84 of 91 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Calliope Would Approve Of Mr. Ludlums Prometheus, November 2, 2000
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.
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54 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best Ludlum in at least a decade, November 7, 2000
Maybe because I do so much flying for work, I've read a lot of Ludlum, but "The Prometheus Deception" really blew me away. For one thing, I happen to work in the tech sector, and the book was really smart in the way it touched on that world. I guess Ludlum's been writing books for three decades, but it turns out he really keeps up, the way a reality-based novelist ought to. Tom Clancy, watch your back! For another thing, the plot is incredibly inventive: the story elements in the first forty pages alone would have sufficed for a dozen run-of-the-mill thrillers. And then it just doesn't stop. Nobody's going to confuse Ludlum with Henry James, or Graham Greene for that matter. The writing is strong and vivid, but this is more of an amusement park ride than a wallow in existential despair. "Brighton Rock" it ain't, and thank god for that. I did have some complaints: the hero, Nicholas Bryson, is actually too skillful - hell, he's practically invincible, to the point that plausibility is a bit strained. I miss the slight cluelessness of some of Ludlum's earlier protagonists, like Noel Holcroft or Joel Converse. But these are minor misgivings. Overall, this novel--which I started on a plane from Seattle to New York and finished on the back again -- left me with a great buzz. As a Ludlum fan, I also found it heartening to think that there might be more like this one to come. This summer I read "The Hades Factor," or the first half of it anyway. It was shockingly bad. And since "The Apocalypse Watch" and "Matarese Countdown" were sort of lame, I'd begun to worry that Ludlum had run out of steam. "The Prometheus Deception" put that worry to rest. The guy's back, and at the top of this game.
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