Boring from beginning to end
Review: After reading this book I decided to avoid any other Ludlum books to protect my time and money. This is my second dissapointment, the first one was with The Parsifal Mosaic. In my opinion, as an experienced reader, this author lacks the skills to create action packed suspense no matter what other people and critics say.
Rating:
Summary: Unreadable!
Review: American spy Harry Latham reappears after an undercover investigation of a powerful neo-Nazi organization bearing information that could expose Nazi sympathizers - or lead to the *collapse* of democratic states and institutions worldwide! It is up to his brother Drew, and the mysterious Karin de Vries, to save the day! Full of devices and plot twists worthy of a James Bond movie, the story is told almost entirely in breathless dialogue replete with *italics* and exclamation points! If you think it's annoying in a 93-word *review*, try reading a whole 768-page *book* like this!
Rating:
Summary: Twsited deliciously!
Review: An incredile novel based on historical possibilties steming from WorldWar II, and the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. Ludlum carefully weaves the past with the present painting a rather shocking future of wolrd affairs where the New World Order would be dominated by neo-Nazis and Ayran Nation followers.
Rating:
Summary: I can't believe I read the whole thing.
Review: Drew Latham as a member of the least intelligent intelligence service ever imagined, fights neo-nazis and their plan to create the Fourth Reich. No one sleeps as Drew is marked for death by the neo's death squads (he actually counts how often he's been attacked in the last 24//36/48 hours).
Ludlum, whose works I have previously known as adapted for film and tv, shows that it is possible to get anything printed.
I kept reading hoping there would be a hook, something that would bring me in, incredibly he's mananged to lower my expectations at each step...and then failed to meet them.
True I've not finished, there are still thirty pages to go, but if he pulls it out in those...I'll resubmit this review.
Rating:
Summary: ook
Review: eu sou um abacaxi grande que aprecíe ler livros aburrido e eu aprecío comer o alimento de cambodia.
Rating: 
Summary: A THOUGHT PROVOKING AND RIVETING READ
Review: From start to finish, this book entices the mind. It plays on the warped and exciting desire of most of us that yearn for the truth about the death or survival of one of the world's most infamous villans.
Like wanting to believe in aliens, we also want to believe that perhaps the history books are wrong and in a macarbe way, we want to believe that perhaps the opponent to good did in fact survive and in so doing became an even greater cult leader than his myth.
Rating:
Summary: Great start, poor finish
Review: Harry Latham, a deep cover agent, has had his mind altered by some neo-nazis and is released. The release however is made to look like an escape by Harry. In his possession is a list exposing high-ranking officials as undercover Nazis. The list and Harry's reputation are intended to spark a McCarthy-like persecution of innocent individuals who in reality are opposed to Nazism. The rest of the book deals with Harry's death and his younger brother's attempt to avenge it. The last part of the story would have been believable had the "New Hitler" not been related to Drew's love interest, Karin De Vries. (The love story should have been omitted in my opinion) This is such a disappointment after waiting so long to find out who he is, and what motivated him etc... To add on to the disappointment, some of the 'twists' in the story can be seen a hundred pages ahead which doesn't do much for a 'thriller'. This is the first Ludlum book I have read, so I have not been able to compare it to his other works. All in all, not a bad book. Just don't feel so disappointed when you reach the end.
|
