Rating: 
Summary: Way too long
Review: If I give 5 stars to the Bourne series, I would have to give this book 2 stars.
- Length: Way too long
- Detailes: too many irrelevant ones. I had to skip many paragraphs.
- Action packed: Not really. Atleast not compared to Bourne series.
- Ending: Huh?!
- Is it worth reading: not really
- So whats next: I think I will close the book on Ludlum after reading the new Bourne book. It seems that all of his works, carry the same story line. It gets boring after a while. So why am I either going to bother with the new Bourne book, even though it is not written by Ludlum? To just say that I have read all of Bourne books and plus the first 3 were awesome.
Rating: 
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: If, like me, you have been waiting for that one spectacular posthumous work from the immortal master of international intrigue, then your patience has been richly rewarded. Since his death in March 2001, the first few offerings bearing his name were of the poor-to-bland variety. However, THE JANSON DIRECTIVE is pure, unadulterated, vintage Ludlum.Security consultant Paul Janson, a retired Consular Ops covert operative, is suddenly thrown back into his former role when he is called upon to rescue Pete Novak, an international businessman, philanthropist and diplomat. Janson's mission eventually goes terribly wrong, and soon he is being targeted for death by the very same people who were once his allies, his former protégé being the assassin who seeks him out. If he wants to live, and save the man who once saved him, he must unravel a conspiracy that permeates the highest government powers. What makes THE JANSON DIRECTIVE so brilliant is the myriad of detail which gives added color to the storyline. Sometimes the details were a bit to graphic for my taste, but I never once considered putting the book aside, even for a moment. It's true that the dialogue is more "electric" than Ludlum's previous work, however, the plot is just as complex and technical as any of his international conspiracies. The storyline, written prior to 9/11, is right out of the most recent headlines; a true Ludlum trademark. He always seems to know what will make tomorrow's news before it becomes news. Nevertheless, I am perplexed by the publisher's silence as to the true author of this work. Knowing who to give credit to would certainly satisfy my insatiable curiosity. According to an article (The New York Sun,10/21/2002) which quotes Ludlum's longtime agent, Henry Morrison, the late author started this book during the early months of 2000 and finished it that fall. If true, this would account for the likeness this book has to the Bourne trilogy. However, the same article states that he 'almost" finished it. So which is it? I guess we'll never know. Cris Cunningham
Rating:
Summary: Great book.
Review: Ignorant or not, I'd never heard of Ludlum until I'd seen the Bourne Identity in theater. I was looking for a book to read a month ago and my wife had already read The Janson Directive, so I gave it ago. Well, I thought it was quite excellent, and I'm now a Ludlum fan. Too bad he won't be writing anymore books.
Ludlum is a solid writer and his storytelling is competent. Something I particularly liked about this book was Ludlum's avoidance of going from scene to scene. By this I mean, when you're at the high point of a part in a book and the chapter ends with a gun at somebody's head and then the author thinks it would be a good time to go to a different line in the story and you get to read some dialogue between a couple of lovers, well that's very annoying. Ludlum doesn't do that. The book kept me interested from page to page, and my main complaint was that the book was not in fact longer. I hate finishing a great book!
Rating:
Summary: Vintage Ludlum
Review: It seems that Robert Ludlum's best work has been left for publication after his death. This is a classic Ludlum thriller, with all the usual elements: a hero caught in a game where the rules are unknown to him, a beautiful woman with whom he eventually bonds, an evil villain intent on taking over the work, and also the usual travelogue of many and varied scenic cities and places around the world. Ludlum's heros are always like James Bond: you know that they will eventually surmount the challenges around them and triumph, but you're with them every step of the way. So its hackneyed, but we true Ludlum fans love it! I can only hope that there are more of these works around somewhere, so that we won't have to go into "Ludlum Withdrawal"!
Rating: 
Summary: Very Thrilling!!! Extremely Thrilling for a wordful person
Review: Ive only got one complaint to make and that is the kind of words this guy chucks in his book. I was almost positive he had a theasaurus next to him when he was writting it(if he did write it of course). Fair enough hes clever and has a large vocabulary and if u understand the words u would get a better understanding. Anyways, no matter all the words i didn't understand(although i had a dictionary next to me most of the time) i thouroghly enjoyed this book all the way through(especially when i learnt to ignore the words and go with the flow), it was full of action confusion and i liked the build up of suspense. Ludlums ideas of interrogation, planning, confusion and wit are really wat makes this book great to read. I would highly reccommend this book to anyone who enjoys a suspensful thriller or even a general all-round reader. Im only 15 so maybe you would understand the vocabulary better, but i look at it in a positive way, after reading this i have a whole bunch of new words logged into my memory.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly Rousing Thriller
Review: Ludlum is at the top of, eh, his death I suppose! This is my first Ludlum novel and whether ghost written or co-authored, whatever, I found it a good read in the thriller genre. Intelligent, knowledgeable and well crafted are few among many choice words to describe this tale. Paul Janson, a seasoned ex-operative tormented by his own capabilities, is brought full circle back to the source of his nightmares - a man Janson thought he saw killed, a man that has since grown exponentially more dangerous and sinister. Then again, should it be surprising to Janson? There are many people that apparently this expert agent witnessed executed only to be surprised when they spring back into action at a later date (whether they were killed or it was their double). Jessica Kincaid, the remarkable assassin, that takes on an affinity for Paul Janson, her assigned "unsalvageable" target, plays a critical rule in helping him unravel the enigma of the death of Peter Novak, a man on a such a worldly scale that perhaps only a Citizen Kane could hope to surpass. Wonderfully written scenes include the park in England, the attempt to rescue Novak from the Caliph, the streets of Greece, well, you get the picture. This story takes you around a world the author has been many times before. As my first Ludlum book, an interest kindled by my enjoyment of the Bourne Identity motion picture, I am excited about the prospects of late nights with Ludlum's classic stories.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly Rousing Thriller
Review: Ludlum is at the top of, eh, his death I suppose! This is my first Ludlum novel and whether ghost written or co-authored, whatever, I found it a good read in the thriller genre. Intelligent, knowledgeable and well crafted are few among many choice words to describe this tale. Paul Janson, a seasoned ex-operative tormented by his own capabilities, is brought full circle back to the source of his nightmares - a man Janson thought he saw killed, a man that has since grown exponentially more dangerous and sinister. Then again, should it be surprising to Janson? There are many people that apparently this expert agent witnessed executed only to be surprised when they spring back into action at a later date (whether they were killed or it was their double). Jessica Kincaid, the remarkable assassin, that takes on an affinity for Paul Janson, her assigned "unsalvageable" target, plays a critical rule in helping him unravel the enigma of the death of Peter Novak, a man on a such a worldly scale that perhaps only a Citizen Kane could hope to surpass. Wonderfully written scenes include the park in England, the attempt to rescue Novak from the Caliph, the streets of Greece, well, you get the picture. This story takes you around a world the author has been many times before. As my first Ludlum book, an interest kindled by my enjoyment of the Bourne Identity motion picture, I am excited about the prospects of late nights with Ludlum's classic stories.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: Most reviews have said what I would have had I been first. If Ludlum in fact wrote 90%, I feel I could pick out the other 10%. Some lines are plain shlock, but overall, this is good Ludlum if you don't get hung up on the lines that don't ring true (certain dialogue). There are also too many incidents where someone happens to be in the right place at the right time. I can't even meet my wife when we plan the time and place. Suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. Many classic Ludlum scenes and touches make this a good (but not great) read!
Rating:
Summary: Addendum to Tucker Anderson's review
Review: Mr. Tucker's review encapsulated my opinions very well. I also agree there there are other writers at work in this novel. First, the trade name for the neuroparalytic that was used on the limo driver was used instead of the generic which he has always used in the past. In addition, there are extraneous ad nauseum descriptions of places, people, etc. that far exceed the detail he typically provided in previous novels. Either that, or he he made it more interesting and brief. His prior novels impressed me as story driven but also managed to provide sufficient detail to keep the reality there and it was always obvious he did his research about events and places in his novels. The details provided in this novel are incredibly well done, but to an extent that I never noticed before. Especially information related to medical information. (I'm an RN, so I was well impressed). I question the use of a cholinergic to decrease sweating since it in fact increases secretions. I don't care, however, I'll take Ludlam anyway I can get him. Even if he left summaries that someone else is filling in, I can live with that. It's just taking me a little longer to force myself to read through all the unnecessary detail provided in this story. I find myself skipping paragraphs that have nothing to do with the story itself just to get to the real story. I like the way there are some flashbacks about Jansen provided about his Vietnam experience as a POW. As horrifying as they are, these things in fact happened. Not enough is said about what vietnam vets suffered whether they were POW's or not. Thanks for the great review Mr. Anderson.
Rating:
Summary: The real Ludlum or a "ghost"?? Does it matter?
Review: Needless to say, the plot of the novel is an excellent one, though parts of it have been heavily borrowed from previous Ludlum hits...makes you wonder if this is indeed an "original" work from the master, or it is was penned by a "master" ghost writer..Either way, it is an interesting story, told at a fast pace, with intermittent "flashback" segments....overall, the story is predictable after the second part (of the total 4 parts) or so. The first part of the book evokes immense interest and suspense...and then it is almost downhill or at best, stagnant...Has immense potential to become a TV movie...or another "Minority Report", if the plot is polished to sustain the suspense through most part...
|
