Sometimes you have to wonder how a sequel will follow a book that had a good ending. Will the author force a plot or will it feel believable? Those are some things I wondered when diving into the second book in the Jason Bourne novels, the Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum. Read our book review below!
The Bourne Supremacy: Summary
Five years have passed since David Webb aka Jason Bourne lost his memory and pursued Carlos the Jackal in France. Webb is retired now and living with his wife Marie but when a person going by the name of Bourne emerges is Asia killing people, Webb is asked to come back to hunt someone who is almost as good as the original Bourne.
Like any rational person, Webb opts to not go back to his former life. But when his wife is kidnapped, Webb has to once again become Bourne and go to Asia to find his wife. Once again, Bourne is isolated and turns to his only friend to help him because Webb cannot trust anyone, not even his own government who wants to use him.
Webb has to now dive into the world of violence and mayhem in order to find out where his wife is while also pursuing the imposter Bourne. That means facing new threats in Hong Kong and trying to make sure he stays alive and hunting down the enemies no matter the cost.
Conclusion
Ludlum deserves a lot of credit for coming up with the angle of having another Jason Bourne. He knows that the name Jason Bourne has power in the world Ludlum created and comes up with a plot that would likely happen in a similar scenario.
And yes, the second novel in the series was great and felt believable. Bourne is a legend and the best weapon and asset that the U.S government has. And that’s why they ask him to hunt someone pretending to be him. There are a lot of plot twists and a lot of action and it makes for a perfect second novel and I would definitely recommend it.
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Dear Ahaqir Beautifully written review.
Ty
Wonderful review!
Thank you!
Most of us think of Jason Bourne films when we hear of Robert Ludlum but you must read Robert Ludlum’s novels (including The Bourne Sacrifice). Don’t stop at just watching the films if you’re an espionage aficionado, an Ian Fleming follower, a 007 devotee or just “Bourne” a spy catcher and know who wrote the “Trout Memo”. Of course, by now you should also have read Bill Fairclough’s epic spy novel Beyond Enkription in The Burlington Files series, written for espionage cognoscenti and real spies. It may not be written in John le Carré’s illustrious fashion but nevertheless US critics have heralded it as “up there with My Silent War by Kim Philby and No Other Choice by George Blake”.
In Beyond Enkription its protagonist, Edward Burlington aka Bill Fairclough (MI6 codename JJ) is just as “fast and furious” as any James Bond or Jason Bourne has been or even the Gray Man was meant to be but with one subtle difference. All his exploits in London, Nassau and Port au Prince are based on hard facts (some of which you can even check out on the web) and laced with ingenious spycraft tricks even espionage illuminati haven’t come across.
By the way, Fairclough’s MI6 handler Mac knew Ian Fleming, Kim Philby and Oleg Gordievsky. No surprise then that John le Carré refused to write a series of collaborative spy novels with Fairclough given Philby ended John le Carré’s MI6 career. Little wonder then that in hindsight Ian Fleming was thankful that he didn’t work directly for MI6 and Robert Ludlum thankful that he didn’t sacrifice himself for the CIA. For more, see the brief News Article dated 31 October 2022 in TheBurlingtonFiles site.