The Bourne Ultimatum

January 30, 1990
The literary faults and stylistic excesses that characterized The Icarus Agenda , The Gemini Contenders and other of Ludlum's works are present in his latest mammoth thriller, but fans will nonetheless cheer the return of his most popular character, David Webb, aka Jason Bourne, the assassin who never was. When the international terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal penetrates his civilian identity, Webb must again assume the Bourne persona to protect his wife and small children. In their renewed struggle, the two master assassins uncover the revived existence of Medusa, the sinister alliance that originally led to the establishment of the Bourne identity. In action that moves from the U.S. to Montserrat to Paris before concluding in Moscow, Bourne and his allies prove incredibly inept, barely escaping the Jackal's traps and failing in their repeated attempts to ambush him. The Ludlum trademarks are present: improbable bloodbaths, repetitive action, stilted and off-the-point conversations and--most annoying--the use of italicized words or entire paragraphs to simulate passion. This is formula writing that delivers even less than its meager promise.

This final title in the Bourne Trilogy weaves together all the major components that have made this series so popular: intense action; familiar characters, including Jason Bourne and his alter ego David Webb as well as Carlos the Jackal; the revival of the Medusa organization; and intricate plot threads. Scott Brick, in essence the voice of the series, having now narrated all three books, does not disappoint. His familiarity with the author's action-packed style and fast pace brings a continuity of performance that lends authenticity to the audio version. The only slight weak spot is Brick's delivery of foreign accents. Overall, the audio enhances the experience of the book and elevates the series to "classic," as opposed to "dated." M.O.B. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine