Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Imperative

By: Eric Van Lustbader

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

The internationally known Jason Bourne can't help by feel connected to this case as he finds a man also with amnesia and the truth behind his identity could just save Bourne's life. The man Jason Bourne fishes out of the freezing sea is near death, half-drowned, and bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound. He awakens with no memory of who he is or why he was shot-and Bourne is eerily reminded of his own amnesia. Then Bourne discovers that the Mossad agent named Rebeka is so determined to find this injured man that she has gone off the grid, cut her ties to her agency, and is now being stalked by Mossad's most feared killer. Do the answers to these mysteries lie back in southeast Lebanon, in a secret encampment to which Bourne and Rebeka escaped following a firefight weeks ago?

The complex trail links to the mission given to Treadstone directors Peter Marks and Soraya Moore: Find the semi-mythic terrorist assassin known as Nicodemo. In the course of Bourne's desperate, deadly search for a secret that will alter the future of the entire world, he will experience both triumph and loss, and his life will never be the same. Now everything turns on the amnesiac. Bourne must learn his identity and purpose before both he and Rebeka are killed. From Stockholm to Washington, DC, from Mexico City to Beijing, the web of lies and betrayals extends into a worldwide conspiracy of monumental proportions.

©2012 Eric Van Lustbader (P)2012 Hachette

Thriller

I enjoyed the suspense and drama as Born survived the numerous plots to kill him.

good story

Story, characters great
F bombs not necessary. Jason Bourne stories are so hard to put down but I don't see the necessity for the foul language. They weren't like that in the beginning of the series.

Another good story

I wasn't hooked at first but it didn't take long! Pretty good and enjoyed it.

Narrative is plodding.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. While I've been an avid reader of Eric Van Lustbader for years and a fan of Ludlum's Jason Bourne novels, this one just didn't do it for me. I couldn't finish it. Maybe it had something to do with the constant repetition of the Spanish names. The storyline just started to plod along midway through the novel. This is not what I'd consider one of Lustbader's better efforts.

Has Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Imperative turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

What aspect of Holter Graham’s performance would you have changed?

He was ok.

Was Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Imperative worth the listening time?

No. In fact, I just couldn't finish listening about two thirds of the way through.

Any additional comments?

I think the Jason Bourne saga has run it's course.

Loved It

As with all Bourne books this one was one I could not ignore. True to form the suspense was ever present.
Holter Graham's narrative was second to none.
He can apply any and all accents and the right falsetto required to bring the characters to life!

Not up to the Bourne standard

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Story move slowly and did not have the typical Bourne aggressive storyline. While Bourne is part of the plot line, he is not the primary character. This was a little disappointing.

Would you ever listen to anything by Eric Van Lustbader again?

I would give him another try. His other books (Bourne and other stories) were entertaining.

Did Holter Graham do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Mr. Graham did fine. His voice inflection allowed you to imagine the different characters.

Could you see Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Imperative being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

This book, as written, would not make a strong movie or TV series. However, since Hollywood has already deviated from the Bourne story line, they could take the premise of the story and script it for the screen.

I'm a little disappointed in this book.

this book was a little dull and slow compared to all other books in this series. It's still a decent book but I would give it a six out of ten just because of how slow it is.

The audio was not pleasant.

The audio was poorly edited. Many voices, especially female characters, were far too low and whisper like. Turning the volume up to hear the dialog clearly results in very very loud narration.

The story is good. But please, Mr. Van Lustbader, come up with some new phrases. "as he stared out the Perspex window" being used every time someone is on a plane is getting old. This popped up about three books ago and is now an annoyance.

Another exciting extension of the Bourne saga

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes,I have read both Ludlum and Lustbader for many years and believe that Lustbader adds a different facet to the Bourne character. Lustbader expands the character slowly from a two dimensional killing machine to a splintered man that is on a journey of discovery.

What other book might you compare Robert Ludlum's (TM) The Bourne Imperative to and why?

I find myself comparing this to other Lustbader stories in the Bourne saga - as I have read (both myself and through Audio books) the whole series.

What does Holter Graham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I enjoy the narration of Holter Graham - his reading of the characters lends both credibility and excitement to the story (as does the editing and subtle music score).

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Bourne back to save us all - and himself

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - I believe that the credibility with the technical detail and the blossoming of the character is reminiscent of a Bond novel (Ian Fleming - all of which I have read in my youth).

boring listen

there are to many characters, and very hard to follow the storyline. to many of main characters died