The Bourne Ultimatum (Bourne Series #3) Book

As the Ludlum portion of the Bourne series comes to an end with this book, I must say that this is surely a very thick (in all its senses) book, filled with great nuances. Completing the original trilogy at a time when spy games were all about actual deception and sleight of hand (rather than technology and the information highway) makes these books stand out for me. That said, Ludlum is, as he is accused of being, overly verbose in some areas and really could have watered down the description and yet still come out with a great book. While Bourne comes up against his greatest nemesis yet (the famed Carlos the Jackal), the book has the reader traipsing all over the place to ensure the Bourne family is safe and then hunting the Jackal until he can be found. The excitement near the end made up for sections of very slow reading and kept me from putting it down. While I admire Ludlum for his creativity, it was, at times, a little too much.

Ludlum's classics do portray Jason Bourne/David Webb in a certain way that will surely be hard to replicate in an era when technology is the key to the game. Eric Lustbader, the author who has taken over the series, will surely be placed in some large shoes and it is now up to the reader to determine how well they are filled. That said, if we are to be realistic here, Bourne was around 50 years old when this book took place (set in 1990), so he is surely aging over that time. I suppose we shall see if the reader must suspend reality and allow Bourne not to age over the 14 year hiatus, or whether Lustbader will pick up in the early 1990s, surely harder to do, with technology being what it is in the espionage game these days.

One small thing I must mention in this book, being a proud Canadian. I picked up on Ludlum's continual use of Mrs. Webb (Marie) in all three books as being part of the Canadian Government. She is, in Book 1, from Ontario and lived on a farm. In Book 2, she magically was growing up in the farming communities of Saskatchewan, yet was still a Francophone. (Those who know their Canadian, even Prairies geography, will see the issue). Then, in this book, we are back to tossing hay in Ontario. Keep those things clear, as there is surely a group of us who can tell and do pay attention.

I must admit the use of numerous languages does bring the book alive. The French is accurate and I can only assume that the German and Russian is also up to par. Makes the reader feel as though we are actually IN these places that are being discussed. There, my asides are complete.

Kudos Mr. Ludlum and thank you for setting the foundation for a great series. I do wonder if Lustbader will Hollywood-ise your work from now on. That said, I am eager to dive in to see how the post-Ludlum Bourne/Webb holds up!