Product Description

Jason Bourne returns to Georgetown University and the mild world of his alter ego, David Webb, hoping for normalcy. But after so many adrenaline-soaked years of risking his life, Bourne finds himself chafing under the quiet life of a linguistics professor.


Aware of his frustrations, his academic mentor, Professor Specter, asks for help investigating the murder of a former student by a previously unknown Muslim extremist sect. The young man died carrying information about the group's terrorist activities, including an immediate plan to attack the United States.


The organization, the Black Legion, and its lethal plot have also popped up on the radar of Central Intelligence, where new director Veronica Hart is struggling to assert her authority. Sensing an opportunity to take control of CI by showing Hart's incompetence, National Security Agency operatives plan to accomplish what CI never could-hunt down and kill Bourne.


In Europe, Bourne's investigation into the Black Legion turns into one of the deadliest and most tangled operations of his double life-the pursuit of the leader of a murderous terrorist group with roots in the darkest days of World War II-all while an assassin as brilliant and damaged as himself is getting closer by the minute . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59087 in Books
• Published on: 2008-07-29
• Released on: 2008-07-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 484 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Globe-trotting secret agent Jason Bourne returns in the third installment under the helm of Lustbader, who struggles to captivate as convincingly and effectively as Ludlum did in the original novels. Amid a cheesy prologue that features corny background music to set the mood, Jeremy Davidson speeds through the opening paragraphs at breakneck speed. Perhaps in an attempt to increase tension from the start, Davidson comes off sounding incredibly forced and somewhat uncomfortable. As the story progresses, he slows down but lacks any real authenticity. His characters are flat and uninspired, his performance monotonous and bland. A Grand Central hardcover. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Lustbader's third continuation of Ludlum's popular espionage series (after The Bourne Legacy and The Bourne Betrayal) finds Jason Bourne trying to unravel the terrorist plot of a previously unknown Muslim group. Audie Award nominee Jeremy Davidson does an outstanding job creating distinctive voices for the multitude of American, British, and Eastern European characters, but their sheer number and the constant switching of settings will test listeners' attention spans, and the musical cues employed during the action sequences are cheesy. Nevertheless, recommended for public libraries owing to the series' continuing popularity.—Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. Lib.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"Don't ever begin a Ludlum novel if you have to go to work the next day." (Chicago Sun Times )

"A hearty serving of meat and potatoes action adventure, just the sort of fare that both Ludlum's and Lustbader's fans relish." (Publisher Weekly on The Bourne Legacy )

Customer Reviews

Pretty Lackluster, I agree...
To agree with a few previous reviewers, I thought this title was pretty mediocre compared to the earlier Bourne books, and others I've read in the genre. The plot was a bit confusing at times, but I expect some of that in an action-thriller. My main problem was that the character of Jason Bourne was incredibly shallow! Much more time was spent developing the character of his nemesis in the book.

There were definitely a few grammatical errors and typos. Something else that annoyed me: Lustbader seems to be in love with the word "preternatural" and used it every time he could throw it in there. Why use a little-known word so often when a simpler one would suffice? Also, his knowledge of weaponry, spycraft, etc seems very sketchy-- an "HK 1911 .45" handgun is something that doesn't exist, for example. The action scenes and fighting scenes were confusing and difficult to understand as a reader. If you've ever read someone like Clancy, this will sound to you like it's been written by an 8th grader... Lustbader is much, much better at describing beautiful scenery and vistas than he is at describing action and espionage.

My other problem with the book was more subjective. If you're like me, you may get tired in this day and age of things that smack of anti-Americanism. In this book, the NSA is depicted as wholly evil, and the only military man (the general) is a ridiculous caricature of every negative military stereotype you've ever heard. I realize that there need to be villains, but I found it a bit silly. The subject of waterboarding is raised, and it's treated as the most horrible, inhumane thing that's ever been seen on earth. However, numerous people are shot, stabbed, tortured and maimed in far more damaging and invasive ways without a second mention.

The Best of the Lustbader Books to Date About Jason Bourne
This is the third book written by Eric Van Lustbader about Jason Bourne. As I've commented before, this isn't the same Jason Bourne as Robert Ludlum wrote about. If you want that Jason Bourne, skip this book. It's also different from the wonderful ninja stories that Eric Van Lustbader is known for. So don't look for that either.

If you are interested in meeting and following a new Jason Bourne, read on. If you do decide to read The Bourne Sanction, I strongly suggest that you read The Bourne Betrayal first. The characters and the situation won't make much sense to you otherwise. I suspect that you will see this book as a one or two star effort.

As the book opens, there's a deadly secret being passed along to help foil a dangerous terrorist plan. The U.S. intelligence community is in great turmoil, and there are lots of people who want to grab the reins of power. Jason Bourne has resumed his David Webb persona and is teaching again. Events quickly conspire to intertwine those plot threads into a huge conflict that imperils even Jason Bourne.

Like The Bourne Betrayal, this book is too long. But it's only 150 pages too long, rather than 200 pages too long. That's progress.

The book's strength can be found in some of the action scenes and in the plot twists that are deeply embedded into the early Bourne stories. The book's weaknesses are that it moves too slowly, Bourne is barely present as a personality, and there's a little too much assuming that readers have read the last two stories.

I get the sense that Mr. Lustbader is beginning to get his sea legs under him in writing about Jason Bourne. I suspect the series will continue to get better from here. But what do I know? I'm just an optimist who is rooting for this series to work. I would miss the idea of Jason Bourne too much otherwise.

Bourne lives on
I completely enjoyed Mr. Van Lustbader's latest offering in the ongoing Jason Bourne saga. In this novel, Bourne is pitted against a particularly ruthless killer named Arkadin, whom I hope to see more of in the future. In all, the story is very fast-paced and entertaining, even if it seems to get a little complicated in parts. But the author does an excellent job of tying it all together. The action sequences are fascinating, specifically, the fight scenes. Jason Bourne is definitely not someone you want to pick a fight with. Thank you, Mr. Van Lustbader, for picking up where Mr. Ludlum left off and continuing the adventures of this fascinating character. I know some loyal Ludlum fans have been dissatisfied with the new Bourne novels; mostly, I think, because they can't see anyone else writing these stories but Robert Ludlum. But I think we have a very satisfying passing of the torch, and I think Mr. Van Lustbader has adopted Mr. Ludlum's favorite son quite nicely.