Friday, February 8, 2013

The Janus Reprisal, by Jamie Freveletti

This book is another that attempts to leverage the late Robert Ludlum; the cover reads, "from the creator of Jason Bourne."   It just isn't worth reading.  Let's just say a grade of C-.   The plot was overly obtuse, and huge blocks were simply unreadable.  I got into the habit of skimming past any section that was composed of terrorists in dialogue because they were too annoying to read.

This isn't even worth reading if you've nothing to do.  Instead, download a sudoko game to your smart phone.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The Bourne Imperative, by Eric van Lustbader

Robert Ludlum created the spy character Jason Bourne.  After his death, Mr. Lustbader cut a deal to continue to write novels featuring this character.   I can only assume that Mr. Ludlum is now spinning in his grave.  Why?

The lead character, Bourne, not only lacks development, he lacks personality.  Speaking of character development, not a single one is believable or interesting.  The plot is more contrived, stretched, and twisted than imaginable.   The writing is generally okay, for whatever that's worth given these comments.

Is this book good for anything?  (Other than a door stop; it is 576 pages.)    Well, yes.  In spite of all my criticism, it was a good enough read for hanging out in a doctor's office.  Paying only partial attention to this novel doesn't lead to missing anything.