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books2010-11-02 05:12 pm
angel_negra) wrote in books2010-11-02 05:12 pm
Entry tags:
Book Rec: The Bourne Identity
The Title: The Bourne Identity
The Author: Robert Ludlum
The Rec:
I really loved this book. The movie that's based on this book is very good, but it's a bit of a head trip to read the book afterwards, because while the characters were brought over, a lot of them changed completely, so it's like reading an AU fanfic almost.
The Bourne Identity was written back before the big technological waves, so there's a lot of old school things like cablegrams, microfiche, and hard copy messages. Whether or not Ludlum did his homework, he sure makes it sound like he knows what he's talking about, and I did feel a ring of truth to his descriptions.
The plot is that our main character Bourne gets seriously injured and thrown into the ocean, where he's rescued by a boat of fishermen during a storm. One of his injuries was a bullet that grazed part of his brain, giving him amnesia. The doctor who fixes him also finds a piece of microfiche hidden under his skin, which leads Bourne to a bank in Zurich, where we find his name of Bourne.
And this is where things take an unexpected turn. The deeper Bourne digs into his history, the more questions he finds. It becomes a race to uncover the truth before anyone can kill him. And there are several large powers working against Bourne. The world's most famous assassin, Carlos, with a vast network of influence is trying to kill Bourne, and the a secret section of the US government is attempting much the same.
Early in the book, Bourne takes a female hostage, Marie - an economics specialist from Canada. She suffers an attempted rape from one of the bad guys, though Bourne comes to save her. As much as the rape annoyed me and how it was the main turning point for Marie eventually falling in love with Bourne, Marie's a pretty solid and interesting character. She's very good at snapping Bourne out of his funks and she's damned smart and actually comes up with some of the plots they use to fool the bad guys and get away.
I'm trying not to say too much about the plots themselves because I don't want to spoil it. Ludlum has an amazing talent for slipping in twists and turns into the narrative so seamlessly. Just when you think you've got a handle on where the book is going, another twist pops up. What really impressed me about this talent was that he managed this while seemingly spoiling us with information from other points of view. He's actively got four different story threads that loop in and out of each other and a choice in one will influence the other three in ways that you don't expect. It makes for some real edge of your seat reading.
I especially liked the ending. It both tied up the plots beautifully, but left enough open that I'm very much looking forward to reading the sequel.
The Author: Robert Ludlum
The Rec:
I really loved this book. The movie that's based on this book is very good, but it's a bit of a head trip to read the book afterwards, because while the characters were brought over, a lot of them changed completely, so it's like reading an AU fanfic almost.
The Bourne Identity was written back before the big technological waves, so there's a lot of old school things like cablegrams, microfiche, and hard copy messages. Whether or not Ludlum did his homework, he sure makes it sound like he knows what he's talking about, and I did feel a ring of truth to his descriptions.
The plot is that our main character Bourne gets seriously injured and thrown into the ocean, where he's rescued by a boat of fishermen during a storm. One of his injuries was a bullet that grazed part of his brain, giving him amnesia. The doctor who fixes him also finds a piece of microfiche hidden under his skin, which leads Bourne to a bank in Zurich, where we find his name of Bourne.
And this is where things take an unexpected turn. The deeper Bourne digs into his history, the more questions he finds. It becomes a race to uncover the truth before anyone can kill him. And there are several large powers working against Bourne. The world's most famous assassin, Carlos, with a vast network of influence is trying to kill Bourne, and the a secret section of the US government is attempting much the same.
Early in the book, Bourne takes a female hostage, Marie - an economics specialist from Canada. She suffers an attempted rape from one of the bad guys, though Bourne comes to save her. As much as the rape annoyed me and how it was the main turning point for Marie eventually falling in love with Bourne, Marie's a pretty solid and interesting character. She's very good at snapping Bourne out of his funks and she's damned smart and actually comes up with some of the plots they use to fool the bad guys and get away.
I'm trying not to say too much about the plots themselves because I don't want to spoil it. Ludlum has an amazing talent for slipping in twists and turns into the narrative so seamlessly. Just when you think you've got a handle on where the book is going, another twist pops up. What really impressed me about this talent was that he managed this while seemingly spoiling us with information from other points of view. He's actively got four different story threads that loop in and out of each other and a choice in one will influence the other three in ways that you don't expect. It makes for some real edge of your seat reading.
I especially liked the ending. It both tied up the plots beautifully, but left enough open that I'm very much looking forward to reading the sequel.