The Sigma Protocol

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, thought-provoking read
Review: This is one of those books that you just can not put down. There are so many twists, you just got to keep reading to find out what is about to happen.

Ludlum takes you for a literary thrill-ride you shouldn't miss.

The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it ends a bit sudden. The main storyline certainly comes to an end, but I almost wish for a small second part, since there is so much potential fur future developments or additional explanations.

Rating:
Summary: Dissapointed
Review: I tried my best to enjoy Ludlum's Sigma Protocol, but towards the end I found myself struggling to finish the book.

First of all there are WAY TOO MANY INSIGNIFICANT CHARACTERS. From the first moment a new character is introduced, to the next time you read about that character again, you forget his/her significance because so many other characters are thrown in between. I had a very hard time trying to remember who's who and their role in the story.

Furthermore, I didn't sense any chemistry between Ben Hartman and Ana Navarro. I could only believe they were growing close because the story calls for you to logically believe so. After awhile, I honestly didn't care about their mission.

Word to the wise, if you're going to tackle this book, have a notepad handy to take notes. You'll find yourself referring back to your notes from time to time as you read on.

Rating:
Summary: Typical, entertaining Ludlum book.
Review: The good news: this is an honest to goodness, real live Ludlum book. Many of Ludlum's later books are "co-authored" and are not really done by Ludlum. They use Ludlum's
name and style to sell books. But, they are far inferior to the real thing. A recent example is the "Hades Factor", which is a poor imitation of a real Ludlum book. Now that
Ludlum has died, we will probably be seeing many more of these "co-authored" books.

The bad news: Ludlum wasn't a genius. So even though this is a good spy/adventure/suspense novel, it does have some minor problems, typical of Ludlum: Any characters
with a relationship to the main hero get killed off. It gets very predictable of who is going to die and when. The end of the book is a cliche, and you could tell exactly where it
was headed. ... The book goes on a little too long, and the middle gets to be tedious.

In spite of my complaints, this is still a very enjoyable book. Ludlum was always one of the best at writing action packed scenes and suspenseful story lines. This is not his
best, like the Bourne Identity, but it is one of his better stories, certainly better than the two Bourne sequels.

Rating:
Summary: Probably not Ludlum's best...
Review: I wouldn't recommend the Sigma Protocol unless you have already read (and enjoyed) some of Ludlum's other works. The "Sigma Protocol" seems to get gradually more predictable and tedius the more you read. I was particularly disappointed with the ending.

Rating:
Summary: No More Ludlum Books!
Review: He just needed a payday to put his name on this garbage. Did anyone at St Martin's Press read this before they fired up the presses? I doubt it. A must miss!

Rating:
Summary: Typical, entertaining Ludlum story
Review: The good news: this is an honest to goodness, real live Ludlum book. Many of Ludlum's later books are "co-authored" and are not really done by Ludlum. They use Ludlum's name and style to sell books. But, they are far inferior to the real thing. A recent example is the "Hades Factor", which is a poor imitation of a real Ludlum book. Now that Ludlum has died, we will probably be seeing many more of these "co-authored" books.

The bad news: Ludlum wasn't a genius. So even though this is a good spy/adventure/suspense novel, it does have some minor problems, typical of Ludlum: Any characters with a relationship to the main hero get killed off. It gets very predictable of who is going to die and when. The end of the book is a cliche, and you could tell exactly where it was headed. It turns out to be a rip off of Star Wars, but you can see it coming. The book goes on a little too long, and the middle gets to be tedious.

In spite of my complaints, this is still a very enjoyable book. Ludlum was always one of the best at writing action packed scenes and suspenseful story lines. This is not his best, like the Bourne Identity, but it is one of his better stories, certainly better than the two Bourne sequels.

Rating:
Summary: Tired of Nazi's
Review: Okay, Sigma Protocol started out great. But it quickly degraded into a "Castle Wolfenstein" knock-off, with our 'all-American-boy' hero, outwitting even the master agents with his quick wits, super-stealth and amazing talents of deduction. Too bad in his 'other life' Ben is really a banker. (I still can't figure out WHEN he got his helicopter pilot training).

I guess it may be just me, but I'm SO tired of Nazi's as the 'grand uber' villains in modern movies and films/ Can't you just have evil Germans? Do they all have to be Nazi's?

This Ludlum was great for the first half of the book, but quickly degraded into a James Bondish level of action which was far from believable. Overall, interesting, but a little drawn-out and farfetched, especially at the end.

Rating:
Summary: Typical Ludlum
Review: The Sigma Protocol is neither Ludlum's best nor worst work.

It is pure escapism without having to think to much about character motivation or plot reality. And that is typical Ludlum.

This is Hollywood at its best. The two "matinee idol" protagonists - Ben Hartman and Anna Navarro - get caught up in a series of twists and turns and, as to be expected, have more lives than the proverbial cat. And of course, there is also the enemy; the fiendish "corporate titans" who are convinced of their own immortality. For the backdrop, we are treated to a travelogue of cities and countries that most readers can only imagine. Obviously, this is a movie waiting to happen.

The main criticism I have of the book is that it is too long. Some of the middle chapters get a bit wordy and could have been cut without destroying the integrity of the book.

Otherwise it is entertainment: something I didn't have to think about. Typical of Robert Ludlum there are lots of deaths and the inevitability of the two main characters falling in love.

I have enjoyed Robert Ludlum's books over the years because I know I am in for some fun. If I wanted to think and involve myself in high drama, I would read Trollope, Dickens, Melville and Joyce. Great authors to be sure and should be read by all, but there is a time and a place for escapist entertainment as well.

By his death, the world has lost a master of entertainment. We will miss Robert Ludlum.

Rating:
Summary: Not Ludlum's best
Review: The plot is interesting, suspens is good, but the ending is too james-bondish

Rating:
Summary: Good, fast-paced Ludlum
Review: This is the story of an American investment banker who all of a sudden, while in Switzerland, becomes the prey to a series of assassins. The only other problem is that Ben Hartman doesn't know why.

As the story unfolds, Ben starts piecing together the reasons why this is happening to him, everything being linked to knowledge his twin brother possessed before his death.

The pace with which this novel is written brings the reader right into the "movie" being told, in true Ludlum style. Although I did find some unnecessary repetition and a "James Bondish" feel to the plot in the end, I did very much enjoy this book and do recommend it.