Yosmel

I've read this book at least five times now and it remains as my personal champion in the spy thriller genre; heck - it falls in my top 10 favorite books of all time.

If you've seen the movies and are hesitant to approach the books allow me to allay your fears - past the first 50 pages or so this isn't even the same STORY. Characters that are killed in the movies serve to play a central role across all 3 books, and characters that critical to the books (Carlos comes to mind) aren't even mentioned in the book. In short, they're both fantastic, but other than the name "Bourne" there really isn't much there to compare between the books and the movies.

Also, I thought Scott Brick did a fantastic job with the narration; I have no idea what other people are complaining about.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up - you'll love every second of it.

For the record - I devoured the first three books with abandon. George R. R. Martin's fourth entry into this marvelous series, however, leaves much to be desired. I struggled to get through it, forcing myself to listen while telling myself it would be worth it in the end. I was half right.

I think what stands out in my mind far above anything else is George R. R. Martin's decision to have *nothing* of substance really happen in this entire book. I've heard of filler on TV shows, but when you have them in books, especially when its the ENTIRE book, I really tend to question what the overall strategy is. To be fair, there are a few quick moments where Martin lays out obvious plot elements that will play a critical role in the books to come, but they are far too few and in between; you'd be better off reading a quick recap of these story elements somewhere else and skipping the book altogether.

Dotrice's performance... I'm not sure I have anything to add that hasn't already been said by previous reviewers. He takes a lacking story and makes it worse.


Overall I was dissatisfied with this book, but if you're like me you'll probably read it anyways. Just go into it knowing that you'll be gritting through it for the sake of completion and not for the sheer enjoyment that the previous entries will bring you.