The Apocalypse Watch [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Robert Ludlum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

Drew Lathan, Special Officer for Consular Operations in Paris, takes on the identity of his CIA-operative brother, Harry, to uncover the truth about a dangerous neo-Nazi conspiracy that has links to the highest levels of U.S. and world power. 600,000 first printing. $200,000 ad/promo.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

American agent Harry Latham has prenetrated the fortresslike mountain hideaway of the Brotherhood of the Watch, a neo-Nazi organization that was born in the days after the fall of the Third Reich. After three years in deep cover, Latham has suddenly disappeared. His brother Drew, Special Officer for Consular Operations in Paris, is frantic to discover Harry's fate. But when Harry resurfaces, he's carrying dangerous cargo: an explosive list of the secret supports of the Brotherhood, including high-ranking US officials. Why has the Brotherhood let him live? Can Drew Latham still trust his own brother? Drew's search for the truth about Harry and the growing Nazi threat to the free world will plunge him into a labyrinth of deceit and death. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

While Ludlum's readers will probably scoop up his latest thriller come what may, they may be disheartened to find it has a virtually suspenseless plot. Brilliant deep-cover American agent Harry Latham is captured and implanted with a mind-control microchip after he penetrates the secret Austrian headquarters of a contemporary movement to restore the Nazis to world domination. Programmed with false information incriminating legions of high-level officials around the free world, Harry is allowed to escape. Debriefed by the CIA in London, he contacts his brother Drew, also a secret agent for American Consular Operations in Paris. After revealing the name of one Nazi, Harry is assassinated by the sinister Brotherhood of the Watch, prompting Drew?aided by Karin de Vries, the beautiful and mysterious widow of Harry's former partner?to assume his identity. Dodging bullets from a seemingly endless series of assassination attempts, Drew and Karin, who become lovers, try to save the world?or at least London, Paris and Washington, from pollution of their water reserves by toxic attack via Nazi aircraft. Ludlum's first novel, The Scarlatti Inheritance, which appeared nearly a quarter century ago, dealt with Nazis. That his latest does, too, offers scant testimonial to his thematic imagination. His prose hasn't improved in the interim, either; it's still generic and blustery, if capable of hurtling across pages. What has changed is his plotting, once as dizzying yet as balanced as a gyroscope but now wobbly and predictable at the same time. That said, his fans probably won't care that there's absolutely nothing here that Ludlum hasn't done before. BOMC main selection; major ad/promo; audio rights to BDD Audio.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 988 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Pub Inc (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568952384
• ISBN-13: 978-1568952383
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,233,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After a successful career in the theatre, Robert Ludlum launched his career as a best-selling writer with THE SCARLATTI INHERITANCE in 1971, the first of twenty-two consecutive international bestsellers. Robert sadly passed away in March 2001.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sappy dialogue aside, it could be better, but still okay..., April 18, 2001

By 

Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Apocalypse Watch (Paperback)

It seems to me that Robert Ludlum who, during the 70's and 80's could do absolutely NO wrong when it came to writing the best spy novels EVER, is still living IN the 70's...as far as writing goes. Let's face it, NONE of Ludlum's novels are gonna win any awards based on the dialogue of his characters...b-u-u-u-t if you are searching for the guy who could propel a novel based upon sheer narrative talent alone, Ludlum would win hands down.

As I read 'The Apocalypse Watch' I kept getting the distinct impression--at first--that this was a direct sequel to the wonderful 'Holcroft Covenant'...but that isn't quite the case. Then after reading a bit further, I felt that this was a quasi-re-write of 'Covenant' instead...but again, that isn't quite the case, either. As far as plot goes, it wasn't exactly Ludlum's most original, but I have to say, it certainly moved with the usual pace of his average thrillers. As I read this book, I felt somewhat saddened that truly one of the great Adventure/Thriller authors of all-time had begun to reach that point where his edge, his ability to be fresh has started to come to an end. What seems to have started with 'The Scorpio Illusion' has now continued with 'The Apocalypse Watch' and although I have high hopes for his future novels, it DOES appear that the 'absolute master of the superthriller' has seen the decline of his ability to dominate the audience he himself helped to create. But even so, I still enjoyed this book more than a LOT of other novels released in the past 5 years or so that were hailed as genius literary works of art. In my opinion, Ludlum just cannot escape his earlier novels, and his faithful reading audience has a very difficult time indeed reading his books without comparing them to his other tremendously entertaining novels. If we could do that, his novels (including his more recent ones) would stand up rather well.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting espionage adventure on a well-used subject!, July 17, 2000

By 

Mr N Forbes-warren "author of RESURGENCE and ... (Newport, South Wales, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Apocalypse Watch (Paperback)

Ludlum is back. Once again, an evil group of former military and industrialists is planning to reshape the world - now who is the protagonist THIS time? Hmmm. Anyway, this is a cracking thriller in the usual Ludlum mould. You'll either love this or hate this, judging by the other review I've read. I loved it, in spite of a few inaccuracies in some of the German grammar(it's Ihrer MAnn and not Ihr Mann, to pick but a few) and military procedures. But then again there's poetic license. In this book, Harry Latham, a Consular Operations agent, has infiltrated a neo-Nazi base and stumbled upon a plan of diabolical proportions. He undergoes neurosurgery and becomes one of them, then returns to Paris where neo-NAzis are infiltrating the FRench government. When he is murdered, his brother Drew is ordered to assume HArry's identity and seek revenge on his death. Along the way there's plenty of plot twists and sticky situations for Drew and his love interest KArin de Vries to get out of. And is her husband really dead? What secret is being held from the world by the Fourth Reich? What exactly is OPeration Water Lightening? Read and find out, you won't regret it. Mainly exciting and page-turning, but sometimes predictacle reading that requires no thought. On the whole, if you're new to Ludlum, try THE MATARESE CIRCLE and THE BOURNE IDENTITY first and then read this one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not one of Ludlum's best, November 8, 2002

By 

Florence Dove (Broad Brook, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Apocalypse Watch (Hardcover)

In the past, I have enjoyed Ludlum's novels. So it was with great anticipation that I opened the pages of this one. What a diappointment! After 150 pages I was still waiting for the book to improve, but alas, it was not to be. The main character/ "hero" Drew Latham is so wretched conceived that if stupidity were an Olympic event, he would rate a perfect score of 10 from every judge. He simply isn't believable and neither were any of the other characters. Pass this one by, and reread The Holcroft Covenant or The Matarese Circle.