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    The Bourne Supremacy: Jason Bourne
    Unavailable
    The Bourne Supremacy: Jason Bourne
    Unavailable
    The Bourne Supremacy: Jason Bourne
    Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

    The Bourne Supremacy: Jason Bourne

    Written by Robert Ludlum

    Narrated by Darren McGavin

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

    Reenter the shadowy world of Jason Bourne, an expert assassin still plagued by the splintered nightmares of his former life. This time the stakes are higher than ever. For someone else has taken on the Bourne identity-a ruthless killer who must be stopped or the world will pay a devastating price. To succeed, the real Jason Bourne must maneuver through the dangerous labyrinth of international espionage-an exotic world filled with CIA plots, turncoat agents, and ever-shifting alliances-all the while hoping to find the truth behind his haunted memories and the answers to his own fragmented past. This time there are two Bournes-and one must die.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 4, 2000
    ISBN9780553753455
    Unavailable
    The Bourne Supremacy: Jason Bourne
    Author

    Robert Ludlum

    Robert Ludlum (1927-2001) was the author of 25 thriller novels, including The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum--the books on which the international hit movies were based--and The Sigma Protocol. He was also the creator of the Covert-One series. Born in New York City, Ludlum received a B.A. from Wesleyan University, and before becoming an author, he was a United States Marine, a theater actor and producer.

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    Reviews for The Bourne Supremacy

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      One of Ludlum's top three or four.
    • 5/5
      I first read this in college and was blown away by how good it was! I plan to re-read it and finish the series now that I feel I could handle the intelligently written book even better!
    • 3/5
      The Bourne Identity is the story of a man who loses his memory in a violent event at sea. He is rescued by fishermen and delivered to a doctor on a remote island south of France where his body is healed but his mind remains injured. Not knowing who he is and with only a single clue - a bank in Zurich and a bank account number surgically hidden on his body - the man leaves to find out the answers to who he is. From this basic premise Robert Ludlum introduces us to the very enigmatic man variously known as Jason Bourne, Cain, and Delta. Bourne must discover who he is, and in the process must fight for his life from the assassin Carlos and the US Government. The Bourne Identity was originally published in 1980, and maybe had I read the book back in the 80's (I grew up reading Tom Clancy, Larry Bond, and other similar writers) I might have given the book version a higher rating. Certainly the book is action-packed, moving rapidly across Europe and the US as Jason Bourne and his hostage/companion/lover Marie St. Jacques try to stay one step ahead of Carlos's assassins while trying to find Carlos to stop him. However, I have read the book version well after the Borne movies have been released starting Matt Damon. And because of that I have been spoiled and become jaded to the book. This is one of those rare instances where I think Hollywood has done a great job and made a product that is better than the book. The movie version and the book follow very similar paths at the beginning, introducing us to the character who loses his memory and must travel to Zurich to try and start to piece together who he is. But from there the book and movie take divergent paths. The Bourne of the movies is a soldier and assassin who is not only skilled at physical attacks but uses his wits. Matt Damon's Bourne is crafty and wily more often out smarting his opponents as opposed to confronting them and killing them (though he does his share of that too). Ludlum's Bourne is equally skilled in physical attacks and defense, but his wit is lacking. He is a fighting machine that charges through like a bull in a China shop, not a skilled tactician. There are glimmers of whit and intelligence, but usually Bourne just bumbles along making the situation worse. For example, in the book Borne is following one of Carlos's minions who leads Bourne to the famed assassin. Bourne - struggling with a terrible case of PTSD - blunders forward to attack Carlos, causing the assassin to flee and alert him that Bourne is close to him. I can only imagine that had the scene been played in the movie version (the writer's of the movie scoured all references the the mythical assassin from their version) that Damon's Bourne would have been able to slyly follow the assassin, leading him into a trap that would have given the advantage of the hunt to Bourne. In addition Ludlum's Bourne is kind of an asshole and thug more often than not. He uses force and intimidation rather than guile and diplomacy to get what he wants, and usually makes the situation worse because of it. I will chalk up some of this to Bourne suffering from amnesia and severe PTSD, but his actions greatly lessened my enjoyment of the character. The Bourne Identify is a good book, but it doesn't live up to the image that the Hollywood version has created for me of the character. If you enjoy action-packed books, with lots of twists and turns and quite a few gotcha type plot twists, then you will enjoy the read. If you want to follow a compelling character who you want to root for then I recommend that you stick with the movie version.
    • 4/5
      5562. The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum (read 1 Jun 2018) This spy novel was published in 1980 but I have not rad anything by Ludlum till now. The story is action-filled and one never wonders when something will hppen--things are happening all the time. The central character, called Jason Bourne, has lost his memory but remembers all his fantastic skills and quickly encounters a wonan and in a couple of days falls in love with her and they promptly commence living together as Jason seeks to determine if he was a good guy or a murderer. He extracts money from a Swiss bank and goes to Paris and determines that Carlos is a deadly enemy. Jason seldom does anything unsuccessfully, and I figured he was indestructible. But at the end of this book both he and Carlos are alive--obviously setting the stage for a sequel It it exciting but I get the idea and will not expend more reading time on Ludlum, excitingly as he writes..
    • 5/5
      I find the idea of the scenario to the Bourne Identity books and movies intriguing. The idea of a person who has been cut off from their past, what would any of us do then? It strips a person down to their core, their soul. To act and react based on no past or even current external forces is something we all wish for from time to time. But humans are meant to be connected to each other, and the agony of that loss of connectedness is what drives our connection with Jason Bourne. The old movie is like a cops and robbers film. The new movies draw on this idea but still keep Bourne rather aloof from the audience. I listened to the audio book of The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum and am so impressed. Ludlum's genius is in using that loss of connectedness and twisting Bourne's perceived situation to pull the reader in, to make us connect with Bourne even more than any of the other protagonists. Then when you find out Webb, the brother, is killed. The wife and two kids, were killed. His handler he doesn't remember existed, was killed. To see the chasm of un-connectedness that he doesn't even know of deepen and widen is what draws in the reader, fascinates the reader, and ironically connects the reader to Bourne.
    • 5/5
      Robert Ludlum's "The Bourne Identity" is not only a breath-taking thriller, it is a novel which explores the deepest recesses of the human mind. Found off the Mediterranean coast, Jason Bourne's bullet-ridden body hides secrets to a world that has slipped away from him by amnesia. His features have been softened by facial surgery making him the perfect chameleon. Embedded in his right hip is film with a code to an a $5 million account at the GemeinschaftBank in Zurich. His features have been surgically softened features make him the perfect chameleon. The words, "Alpha, Bravo, Cain, Delta...Cain is for Charlie and Delta is for Cain" replays in his mind triggering searing memories of parachuting in the jungles of Cambodia. A mysteriously unlisted company called Treadstone Seventy out of New York wants him dead. In a race against time he searches for his identity and an world-reknown assassin named Carlos. With no superfluous words, this novel is an instruction manual for would-be writers on how to form a tight script where each word leads the reader into a spiral of recognition of the human spirit.
    • 4/5
      Good characters; gripping story.
    • 3/5
      well it was an ok book and i did like it but to be fair i think my watching the movie tainted me since the 2 were so completly differnt; not even sure how the movie was able to keep the name :)
    • 4/5
      I read this long ago when I was in my Ludlum phase and it was first published. The movie made me think, "It wasn't like that..." but only after seeing the latest ("Jason Bourne") did I dig out this and reread it. Still engaging and fun.

      Best line: a psychologist says "I have too much respect for the human mind to deal you chicken soup psychology."

      Spot on and predated that fluff by 13 or so years.
    • 2/5
      Found it hard to read! I also dislike books where lovers talk to each other with phrases like "my darling" and "my love, my only love". People just do not talk like that!
    • 3/5
      Certainly a bit dated now, since it's set in the 70's, but it is as good as the movies in its own way.
    • 5/5
      I've watched the movie half a dozen times and read the book twice. As an action thriller author, I have always loved what Ludlum did with Jason Bourne.
    • 5/5
      The films are great but the books are excellent! Ludlum was heavily influenced by Lustbader, hence the invitation from Ludlum's estate for Lustbader to continue the Bourne series. The series will only get better!
    • 3/5
      It's differrent from the movie. I like the movie more than the book.Some dialogue in this book make me confuse
    • 1/5
      This is an abridged/butchered version. This abridged (condensed) version is missing 2/3 of the story at 8 hours when the complete unabridged version is over 22 hours. Very difficult to follow and a complete shame. The full unabridged version read by Scott Brick is an excellent book/audiobook.
    • 3/5
      Very different from the movie! But, I think, much better. The story was fascinating and kept me guessing. The writing is adequate but Ludlum clearly doesn't have much experience writing dialogue between lovers because it strays quite often into cliche. Still, in all, quite enjoyable. I will probably read the others just to see.
    • 4/5
      Great original read of the Matt Damon movies. More than different enough with insights into who Bourne is. A little over written in places and not too obvious.
    • 4/5
      I love these movies. It's been awhile since I've watched them, but unless I'm confused, the book is very different. I wasn't crazy about the romance aspect for much of it. Actually a portion of the story lost me for awhile, but I was really into it by the end. I'm sure where the story is going from here into book 2, but I'm looking forward to finding out.
    • 3/5
      Very different from the movie. A lot of names to keep up with and remember how they fit into the story.
    • 5/5
      I love this author - I also really enjoyed this storyline - Loved the book and the movie - I could re-read and re-watch this story again and again ...
    • 5/5
      how can it be two hours the first one was 10 hours
    • 4/5
      Firstly, let me just say, this book and the film of the same name have pretty much nothing to do with each other. Other than sharing a name, they don't have much in common!

      To be honest, this doesn't matter in the slightest, because even though I'd seen the film first and was basically expecting an amplified version of the film, this book absolutely stands alone with the story it tells.

      I found it to be excellently-written, brilliantly paced and genuinely exciting.

      Definitely recommended!
    • 3/5
      This book was okay. There were parts that were full of excitement, drama, and action that were totally enjoyable to read. Then you get to the parts where...I guess you would call it background information. It was scenes that explained the motivations of the different factions that were after Bourne. I found these chapters and sections to be extremely boring. It didn't help that Ludlum uses names like the Russians do. You would have one man that would be referred to in four different ways and I often found myself trying to figure out who everybody was and what part they were playing in the drama.

      If I were to rate it, I'd give it a three out of five because it wasn't horrible by any means but it also hasn't earned a "favorite" spot on my book shelf.
    • 3/5
      Holy mother of Twitch. This book, took me WAYYYYYYYYYYYY too long to read. Based on the fact that it was recommended to me in a "You'll read this in two days" kind of way, it took me over a MONTH. Which says a LOT, when it is the only book I'm working on.

      It's not that its a bad book, it's not. (Although I absolutely detested when he would write stuff in German or French...and gave no context clues for me to figure out what it meant--that was annoying.) While I was reading, I liked what I was reading. But I never wanted to drop everything and read.

      A MONTH!! One book!

      ahh!
    • 5/5
      I came to this book after having seen the film and I enjoyed both though I have to say I enjoyed the book slightly more than the film. In modernizing the time of the story for the film, new technologies come into play making Bourne's flight through Europe almost impossible because he can be tracked via cell phone signals, satellite imagery, email and the internet. In the book's diegesis, the year is 1980 (there abouts) and there are none of these modern devices, allowing Bourne and his female companion more time to plan and to act. I also prefer Maria in the book because she actually has useful skills. In the film she is just there as a convenient ride away from the initial confrontation and later hangs onto Bourne out of Stockholm syndrome. It was refreshing to see her have useful skills and a more robust personality than she does in the film.
    • 2/5
      Got through a few chapters. There way too many books in the world to slug through this tripe, I mean trope. Boring, poorly written and characters that would go up in smoke at a spark struck in a different hemisphere. Maybe the movies ruined it. Wait, no, this book was just lame.
    • 4/5
      It started off a little slow, and at times was a little too violent for my taste, but it picked up and I really enjoyed it. It's an intelligent, suspenful novel. I was a little surprised (in a good way) how completely different it was from the movie - at least from what I remember (it has been a long time).
    • 4/5
      *Spoiler Alert*

      The book totally indulges you in the top-notch spy/action thriller experience.

      It was unbelievably fascinating, the language was decent enough - not extremely polished and neither sickeningly bland. The dialogues were very effective and lurid, I was always awed by the infamous subconscious incantation from the book - "Cain is for Charlie and Delta is for Cain".

      The writing style was fast paced with reasonably meaningful and promising sentences/dialogues. The vivid imageries spawning out of the lines, with the ever-gripping plot and thrilling chapters, forced me to think from the character's point of view and live his life - in this case, Jason Bourne, the insomniac assassin who is mortally injured, mysteriously wakes up one ominous stormy night in a boat amidst the ocean!

      A brilliant story is incredibly compelling - a derailed protagonist, battles to find out his identity whilst desperately running from hitmen who want him dead for reasons unknown, implicates a stranger in his dangerous errands, only to unravel the deepest mysteries ever woven. This plot-line maybe formula oriented - character in trouble, character is to be praised for his perseverance, and in the end the character redeems by facing his nemesis; but the story definitely was unique and thank god not banal in any point.

      The author deftly describes the way the main character discovers little by little about his mysterious past; he uses flashbacks, short-lived action sequences and much more. The book being full of excellent fight sequences and ploys to deceive one's prey, allows Bourne to "realize" that he has impressive combat skills and acute sense for survival at every stage and hurdle. Moreoever, his muscle-memory and instincts always save him from any traps, all the more startling him about his background.

      Nearly everything about the story was perfect (except for Bourne's love-interest in my opinion). The plot was extremely interesting and the powerful, enigmatic characters kept playing in my mind thereby gradually building an atmosphere of intense suspense for which I just could't wait to flip the pages. As said before, reading this book felt like I was completely living in the author's imagination, racing from one city to another to plan my next move, uncovering the mysteries of my skills just to stay alive!
    • 4/5
      Never seen the movie; figured I'd read the book instead. Never read anything by Ludlum at all, and since he's sold umpteen billion copies and spawned a posthumous industry, I thought I should see what it's all about.
      I was pleasantly surprised - I enjoyed the book very much. It's a thriller that keeps you guessing, with lots of twists and turns. I appreciated (especially after reading the execrable 'The Eight') that the female lead was an intelligent woman who actually seemed to KNOW about the field that we are told she is an expert in (economics, in this case.)
      Yes, there are a lot of Very Unlikely occurrences in this book, and elements that might not stand up to too much detailed analysis. The writing also had a tendency to get a bit much (too many exclamation points!!!) But as a fun, entertaining thriller, it worked very well.

      I may buy the sequel, next time I run across a copy in a bargain bin.
    • 5/5
      Absolute top spy novel. later made in to a film that starts to follow the book, but soon drifts away to a cheap Hollywood story.
      Ludlums plot is very good and as far as I found, everything falls consequently into the right place.