The Bourne Legacy [Paperback]

Eric Van Lustbader (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 28, 2009

Once, Jason Bourne was notorious in the clandestine world of covert-ops as one of the CIA's most expert international killers for hire.  Out of the ashes of his violent past he's emerged today as a Georgetown professor, living a quiet life, retired from danger--until he narrowly escapes the bullet of a faceless assassin. And when two of Bourne's closest associates are murdered, Bourne knows that his legacy has followed him--and set him up as the prime suspect for the brutal crimes.

The quicksand of lies and betrayals is deeper than Bourne ever imagined.  Hunted by the CIA as a dangerous rogue agent, he has only one option to stay alive--and one last chance to stay one step ahead of an unseen assailant whose vengeance is personal. Pursued across the globe, Bourne's on the run, and on the edge of discovering the truth--that he's become the expendable pawn in an international terrorist plot.  One that's taking every living witness with it and plunging Bourne one step closer to the world-shattering consequences of...the Bourne Legacy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Veteran thriller maestro Lustbader (Black Heart, etc.) seizes the reins of Robert Ludlum's bestselling Jason Bourne series, proving that even Ludlum's death can't stop the ex-CIA operative. David Webb, a mild-mannered Georgetown professor, harbors his old Bourne identity deep within his psyche—except in moments of danger. A mysterious assassin, Khan, has targeted Webb. Seeking counsel from his old CIA handler, Alex Conklin, Webb arrives at Conklin's home to find him, along with Webb's psychiatrist and friend, Mo Panov, murdered. Unsurprisingly, it's a setup, and Webb is declared a rogue agent and the prime suspect. His only clue to the real killer is a pad of paper with a faint impression of the notation "NX 20." Meanwhile, in Reykjavik, preparations are underway for the upcoming summit on worldwide terrorism. Even the dimmest thriller reader will immediately intuit that Bourne, pursued by the world's leading intelligence agencies, will end up in Iceland confronting some evildoer out to wreak havoc on the international terror conference. And thus it comes to pass. Lustbader has wisely eschewed mimicking Ludlum's signature style—short punchy paragraphs with lots of exclamation points. His own prose, often cliche-ridden ("Khan felt as if his brain was about to explode. He was shaken to his very foundation"), is perfectly serviceable, effectively conveying the myriad cinematic hairsbreadth escapes, crosses, double crosses, explosions, furious fisticuffs and careening plot twists. It's a hearty serving of meat and potatoes action adventure, just the sort of fare that both Ludlum's and Lustbader's fans relish.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Three of Robert Ludlum's novels featured the fictional character Jason Bourne. Now comes a Bourne novel not by Ludlum but by Van Lustbader, the author of 20 novels that had nothing to do with Bourne. The publisher assures readers that the individuals who control Ludlum's estate have given their permission to create this new novel. Here and now, Bourne, described as "an international assassin of deadly repute," has retired from the CIA and is a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University. He has been framed for the murder of two associates and becomes the target of an assassin. The novel begins in Chechnya and continues in such diverse places as Nairobi, Crete, Washington, D.C., and Budapest. The many-paged narrative provides ample room for lots of action, including a body found in a refrigerator, "shared joy" between lovers, fistfights, gun battles, torture, and deceit. The Bourne Legacy reads much like Ludlum, which, of course, is exactly the point. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; Premium Edition edition (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312365284
• ISBN-13: 978-0312365288
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (191 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #590,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Van Lustbader is the author of more than twenty-five best-selling novels, including The Ninja, a New York Times bestseller for 24 weeks, in which he introduced Nicholas Linnear, one of modern fictions most beloved and enduring heroes. His New York Times bestselling novel, "The Testament," was published in September, 2006 and in paperback in August, 2007.
His novels have been translated into over twenty languages; his books are best-sellers worldwide and are so popular whole sections of bookstores from Bangkok to Dublin are devoted to them. The Ninja was sold to 20th Century-Fox. It is now in pre-production.
Mr. Lustbader is a graduate of Columbia College, with a degree in Sociology. Before turning to writing full time, he enjoyed highly successful careers in the New York City public school system, where he holds licenses in both elementary and early childhood education, and in the music business. He is a second-level Reiki master.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 88 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Ludlum betrayed August 8, 2007

By My honest opinion

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I purchased this book while on a layover between flights with high hopes. After having read the entire Bourne trilogy I longed for more, like many true afficionados of a memorable character. The only reason I didn't put this book down midway was that it was a choice between soap-operatic plot "twists" or the overpriced airline skymall catalog.

In the original storyline Jason Bourne is a tortured hero, being pushed and pulled by circumstances beyond his control and understanding due to his total lack of memory. He is discovering amazing and frightening skills that he didn't know that he had. Underlying this is a deep fear of what he is becoming along with a horror and guilt of what or who he may have been. His humanity and inner conflict make the character of Jason Bourne believeable. The secondary characters are equally well-developed and three dimensional. The action appeals to genre readers, but it is the character depth and development that causes this series to transcend the genre and appeal to a wider audience.

This is in sharp contrast to Lustbader's creation. It opens up with the "Jason Bourne personality" reasserting himself without thought to the cost or consequence of his actions, leaving his dearest possessions (his family) behind without a twitch. He has become a two-dimensional caricature of the original. Supporting characters that gave a continuity to the story are conveniently dismissed, probably due to the difficulty in making them believable. I mean, Lustbader couldn't even accomplish this with the main character, what would have happened to the supporting cast? He totally ignores age or skill limitations which Ludlum would have included, and relies on a plot cobbled together from recycled action-drama cliches. The result is that this story has more stitchmarks than Frankenstein's monster - and is about as attractive.

Robert Ludlum isn't just spinning in his grave - he's generating electricity. The only resemblence between the two authors is the first letter of their last names. I gave this book one star simply because negative numbers were not an option.

96 of 103 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing August 23, 2004

By J. F. Thompson

Format:Hardcover

Having read many of Ludlum's novels over the years, and having watched his style deteriorate somewhat as time passed, I had hopes that this new iteration of a Ludlum character would bring with it crisp, incisive writing.

It has not done so. Here are several examples of the sorts of sloppy mistakes that steal the joy of reading this book.

1 - a van Lustbader-invented assassin loads his sniper rifle with "the smallest caliber round it will take." What? Firearms by design and definition require a specific and single caliber of ammunition. Does this guy know nothing? And why in hell would he want the smallest caliber, if indeed there were such a thing? He never explains this weird concept.

2 - He has first-response cops showing up at a crime scene complete with tracking dogs. What? That's something that would be called in later at the discretion of the on-scene commander, rather than something that police officers routinely travel with.

3 - He has the Bourne character checking in with a motel clerk who is watching television. Bourne goes to his room, turns on his own TV, and finds himself featured as a wanted man on all channels. Yet he eats, showers, shaves and rests, never even apparently thinking that the check-in clerk, watching television, might have recognized him and might at that minute be calling out the mountes after him.

Just sloppy work for which there is no excuse. I doubt that even Ludlum himself would have written such drivel. Sorry, but it's very disappointing. Books are way too expensive these days to contain such second-rate crap.

-JT

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars A Swing and a Miss May 10, 2005

By Scott Masterton VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I am a fan of both Robert Ludlum and Eric Lustbader. Having said that, both do have one thing in common: they are either really "on" or really "off". In the case of The Bourne Legacy, Eric Lustbader I am sorrowful to say, is "off". It may have been that he was attempting to copy Ludlum's "workman" style of writing and in so doing lost his own voice. Whatever the case, THe Bourne Legacy did not do it for me.

In the original Bourne trilogy, Jason Bourne is a powerful and in control figure even in the face of insurmountable odds. Though the character is confused about his past and how it connects to his present and future, he still decides strongly and takes action. In Legacy, Lustbader draws him as a bumbling, two dimensional character barely able to hold his own and disconnected from his feelings, while occasionally catapulting his abilities to superhuman levels. This left me unable to suspend my disbelief and find a "place" for Jason Bourne in my psyche. Bourne seems plastic to me in this book as do the other characters and I never really empathyze enough with them to care about them.

I suspect that Lustbader works best in his own worlds and should possibly stay away from "playing" in another writers sandbox.

Whatever the case, I am sad to say that I had a really hard time finishing this novel. It left me empty and dissappointed. I will of course give Eric Van Lustbader another read as some of his books have been brilliant, but I will avoid any more of his Bourne novels and re-read the old Ludlum classics.