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Summary: Miss the Cold War??
Review: If you're like me, then you're probably starting to miss the wonderful spy novels that came out of the Cold War in the eighties. Now that "world peace" seems around the corner, the market for these novels has dissapeared.So, being stuck with books of the past, I highly suggest Robert Ludlum for the spy junkies who can't get enough. The style of writing is better than Tom Clancy, and the plots move along with the speed of light. In this book, two sworn enemies must work together to save their country from the brink of collapse. A must read!!
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Summary: Ludlum provides a novel which cann't be left unfinished
Review: Robert Ludlum is really capable of gripping you with full force with his work. This book is one of best novels i have read. If you haven't read it and you like thrill ,you must read it.After reading this novel i feel i should read all of Ludlum's novels Two best people with striking similarities and ready to kill each other coming together to save the world from a circle of killers.The circle which has penetrated all the governments, which is capable of bringing the superpowers dangerously close to a world war and is all set to capture the world.
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Summary: Amazing use of figurative images
Review: In The Matarese Circle by Robert Ludlum, figurative images (literary devices) are used much in conversation between the two rival spies, Brandon Scofield and Dimitri Talaneikov. This language much strengthens the novel. First, it gives the reader a glimpse into the main characters' professions. Second, it shows the reader how both the characters think and how similar their thoughts are. And finally, the reader sees how these two spies can send each other messages according to unique understandings.
The first way figurative images strengthen the novel is that they give the reader a glimpse into the two spies' professions. The reader learns what kind of code spies use in messages; how code words have double meanings just like a figurative image. They ultimately pull the reader in this way rather than leaving him/her confused.
The second way figurative images strengthen the novel is that they show how both of the main characters think and how similar their thoughts are. In the beginning when their meeting place is room 505, both characters are caught up in the idea that they are going to kill each other since they both realize that the number "0" must mean death. This gets the reader more in touch with the two characters, and even though they are enemies, how alarmingly similar they are.
The final way figurative images strengthen the novel is that the main characters are shown to be very alike and aware of each other's thoughts because of their ability to send each other messages based on unique understandings. Numerous times throughout the novel messages are sent to one another using figurative images instead of decipherable writing, and the recipient is able to figure out the message without blinking, because the images are related to past events in their mutual history, not on code regularly used by spies.
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Summary: Old yet thrilling fresh!!!
Review: I read this book probably ten or eleven years ago. It's greatness impelled me to revisit it. I have always liked Ludlum and this second time around made it even much more sweet because the power of the Matarese Circle is still alive. This novel is about a memorable dynasty, two arch-enemies that will band together for redemption. Good reading!
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Summary: A fantastic story that still holds the attention today!
Review: Although this was written some time back, this classic RobertLudlum thriller kept my attention from beginning til end and wasextremely hard to put down - even missing my station on the London Underground whilst working and commuting down there! The story concerns a CIA agent, Brandon Scofield whose wife was murdered by the KGB some years back. He must join forces with the KGB agent who killed his wife to defeat a resurgence of the Matarese Corsican Brotherhood who are infiltrating governments around the world in a covert takeover bid. Along the way there's plenty of action and surprise twists. Ludlum is a superb writer who obviously researches his locations - having been to Amsterdam and Moscow I could relate to these parts well. Fast-paced and hard to fault!
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Summary: Fantastic Spy Novel--You Can't Put It Down
Review: This is the first book I've ever read by Ludlum, and it was absolutely fantastic. I read the whole thing in two days. You can tell it was written in the early 80's, when the U.S. and Russia were still enemies, and before e-mail existed. But that does not detract from the story. Basically, two top spies, one Russian, and one American--and both mortal enemies, become outlaws from their respective governments. Yet, both end up working together to prevent "The Matarese," who originate in Corsica, from taking over the world. Really, really fantastic.
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Summary: LUDLUM PEAK
Review: I think there're at least two different Ludlum: the one from his first books (most of them heavily related to WWII like "Thirteen at Zurich" or "Holcroft") and the one from his more evolved products, most of them based upon the idea of a very little ultra powerful organization (almost ever within a major government or with close ties with one, specially US, but with no real acknowledge of this informal chamber from the visible government) which in turn becomes something like spionage books... but they're not. Le Carre is by far the real master in the genre if you look for real and human heroes and spies in some awful predicament. Clancy is the master if you look for acurate descriptions of the technology involved and the balance of power of the world. Either one of them could be telling a real story.
This is not the case with Ludlum, indeed. If you want "real action", "real heroes", "plausible plots in the real world" go look for them somewhere else. This is fast-pace action (almost always: in the "second Ludlum" I was talking about there are some heroes who are not spies, marines or mercenaries but professors or writers and these books are a little slower) in glamorous locations (a secretive Switzerland bank with numbered accounts and very ellegant lobby and offices is a must in these books) in France or Greece with archiultrasupermillionaries foes devoted to conquer the world makes you think sometimes in "Pinky & the Brain" toons series. In Ludlum' books you can find a hot-track pursuit in the middle of Paris at rush hour with bullets everywhere for ten or more pages and every time the heroe is about getting caught, suddendly the author tells you that the character had special trainment fitted for this trance long ago at some secret corps in the US Marines at Laos in a secret mission after VietNam war... you got the picture. Nevertheless, if you have an open mind and enjoy adventures novel and like Bond films and you're able to believe in characters like Rambo or Indiana Jones, you're in for a good time with this book, which is, alongside "Bourne identity" the peak of Ludlum in this line of works.
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Summary: the matarese cirlce a suspenseful story of espionage
Review: This book draws you in and does not let you go. this book is about two spies, one working for russian intelegence and the other working for u.s. intelegence have a stickey situation where they want the other dead but fear there own lives are in danger due to a secret scociety called the matarese. this book is filled with suspense, drama, non stop action and most of all you get a look into the secret life of secret agents.
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Summary: Woodside Review
Review: This was another great fast-paced book by Robert Ludlum. I was on the edge of my chair throughout the whole novel. It makes you guess whether things that happen in this book could really happen. I would recomend this book for anyone who is a fan of Ludlum, or anyone who likes spy and fast paced novels.
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Summary: Could it be real?
Review: This book is really heavy to read, it has to many characters and to many places, the advantage is that many of them are killed in the same chapter so you don't have to follow everybody's story, but is a good one, it keeps you reading, the only thing that I don't know is if it could be real that a spy form USSR and a spy from USA could work together, is a heavy and a nice reading.
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