The Gemini Contenders

By: Robert Ludlum

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Salonika, Greece: December 1939. In the dead of night, a clandestine order of monks embarks on a desperate mission: to transport a mysterious vault to a hiding place high in the Italian Alps. The sinister cache, concealed for centuries, could rip apart the Christian world. Now, as the Nazi threat marches inexorably closer, men both good and evil will be drawn into a violent and deadly hunt, sparking a relentless struggle that could forever change the world as we know it.

Praise for Robert Ludlum and The Gemini Contenders

“[Robert Ludlum’s] most ambitious novel . . . Its twist and turns carry the reader on a fast bobsled run. . . . A marvelously unflagging imagination.”—The New York Times

“A winner . . . one of those books you intend to put down after just one more chapter . . . suddenly it’s two in the morning and you’ve read the whole thing.”—United Press International

“A skyrocket of a book . . . The action never stops for a second.”—The Plain Dealer

“Packed full of excitement.”—The Denver Post

©1976 Robert Ludlum (P)1993 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"His most ambitious novel. Its twists and turns carry the reader on a fast bobsled run.... A marvelously unflagging imagination." (The New York Times)

“A winner . . . one of those books you intend to put down after just one more chapter . . . suddenly it’s two in the morning and you’ve read the whole thing.” (United Press International)

Not my Favorite

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I got bored with this one. I love Ludlum's stuff, but the characters were too hard to follow and I found it hard to listen to. I gave it back

If you’ve listened to books by Robert Ludlum before, how does this one compare?

This is the first Ludlum book I did not enjoy

Which character – as performed by Grover Gardner – was your favorite?

None of the character development worked for me

Do you think The Gemini Contenders needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I didn't finish it

Any additional comments?

I'm a big Ludlum fan. Others may enjoy this one but I stopped about a third of the way through.

A struggle

The story was bland to say the least. Absolutely no character development, shaky plot line, terrible explanation as to why characters are behaving and their drives. The narrator didn't help either. He kept confusing his accents and characters. I wouldn't read it again.

an obvious picked up and put down work in progress

What was most disappointing about Robert Ludlum’s story?

what the secret manuscripts in the end supposedly contained (highly blasphemous) and the disjointed plot.

Have you listened to any of Grover Gardner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

great reader

Well-written thrill-ride of religious antiquity.

Historical fiction at it's best! A tightly woven account regarding the pursuit of truth within religion. Mesmerizing, thought-provoking and plausible.

drawn out

1st half was great second half seemed a bit drawn out and almost unnecessary altogether.

The Gemini Contenders post-WWII

I like Grover Gardner as the narrator of Robert Ludlum's novel, The Gemini Contenders. Sorry that the story tries to bring doubt to a religious faith that probably a billion people follow, if not more.

very dry and dull

The beginning was extremely dry and boring, I couldn’t get passed it. As usual, Grover was great. The material just wasn’t very good.