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Summary: mission impossible, part three
Review: i was a ludlum virgin until i read this fast-paced thriller, which for obvious reasons, kept me up for two nights reading. densely plotted, with subterfuge and deception playing a heavy hand, one questions the motives of the likable spy at the center, good ol' nick, who seems victimized by what i call "battered spy syndrome." his handlers, on both sides, keep mistreating him, keep lying him to him, keep setting him up, keep sending assassin squads after him, yet nick keeps wanting more of the same. if you want plenty of action, stuff about global surveillance, illegal arms trade, and authentic dialogue, read this book. occasional lapses in logic do crop out, and nick seems less a master of houdini disguises in these instances, than a casualty of carelessness on ludlum's part.
Rating: 
Summary: Far from Ludlum's best
Review: Once apon a time, Robert Ludlum wrote the best paranoid thrillers in existance. His "Bourne Ultimatum" and "Gemini Contenders" are classics in the field.But this book, as his last several books, is far from his best. It is hurried, sketchy, often incoherent and contradictory. The general plot is a good one, and much could have been done with it, but wasn't. About 2 drafts short of a novel.
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Summary: He keeps the action going and suspense in every page.
Review: I,ve read almost all of his books. Clive Cusler, Morrell, Clancy, Wilbur Smith and Ludlum are for me in the same clan. This book is one that I enjoy getting back to every night and I am expecting to finish it during the weekend. If you liked The Matarase Circle, from Ludlum or The Scarlatti Inheritance you're not making a mistake with this one.
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Summary: Calliope Would Approve Of Mr. Ludlum¿s Prometheus
Review: Wherever you keep your favorite works by Mr. Ludlum, "The Prometheus Deception" deserves equal space. It has been too long since there has been a Ludlum book that belonged with the best of what he has written. "The Hades Factor", was to some unknown degree his work, it was wretched, and even though I am an admirer who has read all his published works, that co-authored mess received a one star rating. A rating denoting a book that should have never left the realm of Hades. This is top tier writing from Mr. Ludlum. To the extent there appears to be familiarity, it usually is due to the number of imitators that have tried to emulate the real masters of this genre like John Le Carre, and Mr. Ludlum. The imitators are usually one hit mediocrities whose borrowing from the real craftsmen may put a nick or two to a work, but after 30 years and 22 novels, Mr. Ludlum stands, if not alone, then certainly with very few peers. This work will bring veteran readers back to the days of the original "Matarese" and "Bourne" books, in terms of their complexity, their cadence, and quality. This book is not perfect, but in spite of those readers whose constant refrain of, "it could have been better"; this is escapist fiction at its best. And while many readers, myself included, can romanticize the memories of the first book or two we read by Mr. Ludlum, if you actually do go back, like many memories they are selective. A subsequent book rarely compares to the thrill of finding a new Author and enjoying that first read. "Prometheus", for first time Ludlum readers, will remain a favorite, as the original "Matarese" has for me. Mr. Ludlum has managed to reinvent some of the relationships from the Cold War in this construct of deceit, this nesting of lies within one another, just as Matryoshka Dolls hold an uncertain number within, with each getting smaller, until the final number is known. It is the same, as there are more deceptions than the one named on the cover, and some are not really deceptions at all. Does double deception equal truth? You can decide for yourself as Ludlum skips around to the familiar haunts of, Geneva, Brussels, Moscow, Washington, and a dozen others. This time the events are as well done as his original early works. Mr. Ludlum has clearly learned about the newest technologic exotica, how it works, and how it can be used. This is not generic phrase dropping he really knows the material. The book is not perfect; please note Mr. Ludlum, video cameras do not use "film", never have, and never will. The book also builds on situations and people that are non-fiction, but to tell his story realistically, to spin the tale with substitute players it would have been just as obvious who the real world counterparts are, would not have been credible, and would have detracted from the book. Not every idea is new, but how many new books are truly absolutely original? The difference is that Mr. Ludlum can write, so everything old and badly written, is new again, and a pleasure to read. If you have never read this writer's work, this is a great place to start. If you are a veteran, you will love it, and if "The Hades Factor" is all you have known of Mr. Ludlum, throw it out, and forget it, that book had nothing of this man's talent within it. And as an added bonus, this book shares the genetic makeup of "Matarese" and "Bourne". When you read the book you will understand, and be pleased.
Rating:
Summary: Back to the basics
Review: I've read 130 pages, in 3 days, and I haven't got bored, yet. Hopefully I won't be disappointed. I don't think I will. Not his best ( see The Borne Identity, The Matarese Circle or The Holcroft Covenant nad a few others ), but better than most....
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Summary: Ludlum's best thriller so far!
Review: I haven't read all of Ludlum's novels, but quite a few and this one is certainly his best yet. I like the international intrigue in it as he takes us on a journey around the world where there are terrorist activities everywhere. Who's behind it all? Well that's a surprise. There's plenty of action and suspenseful scenarios. I also appreciated that this book is kept shorter than his previous works which makes this book a faster read. Another brand new book that I enjoyed a lot and it is strongly recommended as it is along the lines of Ludlum's new book, but it is faster paced is the international megathriller "The Consultant" by Alec Donzi.
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Summary: Big Brother Scenario
Review: Ludlum's latest novel is like a "1984" for the new millennium, and relevant in light of today's technology, and takes surveillance and electronic eavesdropping techniques a few steps beyond anything you could imagine. Through a web of corporate holdings, he creates a scenario in which seemingly benign mergers mean that a single corporation can delve into every aspect of a person's life. The scope of the Big Brother operations is slowly revealed almost as a second story line in a fast-paced cloak and dagger tale about a deep-cover spy. Ludlum successfully brings his Big Brother and thriller story lines together at the end, leaving the reader with the chilling feeling of being paranoid. An intriguing read, but not written with a sense of urgency, with way too much non-essential filler stuff.
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Summary: Action packed with all the bells and buzzers
Review: "Prometheus Deception" is a very good thiller by Robert Ludlum. I'm a relatively new reader of Ludlum novels and am pleased to find this book consistent in quality with some of his others. I've read "The Road to Omaha" and the Bourne series. This one is very much akin to the Bourne series in that the main character is double crossed by those he trusts most. Deception is a very apt title qualifier because that's basically what happens throughout the novel in this multi-twisted plots. This books' plot would be a screenwriter's nightmare, yet the twists are done tastefully, creatively and with credibility. Our leading character and spy runs around so many places it almost makes the reader tired trying to catch up with him. I loved Ludlum's knowledge of the high-tech arms that his character's use to fight and defend. This lends to the authenticity of the novel. Most of the characters are fleshed out adaquately. The villians are contemptuous and without mercy. Ludlum describes his violent scenes with much bloodshed which adds to the excitement of the moment. If his book was a movie, it would definately be rate NR-18. It's not for the faint-hearted. I've found that Ludlum typically winds up the climax quickly ending the novels with the hero on some sandy beach in the Bahama's, but the pleasure of a Ludlum read, "Prothemeus Deception," not withstanding, is in the journey to the end. This book is a fast read with action on every page turn. You'll like it if you like political intrigue and action. Solo.
Rating:
Summary: Whoever edited this book should be spanked.
Review: In Austin Powers, Scotty says "You've got a time machine, why don't you just go back and shoot him when he's on the crapper!" That's how I felt after reading this book. --SPOILER ALERT-- Can someone please explain to me why Manning and Waller allowed Bryson to set up and trigger the disruptor that caused Manning's estate to burn and foil their plans? The scene where Bryson's learns he's been under surveillance for the past 10 years negates the whole plot! The bad guys not only know everything he's done, but everything he's planned to do. And this is just one of many inconsistencies in the book. I give it two stars because finding so many inconsistencies in a best-seller it made me feel so superior.
Rating: 
Summary: A first draft being peddled as a finished product
Review: I'm a big fan of Ludlum's early work, and was expecting a great read from the Prometheus Deception. Unfortunately, this is possibly the worst novel I've ever read.
If it was possible to give no stars, I would have. This novel needed a ton of work before it was ready. Mr Ludlum was sick and dying at the time of writing, and it looks to me that he was unable to finish, but the publisher decided to just run with it anyways, relying on his name to sell it.
This book reads like a bad T.V. action movie script. There is a lot of action and danger, but the resolutions are completely unsatisfying.
What happened to the spycraft of Ludlum's earlier work? It was always interesting, for example, to see a character use street crossing methods and misdirection in order to confirm he is being tailed and take counter-measures. In Prometheus, our hero instead just correctly *intuits* that someone (or something) is wrong. His "field insticts" being the excuse offered for this disappointing cop-out.
In the two most critical scenes of the book, our hero is simply bailed out via deus ex machina, two miraculously well-timed appearances of a new ally(?) saving him from certain doom.
The combat is very uninspired, don't be expecting any subtleties of maneuver in Prometheus. The villains can't aim, and the hero always wins through thanks to a [cough]dramatic[cough] "I can't miss this next shot. I just can't!" moments.
Just like T.V. action, the bodies can pile up without the authorities responding in time to do anything more than mop up.
The bloodbath with the Spanish pilgrims is the worst example of this. The bad guys decide that nailing Bryson is more important than subtlety, and open fire on the huge crowd of pilgrims he is blending into. The police still haven't swarmed the area by the time he comes out after holing up for a bit in a nearby church. Yet more baddies are posted right on the street among the milling pilgrims for the next wave of the attack. And not a cop in sight,nothing at all stops them from again opening fire!?
The plot as a whole is even worse, skip this paragraph if you don't want to read spoilers. The synopsis? The dastardly Prometheus group brings super-spy Bryson out of retirement in order to hunt *themselves* down and play havoc with *their own* operation, all while having Bryson under satellite surveillance and watching him do it. Just for laughs, they throw some obstacles his way. It must have been just for laughs, at least, because there is no other reason I can why they would not have just told their minions where to go get him instead of having them grope around in the dark.
I'm not joking, that's the plot. It looks like Ludlum decided where the twists of his stories would come in during his first draft, planning to backwards rationalise a conspiracy that would justify it later on, and incorporating the finished whole into the next draft. But he was ill and didn't get that far, so the plot in Prometheus makes absolutely no sense.
The writing as a whole was very low quality. As well as the above items, there are blatant faults with the characterisation, dialogue, etc. The writer's voice does not sound at all like Ludlum. It looks like they brought someone else in to fill it up when Ludlum could no longer continue. OTOH, it could just be that his illness had eroded his powers to the point where Ludlum the author had already passed away before Ludlum the man had.
Nobody's surprised that the professional reviewers all gave glowing praise with lots of superlatives, since their reviews of a big name take so many factors into account (with the book itself a minor one), but I WAS surprised that so many professional sounding reviewers here at Amazon heaped praise too.
One guy said that this was his favourite book ever??? Could sophisticated readers really have thought so highly of THIS book?
Curious, I clicked the review histories of some of these reviewers to see how they rated various other products. Hmm, all I can say is that *some* of the review histories made me realise that the publishers see Amazon.com reviews as yet another arena for marketing (and free!).
So keep in mind when considering this book that it may be rated (3 stars ATM) higher than it should be. I strongly recommend avoiding this cynical cash-grab, and advise you to look to Ludlum's fantastic earlier works instead.
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