Customer Reviews

The Scorpio Illusion

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Another best seller from Ludlum, the author of 29 books that have sold over 210 million copies worldwide is an interesting, enjoyable book.

Ludlum is a master storyteller specializing in intrigue, suspense, and action thrillers full of conspiracies, violence and fast pace, movement, energy and action. Scorpio Illusion has all of these. The basic story line is fairly simple and thin;

Amaya Bajaratt, a western women married to an Arab revolutionary is also an accomplished terrorist. After the death of her husband in an encounter with Israeli commandos, she embarks on a mission of revenge.
An unnamed terrorist organization having taken up a contract sponsored by "scorpios", assigns the mission of assassinating the American President to this woman terrorist. When she starts putting her action plan together western intelligence agencies start smelling the rat which makes them alive to the developing conspiracy.

They manage to recruit Tyrell Hawthorne, an ex-naval intelligence officer with impeccable accomplishments to his credit, who had quit the job after mysterious death of his wife under suspicious circumstances. Hawthorne single handedly (mostly) manages to unravel the mystery, trace the plot and the links, thwart the plan,kill the terrorist and save the world from chaos which were engineered by scorpios, the secret organization.The whole fun is in reading about how he manages all this!

The basic story has no suspense as such since the identity of the assassin, as well as the target and the persuer are well known in the first chapter itself, and the outcome too is fairly predictable, but still the author manages to get the reader glued to the book with fast paced action, multiple layers of intrigue, and interesting situations over a vast backdrop and wider canvass of characters. The scenes cover a huge landscape ranging from Palestine to Europe, Caribbean, and US.

Credibility has never been a forte of Ludlum. His every book has a powerful,super secret,underground organization with unlimited tentacles,unlimited resources, reach, and power...only to be exposed and ultimately destroyed by one man, the hero!. This book has Scorpios as the secret organisation which Hawthorne manages to defeat and destroy.

Since Ludlum uses this sub-plot of a super-powerful, secret organisation wanting to control the world in every book of his, obvious question that comes to my mind is whether Ludlum really believes in it, or he has adopted it as a surefire successful formula, like the "lost & found" formula patented by Hindi fillums!

Anyway, Ludlum books are a fun to read, and this book too is an enjoyable thriller of vintage Ludlum variety, but does not leave a lasting impression as his Bourne series, Parsifal series, and Acquitaine progression did.

I am a fanatical follower of Robert Ludlum. There was at one time I believe that NOBODY on the face of God's green earth who could compete with his sheer creative power to write a thriller of epic size. Sad to say however, as in all things, a good thing can't always last forever. Now that isn't to say that 'The Scorpio Illusion' wouldn't stand up to just about any OTHER spy/thriller out there, it's just that after so many years, Ludlum seems to be re-telling the same story in a different setting here. I can't put my finger on it, but suffice it to say there was something oddly familiar at the heart of this book that reminded me of at least two other Ludlum stories. With that said, Ludlum STILL manages to keep the pace flowing at amazing speed and kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. For MY money, the all-time greatest spy/thriller novels came from Ludlum in the 70's and 80's. But if you are a Ludlum fan, pick this one up anyway, it's still really good.

Robert Ludlum's The Scorpio Illusion - A fast paced story of a woman obssessed with "Death to all authority", a very reluctant navy commander willing to help for a price, a secret organization helping with ulterior motives of its own. Amaya Bajaratt, the most notorious of terrorists out of the Baaka Valley, swore "Death to all Authority" as revenge for her lost childhood and her husband's death and she is known for accomplishing the impossible. Now intelligence agencies across four countries need to co-ordinate their efforts to find and stop her while time flies and people die... and they don't even have a picture of the woman. Commander Tyrell Hawthorne, one of the best there was, left the world of undercover and with the efforts of British and French Intelligence he is recruited to help. With the top ranks infilterated by "The Scorpions", Amaya is helped through different situations and assisted towards her goal -- none other than killing the President of United States of America. As the clock ticks towards D-day and people co-ordinating start dying, its a battle between brains and brawn.. leading to a nail biting conclusion. Robert Ludlum keeps you coming back for more.

this was only the 2nd ludlum book i have read & i was very impressed. The plot, although slightly unrealistic, keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. the only thing that got to me by the end was ALL the killing--that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it just seemed that for the last few hundred pages, someone was killed every few pages. and i would recommend keeping a pen and paper near by to keep track of who is in charge and where they are. i thought that "Tye" was a believable character and that jackson was a laugh a minute. amaya was very resourceful, considering the circumstances. at any rate--this will not be the last ludlum book i buy.

Its not that I don't like Robert Ludlum, its just that this book really doesn't stand out. Its one of those books that you have in your possesion so you know you read it. At the end of the day you just can't recall a single detail about it.

If you want a book that the author put some serious thought into read "Bourn Idenity" or even "Road to Omaha".

Overall-This one just doesn't cut it

I like Ludlum, but I can't put a finger on it. Is the story complex or muddled? Is the writing style brilliant or ponderous? Is the plot intertwined with unexpected surprises that challenge the reader to keep up, or is it just plain vague? I asked myself these questions often when I read a Ludlum novel, but I never stop being completely absorbed, challenged and entertained.

It's been several years since I have read Ludlum. It's good to be back. The international spy genre is fascinating because seemingly small people and inconsequential events can bring about cataclysmic results. I loved 'Thirteen Days' (the movie). There was no action but the dilemma and subtle decision making created an intense build up. My favorite Tom Clancy novel... 'Cardinal of the Kremlin'. Small seemingly inconsequential bits of information extracted from the Kremlin and we have a rip roaring adventure. Ludlum is just like that. The plot can be subtle, but it requires lots of conspiracy and heavy action in order to divert worldwide disaster.

I could pick this story apart and possibly find holes, but is that Ludlum's fault or did I not read diligently enough. I mean, how did the title underground organization exist for so long, then make unnecessary errors that nearly brought about its demise? But then, who in the underground organization was working against the underground organization? Who in the upper echelons of international governments are working against the people they serve? Who is friend? Foe? Trustworthy?

Robert Ludlum has just the right muddled, ponderous, vague method to deliver a surprising, brilliant, complex story. Always a fun challenge!

I would like to make it clear that Ludlum will have to reinvent himself to catch up with the times. What was great reading in the 70s is not gonna cut now. The material in this book is essentially recycled from his earlier books and today's soap operas. Please, give us something realistic and new. That is all I am gonna say Robert!

Not a bad book, nothing compared to his older ones though! Dontbuy his new books, they are mostly ( ) and plotless just a matter ofkilling as many as the person can, like in this book, get Matarese Circle, one of the best he has written!

This book rocked my world during the 1 week I read it. It starts very thrilling and gets more and more thrilling all the time all the way to the end. This is the only book by Ludlum I've read, but I know for sure that it won't be for long. You just don't want to give it up for anything, neither sleeping nor eating! Get this book immediately, it's worth every single penny, I personally asure you of that.

This is a really good, typical Ludlum book. You've got a spy story mixed with the right amount of adventure, back-stabbing, violent plans, and assassination attempts, all combining to form a very good book. The novel can be quickly summed up by saying a retired CIA operative is recruited to stop a world-class terrorist from killing the President. But by limiting yourself to just that you miss a lot of the intricacies that are so much a part of Ludlum's novels. There are always twists and turns in his stories which help to keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Although, I must say that other Ludlum novels that I've read before always seemed to be more complicated than this one. It had its twists but not as many as I remember other novels having. Either way though, Ludlum is still a master at weaving intricate spy stories.